I'm 43, and my ring finger joint (1st one up from the knuckle) is sore. It was really sore about 3 days ago and was tender to the touch for about 24 hours.Now it's not as sore but is still a little sore and maybe slightly swollen. I thought I had gout but it never got red. Does it have to get red to be gout. I got the pain once before about a year ago. i can't remember which finger it was and I don't remember it hurting as much as it did this time. Could it be gout or something else? I don't remember hitting it at all. It's just sore.