When I wake up, my hands and knuckles ache. (I have to stretch them out.) Is this the beginning of arthritis?

Question

My fingers and knuckles feel very tight in the morning and pop alot. I have to stretch out my hands and fingers in the morning to make them feel better.

Answer 1

I checked with my mom (an RN) and she says that this is a fairly common sign of osteoarthritis. Here's an article on the condition:
http://www.medicinenet.com/osteoarthritis/article.htm
Of course, you should check with a doctor.

Answer 2

Try drinking more water. Stiff achy joints in the am is usually due to dehydration. You should be getting at LEAST half your body weight in ounces per day. ex: if you weigh 150lbs, you should be getting 75 oz of water every day. If you are very active then you up it to 3/4 your weight in ounces (you, 150lbs=your daily h2o, 108 oz) The old rule of 8 glasses a day is out the window, you can't apply one specific amount to different people with different needs. But try this for a couple of days and see if it doesn't help.

Answer 3

I don't know the answer but I've been wondering the EXACT same thing! Note: if you wake up at 4 am, are your hand joints swollen or achy? Seems like this happens between 4 and 6 in the morning. At least for me :) Weird, eh?