Arthritis of the hands is usually due to either osteoarthritis, which is a common wear-and-tear condition, or rheumatoid arthritis, which is a chronic autoimmune disorder. Patients who have arthritis tend to experience hand pain, tenderness, swelling, and stiffness, and these symptoms often come and go.
Treatment options focus on controlling these symptoms and mitigating damage to the internal structures. Let’s talk about some of the most effective options for achieving pain relief from hand arthritis, and where you can go in Plantation and Miami Lakes for outstanding orthopedic care to treat your hand pain successfully.
Popular Treatments for Hand Arthritis
Your orthopedic doctor will first recommend the least-invasive methods possible for treating your hand arthritis, and they usually include one or more of the following:
Rest
Modifying your usual manual activities and taking periodic breaks can help to prevent the worsening of your hand arthritis pain and stiffness. Typing, texting, performing household chores, and cooking can all cause a flare-up of hand arthritis symptoms.
When you feel hand pain or weakness, take a break and put your hands down on your lap. It is also a good idea to raise your hands high above your head and to rotate them; this facilitates proper blood flow and alleviates pressure on the median nerve and other structures in your hands and wrists.
Splinting
Wearing a splint (also called a brace) on your hand and wrist area can promote proper alignment and provide support and stability to the joints throughout the hand and wrist. Splints can help reduce hand pain and allow you to perform manual tasks despite your arthritis.
An orthopedic doctor can help to ensure that you are wearing the right type of hand splint (the wrong one can actually make your symptoms worse) and advise how long to wear the splint every day. Wearing a splint longer than needed can result in hand weakness. The physician may recommend that you take off your splint while you sleep at night, or that you take a couple of breaks during the day without wearing the brace in order to give the area some exercise.
Cortisone Injections
A cortisone injection usually contains a combination of a steroid and an anesthetic. Cortisone is a powerful anti-inflammatory, and when injected directly into the affected joint can reduce inflammation and pain of arthritis.
This treatment is administered by your orthopedic doctor into your painful joint to alleviate arthritis pain and stiffness. The numbing agent will provide immediate relief from your symptoms. Cortisone injections can provide several months of relief from arthritis pain.
Hand Arthritis Treatment in Miami and Fort Lauderdale
There is no reason to continue tolerating the pain, weakness, and stiffness of hand arthritis. Dr. Tosca Kinchelow is here to help alleviate your arthritis pain with the most effective, long-lasting relief possible.
If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Kinchelow, contact our friendly staff at The Orthopaedic Hand and Arm Center today by calling us at (954) 635-5300 or by filling out our appointment request form online now. We look forward to helping you get your hands back into good working condition again!
