Joint deformities
Muscle atrophy, tendon destruction, and inflammatory wear down of the joints cause a series of joint deformities that affect patients with rheumatoid arthritis and become more noticeable as the disease advances. The earliest deformities in rheumatoid arthritis are often seen in the hands and fingers. There is a deviation of the fingers towards the ulna, which is known as ulnar deviation, and patients may also display a swan-neck deformity and hammertoes. This type of deformities provides important data to the physician because they are characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis patients.