Home Remedies for Arthritis Treatment in Hands and Fingers
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Arthritis, while it is ubiquitous, is not very well understood. Simply put, it is the inflammation of one or more joints resulting in pain or stiffness that can worsen with age.
Being the leading cause of disability in America, arthritis is not just an older person's disease. It's an informal way of referring to joint pain that affects people of all ages. Pain, swelling, and tenderness of the joints in your hands, mainly due to arthritis, can be pretty debilitating and affect your everyday life. Living with arthritis in your fingers can bring you many different types of pain.
Check out these simple home remedies to provide relief in arthritis in hands and fingers.
Hand Exercises for Arthritis
#1. Hand Clench Exercise
The simple task of making a fist with your hand is straightforward yet effective. It should be repeated throughout the day to relieve joint pain and arthritis in the fingers.
- Start by holding out one hand with all your fingers straight.
- Next, slowly roll your fingers into your palm. Form a fist while placing your thumb on the outside of your hand. Make sure to be gentle and don't squeeze too hard.
- Open your hand back up until your fingers are straight again, and repeat the process with your other hand.
#2. Finger Bend Exercise
Similar to the first exercise, bending your fingers in specific ways throughout the day can be effective in treating aches and pains
- Start by holding out one hand with all your fingers straight like in the last exercise.
- Bend your thumb down towards your palm and hold for a couple of seconds.
- Straighten your thumb back out.
- Now bend your index finger down the same way into your palm.
- Straighten your index finger back out, and repeat for the remaining fingers, as well as repeat the whole process for your other hand.
#3. "O" Exercise
Another exercise that can relieve stiffness is by forming the letter "O" with your fingers.
- Start with a flat hand and straight fingers.
- Slowly curve all your fingers inward until the tips of your fingers touch.
- Hold this position for a few seconds before straightening your fingers back out, and repeat the process with your other hand.
Hand Stretches for Hand Joint Pain
#4. Wrist Stretch
Stretching out your hands and wrists is a good way to loosen up your joints and improve your range of motion.
- Start by holding out your arm, making sure the palm of your hand is facing the floor.
- With your opposite hand, push down on your other hand so your fingertips point towards the floor. Stop until you feel a stretch and hold for a few seconds.
- Repeat ten times and then do the sequence again with your other hand.
#5. Thumb Stretch
Similar to the wrist stretch, the point of doing this is to focus on your thumb movement.
- Begin with relaxing your hand with your palm facing up.
- Take your thumb, and fold it down across the palm of your hand and try to reach your thumb to your pinky finger.
- Repeat multiple times on both hands with both thumbs.
#6. Finger Stretch
Focusing on each individual finger will help relieve stress throughout the whole hand and can be very pain relieving.
- Begin by holding your hand out with your palm facing the floor, similar to what you did for the wrist stretch.
- Take all of your fingers, excluding your thumb, and slowly pull your fingers back towards you until you feel a slight stretch, and hold for a few seconds.
- Repeat with the remaining fingers and then repeat on your other hand.
Therapies to Provide Arthritis Pain Relief
#7. Massage Therapy
Gentle hand massages are a great way to relax the muscles in your hand. Take your opposite thumb and massage the palm of your hand using short strokes and massaging the fingers by starting at the tips and pushing down toward the palm.
#8. Heat and Ice Therapy
A combination of heat and ice therapy throughout the day can be highly effective. Just apply some form of heat to the hands in the morning to help loosen up the joints and apply ice therapy to the hands later after a day's activity to help stimulate and refresh the joints. Also, a heating pad might help with pain and inflammation caused by arthritis.
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#9. Ball Therapy
Using a stress ball with your hands can be therapeutic and great for increasing strength and improving flexibility, reducing swelling and pain. Squeeze the stress ball in each hand as hard as you possibly can and release it after a few seconds.
Arthritis FAQs
What are Arthritis Symptoms?
Many people with arthritis feel pain and discomfort in the joints, ankles, back, fingers, hands, muscles, neck, or wrists. Many types of arthritis can affect different parts of the body, and the pain can vary from a constant sharp pain, or it can be intermittent. The most common symptoms include pain, swelling, reduced range of motion, and stiffness.
What Does ARthritis feel like in Fingers?
In the early stages of arthritis in your fingers, a dull, burning sensation might occur after a long day of constantly using your hands. Your fingers will feel very stiff and weak, and it will feel as though you cannot move them as much as you might like. In arthritic joints such as your knuckles, cartilage is worn away. It will also result in you feeling a grinding and grating sensation in your fingers with any movement.
How do I Stop Arthritis in my Fingers?
Unfortunately, there is no permanent cure for arthritis. However, there are ways to provide pain relief for arthritis in fingers. Please see the above article for some of the best ways to relieve pain.
What is the Best Home Treatment for ARthritis in Fingers?
Some home remedies for arthritis in fingers include hand exercises, hand stretches, hot and cold therapy, and even making a homemade splint for individual fingers. Splints hold the joint still to reduce pain.
Are there any Side Effects to Treating Arthritis at Home?
There are no side effects to treating arthritis at home. However, you might find that some home remedies are not as effective as others in reducing pain.
Can a Physical Therapist Help with ARthritis?
A physical therapist can be highly beneficial. Seeing a physical therapist can relieve joint pain and assist in slowing down the disease's progression by employing various stretches and exercises. With the implementation of a physical therapist's advice, muscle strength, balance, and posture will all be improved, which will help relieve pain.
We always recommend speaking to your health care provider for medical advice to assist with managing arthritis. The key to reducing pain is to reduce overall inflammation in the body ultimately. We hope these quick, easy, and natural remedies can help you treat painful arthritis flareups and arthritis symptoms.
Helpful Arthritis Pain Relief Resources
About the Author
Ally West is a Florida State University student studying Communications. She has spent her time studying the world of Digital Communications, and hopes to one day pursue a career in that field.
About Carex Health Brands
Carex is your one-stop shop for home medical equipment and for products that assist caregivers with providing the best possible support and care for their loved ones. Carex Health Brands has been the branded leader in in-home, self-care medical products for over 35 years. Our goal is to improve the lives of our customers by bring them quality products that bring dignity back to their lives. With our three nationally distributed brands, Carex Health Brands serves national, regional and independent food, drug and mass retailers along with wholesalers, distributors and medical dealers.
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