What exercises and treatments can help reduce joint stiffness and pain in hands and fingers with rheumatoid arthritis?
Hand exercises can help stretch your hands, strengthen muscles, and improve control over movements. Here are some effective exercises:
Thumb and Finger Exercises
- Thumb stretches: Bend your thumb across Show Full Answer
What exercises and treatments can help reduce joint stiffness and pain in hands and fingers with rheumatoid arthritis?
Hand exercises can help stretch your hands, strengthen muscles, and improve control over movements. Here are some effective exercises:
Thumb and Finger Exercises:
- Thumb stretches: Bend your thumb across your palm toward your little finger
- Fingertip touch: Touch each fingertip to your thumb one at a time, forming an "O" shape
- Finger lift: Place your palm flat and lift each finger individually
- Finger walk: Rest fingers against a wall and "walk" them upward
Strengthening Exercises:
- Fist stretch: Slowly close your hand into a gentle fist and release
- Joint extensions: Make a fist then open it, extending fingers outward
- Knuckle bend: Bend knuckles while keeping other finger joints straight
Wrist Exercises:
- Wrist rotation: Gently rotate wrists in clockwise and counterclockwise circles
- Wrist stretches: Flip hand from palm-up to palm-down position using wrist motion
Warm up your hands with a heat pack or warm water before exercising. Hold each stretch for 2-3 seconds and aim for 10 repetitions per hand if possible. Treatment Options:
Beyond exercises, several treatments can help manage hand and finger symptoms:
- Splints and orthoses: Resting hand splints, wrist supports, and finger splints can decrease pain, swelling, and deformity. A myRAteam member shared their doctor recommended wearing a splint at night for trigger finger.
- Occupational therapy: An occupational therapist can design a personalized exercise program and prescribe splints to improve function and slow deformity progression.
- Physical therapy: Working with a trained professional helps you learn proper exercise techniques.
Important Tips:
Be gentle and only stretch as far as feels comfortable. During flare-ups, do shorter, more frequent sessions rather than one long session. If you're not in a flare, daily exercises work well, but you can increase to three times daily for specific problem areas.
Always talk to your rheumatologist before starting new exercises, especially if you experience pain.
March 17
Join
Your Privacy Choices
