I’ve had stiffness in my fingers, hands and feet for some time now, and my right index finger has a swollen joint. My doctor diagnosed osteo arthritis and said there’s nothing I can do to stop it, it is caused by “over-use”. Looking at my fingers I can see that my right index finger is the worst and my right middle finger looks like it is starting to swell.

My left hand

 

My right hand

 

I find this very depressing. I’m 52, healthy, if slightly overweight, is there really nothing I can do? 

I don’t like the way it looks but much worse than that is the thought that I will gradually lose the use of my hands for typing, knitting and everything else. 

I’m interested in anything that might stop or at least slow down what appears to be a slow degenerative process. Does diet have an effect? I would love to hear from anyone who has an opinion or any ideas on anything I can do about this. Please tell me your experience and stories. Thanks ?