Actually first noticed when I was playing games with the fingers on WASD keys (for movement) and now I've switched to a controller, possibly for good, but now typing for extended periods when programming is bothering them.
I haven't confirmed that it's arthritis yet, maybe it'll still get better on its own, but assuming it isn't, is there a way I can continue to write code (and write comments on HN and whatnot :) and yet protect them and let them heal? Should I look into some ergonomic keyboards? Try typing one-handed for a while?
For those who definitely do have arthritis, how do you manage it as well as work?
I've got psoriasis and associated arthritis symptoms have taken a lot of my dexterity from me the past year. Its a bitch; I am my hands in the way that dogs are their nose. I get internal join pains from elbows down, associated with finger movement, and sometimes cramps or weakness in particular muscles or groups that make some motions just not happen. Opening a bottle cap is pretty sure to cost pain and require a moment straightening that hand back out, now.
I can't say I'm managing it well. I push through the pain, try to retain patience as I drop things and have to find workarounds and new ways to do things i once found easy. I try to be sensitive to becoming irritable with others socially because ive been typing too much today or whatever, and not do that. It's not easy.
I've known this time was likely coming; early on I did things like acquiring a stack of Model M keyboards, learning some keyboard technique from old high typing rate secretaries and piano players (wrists up!), and adopting an index finger trackballs instead of mice (MS Explorer Trackballs; or Elecom M-HT1UR). That worked for my body and habits. Whatever makes your body comfortable while you're fiddling the small switches in a static position for long periods of time will vary. The "long periods" makes the "comfortable during" bit very, very important.
Oh, yeah, don't forget the mouse. If you have issues on only one hand, run the mouse with the other hand. (If you're not on a Mac, and you want the buttons to correspond to the same fingers of the hand when you're running it with the other hand, both Windows and Linux have a setting for "left-handed" mice, which reverses the buttons.)
We don't normally think of programmers as people who work with their hands, but we really do...
I also found the advice on here to wear long sleeves to promote blood flow and keep your hands warm, this works well.
Did you consult a doctor?
I found out that I had major vitamin D deficiency