Question:
My mother is 89 and the fingers on her left hand are "freezing" closed - especially her middle and ring fingers. The tip of the ring finger at the first knuckle is turned up and she can not straighten it. She can move the 2 other fingers and thumb pretty well. What could be the causes of this?

Answer:
Hey Sue, how are you doing?

If rheumatoid arthritis is not properly cared for, the result may be a crippling deformity of the joints and may also affect the heart, blood vessels, and lungs. (Patterson 434) The examination of synovial fluid is mandatory to establish the specfic diagnosis of infections, crystal-induced arthritides, pigmented villonodular synovitis, and neoplasms involving the joints. (Gilliland, Mannik 2049)

REFERENCES
Robert Lee Patterson, Jr., M.D.: Rheumatoid Arthritis
Funk & Wagnalls Family Medical Guide; chap. 15, THE JOINTS, BONES, AND MUSCLES, sec. 259, p.434.

Bruce C. Gilliland
and Mart Mannik: Approach To Disorders Of The Joints
Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine; chap. 358, DISORDERS OF THE JOINTS AND CONNECTIVE TISSUES, sec. 14, p. 2049.

Howard R Smith, MD: Rheumatoid Arthritis
eMedicine.com, Inc., Patient Education Article, (When To Seek Medical Care), 2003-5.


Best wishes,

The Prison Hospital

Prisoner: Look here, doctor! You've already removed my spleen, tonsils, adenoids, and one of my kidneys. I only came to see if you could get me out of this place!

Doctor: I am, bit by bit.





Answer:
Since Mother is bed-bound, I wouldn't want to subject her to invasive testing if there would not be some very positive results derived from them. I do thank you for your response. We live in a small, rural town with very few specialists and no one for me to ask these questions. You helped a lot.