I have been diagnosed for about 12 years with osteoarthritis. I have had most of my pain in my knees and hips, but never in my hands. About a year ago, my fingers began to turn a purple-red color and I began to experience numbness. I told two of my doctors and they dismissed it as being part of the arthritis problem. Today, I could not get out of bed as the tops of my feet were swollen and numb as well as the tops of my hands and fingers. I could barely move my toes and fingers. I put an analgesic gel with menthol on them and stayed in be all day and by four o clock this afternoon, they began to go back to normal. My fingers are still very numb and I can t feel things.