Extreme pain in knuckles

Hello there
I get sharp shooting pain in my knuckles...lately, I have observed that the pain is actually pretty regular. Its starts with the knuckles and spreads both ways... towards the fingers and towards the upper arm. It always occurs in either left or right hand but never both. Once the pain is on, any sort of movement hurts quite a lot so I end up with an immobilized hand! I don't take any medications for the pain because so far it seems to go away after about 4-5 hrs.
Would anyone suggest what it could be?

[darknight0dc]

i have something very similar to this! sometimes randomly i get a very sharp and excruciating pain in my knuckles, it is usualy in my left hand but occassionally my right (im right handed if it matters).
any movement is incredibly painful, so like you, i just dont use my hand for a while, but my pain tends to fade after about 20 minutes.
i only experience this maybe once or twice every 2 weeks, and for very short periods of time. but it's really concerning when i have a severe pain that i dont understand! if anyone has any info on this it'd be great, thanks!

[Tuckamore]

Hello Arm and Darknight,

Have either of you had x-rays of your hands. Knuckle pain is really "joint pain" as your knuckles are joints. My first guess would be arthritis. And yes initially arthritis can come and go and be in one hand and not the other. Arthritis is very painful, especially gouty arthritis, better known as gout. Gout almost always "comes and goes" and effects different locations, or selects one or two locations and just keep reoccurring in those areas.  Do you have swelling, warmth or redness in your knuckles? A simple blood test can determine the level of your uric acid make a definitive diagnosis. There are very effective treatments for gouty arthritis.

Diabetes can also cause knuckle pain as can a Brachial Plexus injury or peripheral neuropathy but with those conditions I would tend to believe you would have additional symptoms.

Both of you should make an appointment with your PCP to have your symptoms diagnosed. If you have gout it can destroy joints and than your pain will not ease to any great degree.

I wish you both well. Please let us know how you are doing. Take care, Tuck

[jimmyz913]

i have recently been diagnosed w/ brachial pluxes neoppothy, left arm.  sorry for the typing doing it now wit one hand.  i have no feeling in my left forearm and the palm of my left hand is numb.  i am experiencing level 10 pain when not on my pain meds, norco 10/325 for break through pain and oxy 30 mg for scheduled pain.  will i ever feel my left hand again and by the way i am left handed and have type 2 diabetes.
any hope that i get feeling back. i am currently doing pt 3 times a week ang ot 2 times a week.
please only serious response would be appreciated my email address is ***@****