If you suffer from hand arthritis, you know how painful and debilitating it can be. Thankfully, there are a variety of natural ways to reduce pain associated with hand arthritis without the use of drugs.
Arthritis in the hands can be debilitating, causing pain and reducing your ability to use your hands. While drugs are available to treat hand arthritis, you may want to consider some natural solutions. Here are some simple ways to alleviate your pain without relying on medication.
What Is Arthritis Of The Hand?
The tissues in your joints are attacked by the condition known as arthritis. Where two bones meet is called a joint. Arthritis can affect the smooth cartilage that covers the ends of bones or the lining of your joints. Your bones’ ends eventually become exposed, brush against one another, and wear away as the cartilage degrades. Your hand has several joints, making it a frequent location for arthritis to develop.
Hand arthritis results in discomfort, edema, stiffness, and deformity. As arthritis worsens, it becomes harder to do daily duties with your hands than it once was.
The base of the thumb, the knuckles, the second joint, and the top joint of the fingers are frequently affected by hand arthritis. Psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis are all types of arthritis. Treatment options include braces, splints, medicines, steroid injections, and healthy lifestyle choices. Joint fusion, joint replacement, and tendon transfer are all surgical procedures.
Natural Ways to Alleviate Hand Arthritis Pain
If you suffer from hand arthritis, you know just how painful and uncomfortable it can be. But the good news is that various non-drug solutions are available to help relieve symptoms and improve your quality of life.
Prevention It is not always possible to prevent arthritis, but avoiding certain risk factors may offer protection in some cases. The same precautions may also help slow the progression of arthritis and manage its symptoms if a person already has the condition.
Read on to learn about some simple, effective ways to treat arthritis without drugs.
1. Hand Massagers And Heat
Hand massagers and heat can help reduce joint pain, stiffness, and swelling. Heat pads and wraps, warm baths and showers, or heated compresses can also provide relief from pain.
One of the best ways to alleviate hand arthritis pain is with a hand massager! When choosing a hand massager, look for one that offers comfortable padding, adjustable speed, intensity settings, and ergonomic design.
With the right-hand massager, you can find comfort and relief from the painful symptoms of arthritis in your hands.
Hand massage machines are available for purchase online such as on Amazon.
Choose the perfect hand massagers and grab a few tips for preventing hand arthritis today.
2. Stretching Exercises
Simple stretching exercises can help reduce stiffness and improve the range of motion in your hands and fingers.
Stretches that focus on your wrists, fingers, and forearms will help relieve tension caused by chronic hand arthritis. Be sure to perform these stretches slowly and gently so as not to cause more harm than good.
3. Heat Therapy
Heat therapy is an effective way to reduce inflammation and relax stiff muscles in the hands. You can use a heating pad or warm compress for 15-20 minutes at a time several times a day for the best results.
Alternatively, try soaking your hands in warm water for 10 minutes for pain relief from soreness and stiffness. You may also benefit from using paraffin wax baths or warm wax treatments.
4. Massage Therapy
Regular massages from a professional massage therapist can significantly reduce joint pain associated with hand arthritis by improving circulation and flexibility in the affected area.
Massaging your own hands can also provide relief; apply gentle pressure with your thumbs around the communal areas of your hands for 15-20 seconds at a time, several times per day. This self-massage will release endorphins, natural pain-relievers that can help reduce the discomfort associated with hand arthritis.
5. Exercise
Exercise is one of the best things you can do to reduce the pain and stiffness associated with hand arthritis. Gentle stretching exercises can help keep your joints flexible and increase the range of motion in your hands.
Low-impact activities like swimming or walking also improve flexibility and reduce stiffness. Additionally, strengthening exercises like grip strengthening can help protect joints from further damage by increasing muscle strength.
6. Cold Therapy
Cold therapy can also help treat hand arthritis pain and inflammation because it helps reduce swelling in the joints and numb any pain you may be feeling in your hands. Ice packs or cold compresses should be applied for up to 20 minutes at a time, several times a day, or until the swelling subsides.
7. Splinting
Splints are devices that are worn over an affected joint to provide support while allowing movement at the same time. Wearing a splint can help relieve pain by taking pressure off the joint, giving it ample time to rest, heal, and recover from daily use and strain on the joint’s ligaments and tendons.
Splints should be worn during periods of activity when hand movement is most needed or when you’re engaging in strenuous activities like lifting or carrying objects with your hands.
8. Diet Changes
Making changes to your diet can also be beneficial when it comes to relieving hand arthritis pain. Eating healthy foods low in sugar and high in omega-3 fatty acids has been shown to reduce inflammation throughout the body.
Foods such as fatty fish, nuts, and leafy green vegetables have all been linked to reduced inflammation and improved overall health.
Additionally, avoiding processed foods and limiting your intake of red meat can help reduce inflammation levels throughout the body—including in the hands—and improve hand mobility.
Different Types Of Arthritis That Affect The Hands
Osteoarthritis: Degenerative arthritis, sometimes called “wear and tear,” is the most prevalent type of arthritis. It causes the smooth, cushiony cartilage that covers the ends of your bones to deteriorate and wear away.
Without any protection, the ends of the bones then rub against one another, eventually resulting in pain, stiffness, and loss of movement.
The joints in your wrist, the base of your thumb, and the middle and top (near fingernails) of your fingers are the ones that experience hand osteoarthritis the most frequently. Bony lumps may develop in the joints of your fingers due to chronic disease.
Rheumatoid Arthritis: Wrist Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that causes inflammation in the joints. It affects more women than men and typically begins with symptoms such as wrist pain, swelling, and stiffness in the wrist, the base of the thumb, or the middle joint. Eventually, it can lead to deformity of your fingers or hands if not properly managed.
Rheumatoid arthritis commonly affects the small joints of your wrists, hands, and fingers. The same joints on both sides of your body are typically affected. If your finger joints, on the one hand, are affected by arthritis, your other hand’s finger joints will likely be as well.
Psoriatic Arthritis: this is a type of arthritis that impacts your joints and skin (psoriasis). Your fingers start to swell. Joint discomfort and stiffness in the morning will also be present. It frequently resembles rheumatoid arthritis. It might just require a few fingers, though.
Conclusion
Hand arthritis doesn’t have to mean relying solely on medication to treat your condition. Many non-drug solutions can help reduce pain levels associated with this condition and improve the overall quality of life for those suffering from it.
