What Are The Risk Factors For Thumb Arthritis
Thumb arthritis typically occurs after age 40. It is more common in women, but it can affect men, too. There is a genetic predisposition that makes people more likely to develop thumb arthritis.
Thumb arthritis is unbelievably common, and if we look at the X-rays of people in their 50s, 60s, and 70s, 30 to 50 percent of that population can have it, Dr. Luo says. But not everyone will have symptoms that are severe enough to require any treatment.
How To Get Rid Of Arthritis In Fingers
Arthritis of the fingers can be quite uncomfortable, causing symptoms such as joint pain, swelling, and stiffness. These symptoms make hand motions like grasping and pinching difficult, which restricts a person’s ability to perform everyday tasks. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the two types of arthritis that most commonly affect the finger joints. Depending on which type of arthritis affects your finger joints, you may experience additional symptoms.
Thankfully, numerous remedies can help alleviate the discomfort from arthritis of the fingers, from hand exercises to help strengthen your fingers to over-the-counter and prescription pain medications and surgical treatments.
Make A Few Wardrobe Changes
Minor changes to your wardrobe can reduce strain on your hands, helping to ease your overall pain and stiffness. For example, try wearing:
- Shoes that slip on or use Velcro rather than shoelaces
- Shirts that pull over the head rather than button up
- Pants that have elastic waistbands rather than snaps and zippers
Other lifestyle changes can also be helpful. For example, when cooking, use a jar opener, lightweight pots and pans, and kitchen utensils with large handles. An occupational therapist can give you additional ideas on how to reduce strain on hand joints.
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How Do We Diagnose Thumb Arthritis
Often, we diagnose thumb arthritis using a combination of clinical tests and X-ray.
In general, clinical findings include tenderness at the base of the thumb, restricted movement of the thumb joint and reduced thumb strength.
X-ray of the thumb shows narrowed joint space, spur formation, and a deformed joint.
Overall, it is important to assess every patient with thumb pain to make sure there is no other cause such as De Quervains tenosynovitis, trigger thumb, or inflammatory arthritis.
What Is The Risk Factors Affecting Thumb Arthritis
The following are the factors that may enhance the risk of developing thumb arthritis.
- Women are more prone to develop thumb arthritis than men
- People with 40 years of age or more
- If certain health conditions run in the family like joints malformation and joint ligament laxity
- Doing certain physical activities and works that put too much strain on the joint
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How To Treat The Gripping Pain Of Thumb Arthritis
By , Hand Surgeon, Virtua Hand Surgery & Rehabilitation
You probably dont think about it, but your thumbs help you do many things like text, turn knobs, grip steering wheels and carry bags. Since you use your thumbs in nearly every hand movement, thumb pain can be especially disabling.
If you experience this pain, you may have arthritis at the base of your thumb, also called basal thumb arthritis. Whats key is that you dont have to just deal with it. This condition is treatable through conservative management, and in advanced cases, surgery.
Diagnosis Of Arthritis Of The Thumb Joint
To diagnose whether your joint pain is due to thumb arthritis, your doctor will perform a physical exam. You may be asked about your symptoms, and your doctor will look for swelling and lumps around the joint. He or she may also physically test the thumb by holding the basal joint while moving your thumb with some pressure against the wrist bone.
During this process, your doctor will be paying attention to whether this produces a grinding noise, gritty feeling, or pain, which may indicate that the cartilage has been eroded. X-rays may also be ordered to confirm the diagnosis, as they may display signs of thumb arthritis like bone spurs, worn-down cartilage, and loss of joint space.
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Heat And Cold Modalities
Warmth is often effective in temporarily relieving the stiffness and pain of basal joint arthritis. Warm water or a heating pad can be used at home, being careful not to burn the skin. However, if the joint is swollen and inflamed, a cold pack is a better choice. An aspect of the therapists role is to educate individuals in the home use of these modalities.
Do Hand Exercises Help
Because gripping and pinching tend to aggravate the symptoms of basal joint arthritis, squeezing a ball and similar exercises should be avoided. Some individuals respond well to gentle motion performed in warm water to alleviate morning stiffness. Therapists provide advice about specific exercises if they are appropriate for an individual.
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Symptoms Of Thumb Arthritis
Initial symptoms of thumb arthritis include pain and swelling around the wrist and the base of the thumb as well as progressive weakness. Patients find that it becomes increasingly difficult to twist open jars or even turn a doorknob. In severe cases, even holding a pen or utensil can be very painful. The base of the thumb may look enlarged and out of place. Stiffness and decreased motion of the thumb can be minimal or significant, depending on the severity of disease.
