Your hands and wrists have many small joints that work together to help you move and perform tasks. When these joints are affected by arthritis, it may become difficult for you to perform everyday activities. Arthritis can hinder your hand’s movements, causing you pain and discomfort. It can occur in many different parts of your hands and wrist due to several causes.

Here’s everything you should know about the common condition:

Symptoms

There are more than 100 different forms of arthritis, but osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the most common ones. While the onset of symptoms is gradual, the following tell-tale signs can tell if you’ve developed arthritis:

Pain

Pain is one of the earliest signs of arthritis in hands. When the cartridge wears away, your hand’s ability to absorb shock reduces, and you experience higher levels of discomfort. While the pain may be minimal during the early onset of the disease, it can rise with the condition’s advancement.

Swelling and inflammation

When the affected joints are put under higher duress, they can begin to swell, discouraging further joint movement. The arthritic joints may also feel warm to touch owing to the body’s inflammatory response.

Cysts

Small mucous cysts may develop at the fingers’ end joints, leading to dents and ridging in the nail plates. These visible outgrowths can also cause unbearable pain, swelling, and inflammation.

Five palms resting on a wooden table

Treatment

Early diagnosis can improve your hand’s health and reduce arthritic symptoms. Some treatment options for treating arthritis in the hands include medication, occupational therapy, surgery, and splinting. Depending on how far the condition has progressed, your age, health, and activity level, your doctor may suggest one of these treatment plans.

While medications focus on reducing the symptoms of arthritis, they can’t restore the lost joint cartridge. Similarly, splinting and surgery also aim at providing relief to the patient.

Occupational therapy

Occupational therapists develop customized treatment plans for each patient, keeping in mind their pain threshold, activity level, and arthritis advancement. They focus on teaching adaptive techniques to their patients, helping them learn the least painful way to perform activities.

When needed, occupational therapists also train arthritic patients to use assistive devices to increase their range of motion, strength, and flexibility. Since arthritis is a chronic disease that grows over time, occupational therapy is a favorable option for continually adapting to the condition.

Reach out to a qualified occupational therapist to beat your arthritis today. With professional hand pain therapy, you can learn to perform everyday tasks that have become challenging with ease and comfort. Able Hands Rehabilitation is a trusted hand rehabilitation center working in Old Bridge, Freehold, and Edison, NJ. Talk to us at 732-727-7333 for more information.