Research continues to show that a majority of retirees continue to believe that there is nothing health care practitioners can do about their arthritis pain – especially when arthritis affects their hands. Arthritis can be tough to manage, but if arthritis in your hands is slowing you down, we encourage you to check with a doctor and a therapist. Pain relieving hand creams such as topical capsaicin or trolamine salicylate are popular and effective. In addition, new research shows that learning protective strategies and a hand exercise plan from a therapist improves results a great deal. A study published in the scientific journal, the Annals of Rheumatoid Disorders, shows that people learning protective strategies from a therapist were 57% more likely to achieve important pain relief. Hand exercises took longer to show important benefits, so most retirees have to stick with the recommendations for six months before they can really start to feel the difference. Everyone in the study was age 50 and over.
Source:
Dziedzic K, Nicholls E, Hill S, et al. Self-management approaches for osteoarthritis in the hand: a 2×2 factorial randomised trial. Ann Rheum Dis. 01-11. Doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2013-203938.
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