Things You Need To Know About Arthritis Of The Hands
Do you feel stiffness and pain in your hands? Do you find it difficult to use things like a kitchenaid hand mixer or a handheld vacuum cleaner? It could be that you’re suffering from arthritis of the hands. But worry not. It’s relatively easy to get back to your usual activities by seeing a doctor and following a recommended mode of treatment.
Arthritis is a disease involving the cartilage of bone joints. It can be caused by a lot of factors, including trauma and heredity. While there are so many types of the disease, the most common is osteoarthritis or degenerative arthritis. It’s related to aging and the normal wear and tear of cartilages.
Other than the hands, the disease usually occurs in large weight-bearing joints. Such may include the knees, hips, back, and shoulders. Hand arthritis often results to pain and inflammation. Because of these, hand use and movement becomes very limited. It’s not uncommon to hear grinding or clicking sound when moving the fingers. Bony knobs may also appear in the end and middle finger joints.
A doctor will take your medical history and perform a physical checkup when diagnosing arthritis. Having an x-ray will reveal structural changes in joints affected by the disease. In the case of a rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease, having a blood test is helpful. The severity of the disease will have an effect on the mode of treatment to be recommended by the doctor.
There are topical arthritis creams for relieving the common signs and symptoms. Your doctor may also prescribe oral Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs, or NSAIDs, for pain and inflammation. However, there are also those which are administered through injections. Splints are sometimes applied to provide a stable resting position for the hands. But in extreme cases, surgery may have to be performed.
Application of liniment or anything similar is effective for relieving minor signs and symptoms. The same is true with applying a cold compress on your hands. Hand exercises are helpful in maintaining normal hand or finger functions. You may spread your fingers apart, have each of your fingers touch the tip of the thumb, or make a fist. Such practices enable efficient using of a keyboard, flipping of switches beneath the custom LCD of a device, or other similar activities at work.
With proper activity modification and following the doctor’s orders, hand arthritis need not get in the way of your daily living. Soon enough you can resume your passion in life, be it using a Canon digital SLR camera or gripping a tennis racket. Having arthritis of the hand need not cause you lifelong pain and joint immobility.