Can Arthritis In The Hand Be Prevented
Arthritis cant be prevented. However, you can watch for symptoms of arthritis as you age and see your healthcare provider if you notice changes in your joints. You can also take steps to control factors that you can control. Eat healthy to nourish your body and maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight puts more stress on your joints. Dont smoke. Smoking increases your risk of arthritis.
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Psa In Hands And Fingers
PsA of the hands or fingers primarily causes stiffness and swelling.
In some cases, your fingers may swell enough to take on a sausage-like appearance . About a third of people with PsA experience dactylitis in at least one finger.
Stiff and swollen fingers can make it hard to perform ordinary tasks, like zipping a jacket or unscrewing a jar. If youre experiencing any of these difficulties for the first time, see your doctor. They may be a result of PsA.
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This content is not a substitute for expert medical advice or diagnosis and is for educational purposes only.
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Changes To Your Lifestyle
How you manage day-to-day activities can make a big difference in the impact basal thumb arthritis has on your lifestyle. Self-care measures that may be helpful include:
- using your thumb in a position where the joint surfaces are in most contact, eg, your thumb and index finger should make a circle when holding objects, not collapsing towards each other
- taking frequent breaks when doing activities that involve your thumb
- using bigger joints such as your shoulder or elbow joint to carry out daily activities
- using 2 hands instead of one hand
- using special equipment to ease activities such as opening jars
- modifying equipment that is skinny or difficult to hold by making it fatter, and easier to grip
- wearing a splint to support you thumb
- applying cold packs or gentle heat to reduce swelling and relieve pain a good pair of warm gloves will help in winter
- ‘arthritis gloves’ can help to keep your hand and thumb warm and give light compression, which may help with swelling and pain.
Should I Exercise My Hands
Dont be afraid to use your hands. Regular exercise is important in reducing stiffness and keeping your joints and muscles working. Try to make sure you move any affected joints in your fingers, thumbs, knuckles and wrists as far as is comfortable several times a day. You could also see an occupational therapist or physiotherapist for specific hand exercises.
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Cmc Arthritis Of Thumb
CMC Arthritis of Thumb is a type of arthritis in thumb joint that is located at the base of your thumb where your thumb and wrist joints meet. It a type of osteoarthritis called Trapeziometacarpal or Carpometacarpal Arthritis Carpometacarpal Arthritis is a condition that affects your first carpometacarpal joint at the base of your thumb. This is the type of arthritis that you experience as a grinding or popping arthritis because of the sound it can make when you try and extend, flex or move your thumb joint. Natural anti-inflammatory foods and supplements greatly help relieve pain and give comfort for CMC Arthritis.
CMC Joint Arthritis can be treated effectively using natural a natural arthritis treatment that safely repairs the damage that is causing your arthritis joint pain without harmful side effects or dangerous surgeries. Look at the natural treatment options below and you can stop the pain, heal the damage and even reverse it completely if your joints are not yet fused permanently. You can reverse CMC joint arthritis if you act quickly and remove the cause of it.
Natural Ways To Cure Thumb Arthritis
Thumb arthritis or also known as basal join arthritis takes place when the joint located at the wrist and the base of the thumb become affected with osteoarthritis. Thumb arthritis can result to inflammation and incapacitating hand pain, reduced the force and variety of movement leading to do simple things complicated like simply turning the doorknobs.
There are ways that can be helpful in treating thumb arthritis that can do even at home. But except for severe cases, surgery may need to apply in treating thumb arthritis.
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What Is Arthritis Of The Hand
Arthritis is a disease that attacks the tissues of your joints. A joint is where two bones meet. Arthritis can attack the lining of your joint or the cartilage, the smooth covering at the ends of bones. Eventually the cartilage breaks down, the ends of your bones become exposed, rub against each other and wear away. You have many joints in your hand, therefore its a common site for arthritis to happen.
Arthritis of the hand causes pain and swelling, stiffness and deformity. As arthritis progresses, you cant use your hands to manage everyday tasks as you once could.
For Hands And Fingers
There are a number of things you can do at home to help relieve your symptoms. Once you meet with your doctor, they can make a diagnosis and help you develop a treatment plan suited to your needs.
You may also find relief by:
- massaging the affected areas
- applying a hot or cold compress to reduce swelling
- wearing hand splints to help stabilize and protect your wrist and fingers
- taking regular breaks when typing or writing
- performing hand and wrist exercises to help stretch and strengthen the muscles
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What Thumb Brace Is Best For Thumb Arthritis
All you have to do is go online or visit your local drug store to see how many options there are for thumb braces. Custom made, ready made, splints for resting your thumb, braces to support your thumb the list is long! So how do you find the answer to the question what thumb brace is best for thumb arthritis? Read on for tips on what to look for in a thumb brace and which thumb braces are best for your thumb arthritis pain and different activity levels.
