Hand Pain from Osteoarthritis Changes Over Time
If you’re dealing with hand pain from osteoarthritis, you may wonder if it’s only going to worsen over time. New research suggests that, for many people, the opposite is true. A December 2024 study in Arthritis Care and Research reports that among people with hand osteoarthritis, over four years, pain improved for 38%, deteriorated for 30% and remained stable for 32%. Eighty-three percent of the 356 participants were female; the mean age was 60.6 years. The course of pain varied, with some factors associated with more pain over time (higher body mass index) and some factors associated with less pain over time (employment). The study also reports associations between coping styles and illness perceptions and pain. The study measured a good clinical outcome using the Patient Acceptable Symptom State (PASS), and reported that 44% of participants reached PASS at baseline and 49% reached it at four-year follow-up. The study offers hope that pain in people with hand OA is not inevitably worsening.
