I have been having problems with pain and stiffiness in my hands and fingers they hurt when i bend my fingers or when i close my hands and are tender to the touch it seems to be getting worse and i am begining to worry that it might be something serious a

How : How long has this been going on? Did you have an injury? These symptoms are typical of an inflammatory arthropathy (the generic name for a number of conditions that cause stiffness and swelling). Some examples are rheumatoid arthritis, gout, psoriatic arthritis, and lupus, though there are literally hundreds of them. I would recommend seeing your primary care physician or a rheumatologist promptly. There are a number of new treatments available and the newer studies show that interrupting the inflammation before 6 weeks can prevent joint destruction. You will likely have an examination and a lot of blood tests to help diagnose the cause. X-rays can be helpful, but are not always necessary. I tell my patients that it is the rheumatologist's job to keep you out of my office. While there are reasons to do surgery on some people with inflammatory arthropathy, the goal is really to avoid the need.