How To Reverse Arthritis In The Fingers
Put ice in an ice pack or inside a hand towel. Strap or tie the ice pack or hand towel around your fingers so that the ice is compressed directly against the arthritic finger joint 1 . Repeat this procedure every three to four hours until the inflammation and swelling have been substantially reduced.
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What Causes Arthritis In The Thumb
Arthritis in the thumb usually occurs in the joint that connects the thumb to the trapezium bone in the wrist, known as the first carpometacarpal or basal joint. Most commonly, this develops as a result of regular wear and tear of the basal joint, which is why this condition more commonly affects people later in life.
This type of arthritis is known as osteoarthritis and occurs when the protective cartilage layer between two bones in the thumb becomes worn away. As the cartilage layer becomes thinner, the ends of the bones in the thumb are more exposed and rub against each other. This causes the pain, inflammation and swelling that is so characteristic of arthritis.
Are There Any Other Treatment Options Being Investigated
For osteoarthritis, some clinical research trials are underway in the U.S. exploring stem cell treatment. Early findings are encouraging. Stem cell therapy so far has shown to provide some pain relief and improvement in function. The ultimate goal would hopefully be to use stem cells to regrow cartilage.
Over the past decade, researchers developed many new medications for psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, with more studies underway.
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Meditation For Pain Management
Meditation is an ancient mind and body practice that goes back to Buddhism and other Eastern religions. It puts your focus and attention on the current moment and not letting lifes distractions get in your way.
According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Medicine, meditation can promote calmness and physical relaxation, improving psychological balance, coping with illness, and enhancing overall health and well-being. And research shows meditation can be helpful for managing chronic pain associated with conditions like OA and RA.
A 2011 article in the medical journal Rheumatic Diseases Clinics of North America looked at the possible benefits of meditation on people with rheumatological diseases like RA and OA, which the author cites as the most significant causes of chronic pain.
The reports author further argues that while mind-body therapies can be effective for managing pain, only about 20% of people with chronic pain use them. This 2011 piece also discusses an older study that found only eight weeks of mediation therapy improved pain in people with RA.
Hand Osteoarthritis Home Remedies
These home treatments can help:
- Exercises. Your doctor or physical therapist can show you what to do to improve strength and range of motion and to ease pain.
- Assistive devices. Special pens, kitchen utensils, and other tools with big grips may be easier to use.
- Ice or heat. Ice may reduce swelling and pain. Heat, like a warm washcloth or a paraffin bath, can loosen stiff joints.
- Skin treatments. Medicated creams can give relief when you rub them on sore joints. Gels with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs also help.
- Supplements. Many people take glucosamine and chondroitin supplements for OA. Researchers are still looking into whether they help. Ask your doctor if they’re OK to try.
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Is It Arthritis In My Hand Or Tendonitis
Arthritis and tendonitis can mimic each other, so its important to understand the difference between the two. Tendonitis is inflammation of the tendons in your hand due to an injury or repetitive motion, and the pain can come and go suddenly or last for a few days.
Arthritis, however, is inflammation of the joint due to degenerative joint disease. There are many types of arthritis, but the most common forms are osteoarthritis , when the protective cartilage in the joint breaks down, and rheumatoid arthritis , when immune system attacks the joints. Early symptoms of arthritis include painful hand joints, burning sensation and decreased functionality of the hand and/or wrist.
Hand Osteoarthritis Causes And Risk Factors
Osteoarthritis was once thought to happen because of wear and tear on your joints. Doctors now know thereâs more to the story.
On the ends of your bones, there’s a layer of smooth material called cartilage. It helps cushion your joints and allows them to slide easily. But over time, the cartilage gets worn down. The bones rub against each other, causing the symptoms of OA. The wear and tear can also cause other tissues in the joint to make inflammatory cells, which damage it more.
Certain things can make you more likely to have hand OA:
- Age. The older you are, the higher your odds.
- Sex. Compared with men, women are twice as likely to get it.
- Ethnicity. Rates are lower in African Americans.
- Weight. Thinner people are less likely to get it than those who have obesity.
- Injuries. This includes broken and dislocated bones.
- Changes in your genes. Your parents might have passed down a higher chance of OA.
- Joint problems. This includes infections, loose ligaments, overuse, and joints that arenât aligned the way they should be.
What causes flare-ups?
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What Are The Best Treatments For Arthritis In The Hands
November 19, 2019 By Alex Hirsch
Arthritis can be disabling, especially when it is in the hands and fingers. It can prevent you from carrying out normal day-to-day activities such as work duties and preparing meals.
Arthritis is a common disease that causes pain and stiffness within joints, including the hand. Appropriate treatment will depend on the severity of the symptoms, but they can include medications, therapy, lifestyle adjustments, and surgery.