Hi. I am a 37 year old female with a history of colitis. For the past month, my right pointer finger has been painful and is swollen from above the middle joint to the joint closest to my hand. There is no sign of infection (no redness, warmth, fever, etc), and I don't remember hitting or injuring the finger. I had x-rays done, and the report states: There is soft tissue swelling about the right index finger PIP. There is no fracture or dislocation. Joint spaces are maintained. There is no osseous lesion. There is no periosteal reaction, cortical defect, or focal osteopenia seen.

It has been over a month and it is still swollen and painful (see attached photo). The finger is stiffer and hard to bend in the morning when I wake up, but is still somewhat stiff, painful and swollen throughout the day. The pain is worst when I try to bend the finger.

Besides this finger, I have noticed that my other fingers and big toes feel stiffer and hurt (never used to be an issue). I have also developed a few red raised bumps on my scalp near the hairline (see attached photo). There are a couple of these bumps on the left side and a couple on the right side. They are not pimples, and have been there for at least a week. I haven't been bitten by any bugs.

I can't take NSAIDs, and Tylenol hasn't helped the pain or swelling. I tried a short course of prednisone, and that helped with the swelling (no help with the pain or stiffness), but since finishing the prednisone, the swelling has come back.

Besides colitis, I do not have any other medical concerns or history like these issues. My father has mild psoriasis and an aunt has RA. Could this be related to my colitis or something like psoriatic arthritis or RA starting?