RA is just one of the symptoms of sjogrens, but with me it was the first one to appear. If you begin to notice dryness symptoms also, then it could be sjogrens. A helpful trick to deal with the pain and prevent it is to do some hand exercises several times a day, and maybe purchase some "chi balls" - also known as health balls or meditation balls - to swirl around in your palms. This massages the accupressure points, and the balls have magnets inside them which stimulate blood flow. The very best thing is to learn some gentle form of exercise for the whole body, like yoga, tai chi or chigong. Make sure to keep your hands as warm as you can also. Even if you do have SS, you can still lead a happy life once you get it under control, so try not to worry. Best wishes.

Yes, morning stiffness is one of the criteria for determining whether to put someone on plaquenil.
Your hands being the most used probably has the most. I had the same problem but over time plaquenil seems to have calmed it. RA is secondary SjS not everyone gets that, but you can still have stiffness from inflammation.

grahambates, gave you some good information worth a try. You need to explain more about being diagnosed. Have you been diagnosed w/SjS or you suspect it.
Do you have RA. Raynaud's is also a condition that can affect your hands. Another is a job that uses hands alot like computers or typing.

I have less stiffness now before it was awful....before as in before plaquenil. A nice hot shower in the morning helps too.

Have you spoken with your rheumy about it.

Hi RenneG. One of the worst areas of pain I suffer with is in my hands. They are soar all the time. I started Lyrica and Plaquenil a few months ago, and I'm really feeling better as far as the pain goes. For me, these meds kind of "layer down" the pain in my whole body. Then I still usually take a Tramadol during the day to get through sitting at a desk all day.

Before you get DX'd the doctors will probably take lots of blood tests and test for nerve conduction. Maybe you have had these already.

My blood tests show positive for Sjogrens and Lupus. I think I'm getting RA too. My doctor says that all of these things are very over lapping with each other, so if you have not had any testing done, see your doctor.

Good luck.

Thanks for the comments. A little more info for you... I don't have health insurance. I am able to go to the Indian Clinic where I live. I was being seen for a cyst on my left ovary and was told to "wait and see" if it resolves on its own. During the wait and see time I started having the morning stiffness in both hands. Some days it is much worse than others but usually resolves within an hour. A lot of times because I wake up so many times during the night if I lay there and just move my hands it makes them feel better then I go back to sleep and they stiffen up again. I did have my primary screen me for RA because my sister has Lupus. My ANA was positive, my RA Factor was 72 (normal is under 13) and my SSA was over 8 which was also a positive result. My numbers were not through the roof but my symptoms are not as severe as a lot of people I read about. My low back and my feet are more bothersome than my hands. I can barely walk after working all day. I can take a 10 min ride to my house after working and my feet hurt so bad I can hardly get out of the car. My low back hurt so bad I couldn't stand up straight for a week and the pain comes and goes. The doctor repeated the blood work and on the second round my ANA was normal and she said my RF was normal too although I didn't see it on the labs. My IgG was high but she really had no comment about that. She said I am not symptomatic enough.. .no swelling ..normal Sed rate and anti ccp and crp so she is not treating it right now. I stopped taking Ibuprofen because I was having reactions to it so I have just been dealing with the symptoms. So I started wondering if this is more Sjogrens. I have a new symptom that just appeared which is a heaviness that I feel in my lower throat / upper chest region. It is constant but worse at night. She blew that off too. I never used to get yeast infections and I never had a UTI before and now it seems they are recurring... I don't know what it all means but I sure think I have the beginnings of something here.

I, too, have had yeast infections and just recovered from a UTI. I have in the past had joint pain and stiffness--still do, occasionally--but on the advice of a very wise osteopath who fixes my back when I have trouble, I altered my diet to exclude, as best I can, foods that cause inflammation. For me, that meant sugar and peanuts. I'm pretty good about keeping my sugar comsumption down and feel pain-free while I'm doing it, but, of course, Christmas plays havoc with my resolutions, so I suffer for it. This might not help you, but it's something to do that is free! There is a compounding pharmacy in my town where I go and ask the pharmacist for suggestions from time to time, and often, the things I try work. You can also check online for foods that cause inflammation, and if there is something in the list that you eat frequently, that's probably causing at least part of your problem.