Hello

JADR

I have hand arthritis, particularly painful in my thumbs. Grateful to get any advice.

Shell_H

Hi @JADR - welcome to the online community!

I see you're asking for advice with regards to painful arthrtis, specifically in your thumbs.

There are a couple of suggestions I'd offer for dealing with pain in your hands. Firstly I'd look into any supports (like constrictiung gloves etc) which might help you, and I'd also investigate if heat could help alleviate some pain. There are heat gels (I like the Deep Heat ibuprofen cream) which can help, and then there's heat packs such as wheatgerm bags which can go in the microwave, or handheld warmers. Heat can offen reduce the pain I feel. Alternatively, if your joints swell up then cold is a better option to use. It depends on how swollen or inflamed you are.

I'd also highly suggest looking into hand exercises you can do. Exercises help to stretch our the muscles, which alleviates some pain, and also increases the chances of long term mobilety. It's important o exercise within your means, so if it hurts too much stop. Try a smaller exercise, or one related to it so you can work up to other exercises. Especially for your hands, exercise can make the difference for long-term use.

Have a look at the information below:

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/hand-and-wrist-pain/

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/exercising-with-arthritis/exercises-for-healthy-joints/

Have a look around the rest of the community, and please do join in any discussions you find interesting. We're a very friendly bunch.

Lovely to meet you!

Shell

JADR

Thank you. I have had an appointment with the local NHS Hand Therapy and have a hand /thumb support and was also given 3 simple exercises to practice. I will investigate the heat gel so thank you. I do have Polymyalgia Rheumatica which is well controlled with steroids.