How To Get Rid Of Arthritis In Fingers With A Therapy Ball

How To Get Rid Of Arthritis In Fingers With A Therapy Ball

If you’re wondering how to get rid of arthritis in fingers, then try these exercises that will help you increase your flexibility, grip and strength in hand and fingers.

Arthritis isn’t just a simple disease that affects your knees only. It can occur in your hands and fingers too.

So if you have hand or finger pain, stiffness, swelling, numbness, or tingling on a regular basis, then you might face arthritis in fingers.

As you might already know, rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that mostly occurs to those predisposed to it. They are people with a family history of arthritis, obese peoples and those who smoke regularly.

While arthritis in fingers (and rheumatoid arthritis in general) can’t be cured, there are still some things you can do to ameliorate and prevent it worsening over time.

The sooner you realize you have arthritis in fingers, the faster you can relieve the pain and slow the condition’s progression.

Now, if you don’t have arthritis, but one of your family members have or had, then you want to avoid its triggering by staying active, eating healthy, giving up smoking and sugar.

On the other hand, if you already face arthritis in fingers, below are a few arthritis remedies.

How To Get Rid Of Arthritis In Fingers With A Therapy Ball

This is what arthritis in fingers looks like in x-ray.

Medication For Arthritis

Whether you’re suffering from arthritis in hands or any other disease, medication is the first thing you’ll consider for pain relief.

And you’re right! You should consider medication, but not without consulting with your doctor previously.

This must be your first step into fighting any kind of illness you may face: visit your doctor.

Doctors are specialists and know best what medication to recommend you for arthritis in fingers. Some of them will recommend you ibuprofen or steroids to reduce inflammation, and anti-rheumatic drugs that fight arthritis.

Now remember, medication is great, but only if is prescribed by specialists.

Exercises For Arthritis In Fingers

These exercises can help to keep the joints, tendons and ligaments in the fingers more flexible. It may also help reduce pain, swelling and stiffness in the hands and fingers.

Here are the best exercises you can do with a therapy ball to get rid of arthritis in fingers and hands:

1. Ball Sqeezing

Exercises For Arthritis In Fingers - Hand Grip

This exercises helps you to improve your hand grip. Just grab a therapy ball and hold it face up. Squeeze the ball 10 times, then move to the next hand exercise.

2. Reverse Ball Squeezing

Exercises For Arthritis In Fingers - Reverse Hand Grip

This exercise is identical with the first one, but here you have to hold the therapy ball face down. Squeeze it 10 times and move forward.

3. Thumb Strengthening

Exercises For Arthritis In Fingers - Thumb Strength

This exercise will increase your strength in your thumb. Keep all your fingers straight, and grab a therapy ball in between thumb and the rest of the fingers. Squeeze it 10 times.

4. Bent Thumb Strengthening

Exercises For Arthritis In Fingers - Bent Thumb Strength

This exercise is the same as the previous one, but here you’ll have to keep your thumb bent. This way you’ll engage other joints and tendons than you did in the previous exercise. Do 10 squeezes.

5. Thumb Presses

Exercises For Arthritis In Fingers - Thumb Joint

Again, this exercise focuses on your thumb. Place a therapy ball in your palm, keep all your fingers straight, except your thumb. Bend your thumb and press the ball with it 10 times.

6. Fingers Presses

Exercises For Arthritis In Fingers - Finger Pressure

Now it’s time to “work” the rest of the fingers too. Place a therapy ball on a flat surface (a table). Keeping your fingers straight, press the ball into the table. Repeat 10 times.

7. Fingers Joint Strengthening

Exercises For Arthritis In Fingers - Finger Joint

Do this exercise to strengthen your finger joints. Open your palm wide and place a therapy ball between your index and middle finger. Squeeze the ball 10 times.

Then move the ball between the middle and the ring finger and repeat the squeezing.

Lastly, move the ball between the ring and the pinky finger and squeeze 10 more times.

This is one session of exercising the hands and fingers to get rid of arthritis in fingers. But if you face arthritis in both hands, you should repeat the entire session with your other hand too.

For best results, do these finger exercises every day. You’ll increase your hand grip and strengthen your finger joints.

Anti-Arthritis “Gadgets”

While medication and joint exercises are available for arthritis in fingers, these quick fixes and devices can also assist them to reduce pain:

1. Heat And Ice Therapy

Heating Pad for Arthritis in Fingers

Heating pad for arthritis in fingers

Place your hand in a bowl with warm water to get rid of stiffness in your fingers.

To relieve pain in your joints, you should apply a cold compress on your hands and fingers. Use ice cubes covered with a soft tissue to avoid skin damage.

Or you can use a heating pad, which is like a glove that you can put into the freezer for a cold therapy, or into the microwave for a hot therapy.

2. Support Braces

Support Braces for Arthritis in Fingers

Support braces for arthritis in fingers

You can use support braces for your hands to relieve the tension in your finger joints.

These support braces are fingerless gloves that help you manage arthritis in fingers by holding the joints still and reducing pain and inflammation.

3. Compression Gloves

Compression Gloves for Arthritis in Fingers

Compression gloves for arthritis in fingers

These gloves apply pressure on your finger joints to relieve pain and swelling. At the same time, you can freely move your fingers and hands. It’s like they’re not on your hands.

Also, some of these compression gloves contain copper ions infused into the fabric.

While the copper compression gloves manufacturers swear by their benefits, studies show copper is ineffective for arthritis.

So whether you opt for much expensive compression gloves with copper ions, or for cheap, regular ones, the results will be similar.

Last Resort: Surgery

Sometimes medication, exercises and arthritis gadgets aren’t enough to stop or reduce the arthritis progression. For those rare cases there’s still hope: surgery.

Only your doctor can decide if you need surgery to repair the damaged joints. So make sure you consult with your doctor periodically.

There are multiple types of surgeries your doctor can recommend, but the most frequent and effective are:

Now, both of these surgeries may imply some risks, so make sure your doctor explains you all your options before resorting to surgery.

Remember, if you want to reduce or even get rid of arthritis in fingers, your doctor plays the most important role. Get a consultation, and, based on your doctor’s recommendation, you can:

  1. Get anti-inflammatory medication.
  2. Do exercises for your hands and fingers.
  3. Put ice or warm water on the affected joints.
  4. Use braces or compression gloves.
  5. Schedule a joint surgery.

Hopefully this information will help you fight arthritis in fingers and eventually beat this illness. Remember, health is wealth.

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