Enter your Everyday Health log-in here:  E-Mail Address: Forgot
Your Password?  Muscle Cramps in Hands: A Symptom of Arthritis?
Finger-joint stiffness and pain are common for people with
arthritis, but some also experience muscle cramps in the hands.
It happens to the best of us: You're writing or typing or
cooking, and suddenly, without warning, the muscles in your hand
seize up, causing pain and cramping. For people
dealing with pain and inflammation in the hands and stiffness in
the fingers and wrists due to rheumatoid arthritis or other
conditions, daily tasks are already challenging enough. But RA
can also impact muscle function, and some patients report that
flare-ups often involve debilitating muscle cramps in the hands.
"The inflammation in joints causes spasms in the muscles
adjacent to the joints, which is probably why people have hand
cramps," explained Richard Brasington, MD, a rheumatologist at
Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University in St. Louis.
"Plus, any dysfunction in joints is g