6 HAND EXERCISES FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

"Arthritis" is a general term for different types of joint diseases. Three types of arthritis are: 1) osteoarthritis, 2) rheumatoid arthritis, and 3) ankylosing spondylitis. These joint diseases can affect your knees, hips, back, hands, and other areas of your body, but it's what's happening inside your joints that's causing the arthritis pain that can sometimes keep you from doing the things you enjoy every day.

Three types of arthritis:

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Osteoarthritis (OA)	Adult Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)	Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS)
OA is the most common type of arthritis. Often referred to as “wear-and-tear” arthritis, it is caused by the breakdown of the cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones, causing them to rub together	RA is a different type of arthritis that’s caused not by daily use of the joints but instead by a glitch in the body’s immune system that causes it to attack and break down cartilage and damage the joints	AS is an arthritis-related joint disease. The exact cause is unknown, but genetics is thought to play a role in its development
OA results in pain and stiffness, particularly in the knees, hips, back, and hands	RA results in pain primarily in the wrists, hands, and feet; however, the neck, elbows, shoulders, knees, hips, and ankles can also be affected	AS results in pain primarily in the spine but can affect other joints. Over time, AS breaks down bone and cartilage, causing the spine joints to fuse
OA may cause significant pain and disability	RA may also cause appetite loss, fever, lack of energy, or anemia	AS may lead to severe, chronic arthritis pain and discomfort
OA affects about 27 million Americans, more common in women	RA affects about 1.3 million Americans, more common in women	AS affects about 350,000 Americans, more common in men

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How can I manage arthritis pain and get back to doing the things I love?  Maintaining range of motion and developing realistic expectations of your hand strength are two good reasons for doing these rheumatoid arthritis exercises for your hands.

Losing hand strength and mobility is a scary prospect for people with rheumatoid arthritis. For many, rheumatoid arthritis treatment includes hand exercises to help maintain range of motion. There are many reasons to do rheumatoid arthritis exercise routines for your hands.  In general you can repeat the following exercises up to five times per session, once or twice a day. Talk to your doctor about the best number of reps for you.

1. Flat-Hand Finger Lifts

For a simple rheumatoid arthritis exercise, start by placing your hands flat on a table, says Pena. "Try to raise each finger individually off the table." Work gently and take your time with this type of rheumatoid arthritis treatment. "Generally [there] is not a lot of strain to the joint, providing you don't have a significant amount of deformity," says Pena, adding, "I usually ask patients not to force bending."

2. Folding Fingers

Another great hand exercise for rheumatoid arthritis is drawing your fingers down into the center of your palm to make a loose fist. Then open your hand slowly and repeat a few times. Pena offers this tip for easing the difficulty of some rheumatoid arthritis exercise: Try moist heat to make motion easier. Practice hand exercises such as this one while taking a warm shower. Other options are to use warm paraffin wax or place a warm, moist washcloth over your hand.

3. Walking Fingers

Place a hand towel or kitchen towel flat on a table to do this rheumatoid arthritis exercise. With your hand lightly cupped and supported by your fingertips and thumb, "walk" your fingertips toward you in order to pull the towel up into the palm of your hand. "Get as much towel into your fist as you can and gently squeeze," says Pena. This keeps you aware of how rheumatoid arthritis might be affecting your grip and how strong your grip is, she explains.

4. Finger Pinches

Rheumatoid arthritis exercises for hands are intended to support daily activities — such as tying shoelaces or doing up buttons — that become harder as you experience more symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Pinching your thumb to the tip of each of your fingers, one at a time and in order is an effective exercise. Take your thumb and touch it your index finger and pinch, says Pena. Thumb to index finger, thumb to long finger, plus thumb to the side of index finger are the three key pinches of this rheumatoid arthritis exercise, she adds.

5. Thumb to Base of Fingers

One of the goals of rheumatoid arthritis exercise is to preserve all the motions available to any specific joint, says Pena. Focusing on your thumb is necessary because it is so important to so many different hand motions, which may become progressively more difficult as rheumatoid arthritis progresses. A key exercise for the thumb is to try to touch the base of the little finger. This kind of motion can help you grip circular objects, such as hairbrushes.

6. Spread Fingers

When you have rheumatoid arthritis, just as you need to practice bringing your fingers and thumb close together, you also need to work on spreading them apart — a motion needed when you are putting on gloves, for example. So this rheumatoid arthritis exercise is to simply spread your fingers apart, slowly and gently. While you have your hand flat, you can also exercise your thumb by separating it gently from the other fingers.

Succeeding with rheumatoid arthritis treatment means knowing when to take a break.  There are times, especially during flares or a worsening of the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, when it might be best to wear a supportive brace or a splint and go easy with any exercise program that you have planned. This is to avoid additional damage to your joints during that period of time. Working with a hand therapist on rheumatoid arthritis treatment can help you learn when to rest and when to keep going.

You can also find helpful information on the Arthritis Foundation’s Website:

 http://www.arthritis.org/

 Blessed for your highest good!


><>  Sherry Perkins
Personal Fitness Training and Certified Raindrop Therapy Practitioner
Empowered Fitness and Holistic Health
Website: www.EmpoweredHealthFitness.com
Website: www.raindroptherapy.net
PH: 734-646-5582