When you stop to think about how much you use your hands, it's easy to see why the joints of the fingers are so important. Arthritic finger joints can lead to difficulty in daily activities due to pain and deformity, which may require surgical treatment as the arthritis progresses.

The term degenerative arthritis describes a condition where a joint wears out, usually over a period of many years. Degenerative arthritis means deterioration of a joint due to wear and tear. You may also hear the term degenerative arthrosis used. Some doctors believe that degenerative arthritis isn't a true arthritis, and the term can cause confusion. These doctors use the term arthrosis to describe the condition of a worn-out joint; they use the term arthritis to describe the true inflammatory conditions such as gout, infection and rheumatoid arthritis.

Joints are protected by special material called "articular cartilage." Injury to a joint, such as a bad sprain or fracture, can damage the cartilage. An injury to any of the joints of the fingers -- even if it does not injure the cartilage directly -- can alter how the joint works. This is true for a fracture that involves the joint where the bone fragments don't quite "line up" correctly and heal slightly different from the way they were before the break occurred. This is very similar to machinery. If a mechanism is out of balance, it wears out faster.

Over the years this imbalance in the joint mechanics can lead to damage of the cartilage. Since articular cartilage cannot heal itself very well, the damage adds up. Finally, the joint is no longer able to compensate for the increasing damage, and it begins to hurt. The damage occurs well before the pain begins.