Arthritis in the hand and wrist often feels like a dull, deep, aching kind of pain. But when certain activities, certain kinds of aggravating activities, such as opening a jar or really powerful grip type of activities, it can actually feel like more of a sharp, stabbing type pain.
Arthritis in the hand and wrist is caused like arthritis pretty much throughout the body by breakdown of the cartilage on the joint surfaces. As that wears away, you get bones rubbing against each other that aren't as smooth as cartilage, so that's what causes the pain. It's a little bit different in the wrist compared to the rest of the hand because the wrist actually can come from a previous injury. A fractured bone or a ligament tear can actually lead to a certain pattern of arthritis.
