My husband has arthritis in his hands

Hi SadSam,

Welcome to the community, glad you have joined us especially now when there isn't so much help from GP's because of COVID-19

Here is the factsheet regarding hand pain

Arthritis can be osteo or anti-inflammatory, either way there is probably swelling as well as pain, grip can be affected too. I think the way to go forward now is to look at managing the condition and leave the other bits to a time when our GP's can resume their normal service.

Ask any questions - there are many members with similar conditions who will be able to offer first hand advice and support for you both

Take care

Yvonne x

Hello Sadsam,

I'm so sorry to hear of your husband's very painful and frustrating hand OA.

I remember all too well how I was affected when I first developed this and how long it has taken to adapt to it.

Most important is to keep using the hands in order to minimise long-term stiffness and referral to a Physiotherapist and Occupational Therapist, via your husband's GP, is advisable. I understand that, nowadays splints can be prescribed for hand OA as a way of minimising deformity and I would have loved the chance to avoid some of the unsightly ways in which my fingers have become fixed.

I realise that everyone is different but, as Mike suggests, there are a number of ways, in addition to finding the right pain meds, of dealing with the limitations and I started by enlarging the handles of cutlery, pens and other tools I found difficult to hold firmly. There are various solutions available commercially - specially adapted items and foam tubing of different radii to slip onto the handles of items most often used. Just wrapping something soft around them is a useful place to start so your husband knows exactly what helps you before spending money. (This is where an occupational Therapist can give valuable advice.)

There are also home-treatments that can relieve the pain and stiffness, albeit temporarily, so he needs to discover whether heat or cold works best. That can be tested by soaking the hands for several minutes in a basin of water before considering investment in ice packs, heat packs or even a wax bath (which remains my method of choice after trying it out with Physiotherapy support many years ago.

Important, too, is to find the right balance between working and resting the hands - so they retain flexibility without increasing pain beyond an acceptable level. As a teacher I found that purchasing a voice-sensitive system for my PC was a real godsend. There are now free versions available online that can be tried before thinking about purchasing a more versatile system if such is needed.

It's of little comfort now but I've found the pain becoming less with the passage of time although, by now, I have very little grip. At least I have developed ways of doing things that reduce the risk of dropping items and, in the process, have developed a lighter approach to the many breakages that have occurred. I do still get irritated by my clumsiness but enjoy the occasions when someone else in the household has a mishandling accident!

I do hope your husband finds some relief and hope before long.

.