Hand and finger exercises to relieve arthritis pain
More than 54 million Americans have arthritis. Arthritis can affect the joints in different areas of the body, causing pain, inflammation, and stiffness. If you suffer from any of these ailments, you might be excited to learn that exercise for arthritis could help to reduce arthritis pain.
Relieve arthritis pain with exercise
Yoga, pilates, stretching, swimming, and other low impact workouts are all great exercises for arthritis. Exercise helps to reduce pain and limit stiffness and is especially crucial during an arthritis flare-up. Exercising the joints and increasing the muscle strength around the joints is beneficial to relieve arthritis pain naturally, to gain better mobility in the joints, and to reduce stiffness.
A popular form of exercise for arthritis pain is gardening. While many people might consider gardening a hobby more than a workout, the working of the dirt with hands is an excellent exercise for arthritis and one that sees beautiful results for the laborer.
The best exercise for arthritis is walking
Walking is a low-impact exercise that can help the overall health and mobility of arthritic joints. Walking on a regular basis can loosen stiff joints, leading to less pain and improving the overall quality of life in patients with arthritis. Patients should set a goal for a minimum of 150 minutes of walking each week.
Hand exercises for arthritis
Many people experience arthritis pain in their hands. Specific wrist and finger exercises may be beneficial to help combat the pain and stiffness from hand arthritis.
Wrist exercises
To exercise your wrists, bend them back and forth a few minutes each day. You can also push against a hard surface, such as a wall, flexing your wrists at the same time.
Finger exercises
Our fingers are especially susceptible to stiffness caused by arthritis, and daily activities that use the fingers can help loosen these joints. Splay your fingers across a table and bend up at the joint that connects the fingers to the hand. Do this on each side three to five times a day. Another excellent finger exercise for arthritis is to make your hands into claws, curling them towards your palm and straightening them back out. Repeat up to three times a day to help keep your fingers from becoming stiff.
Overall hand exercises
We’ve all heard of using a stress ball as a stress reliever, but did you know that it makes a great full-hand exercise for arthritis pain and stiffness too? Squeeze it in each hand ten times each day.
LifeBrite Community Hospital of Stokes offers therapy to arthritis patients
LifeBrite Community Hospital of Stokes offers inpatient and outpatient Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy, a beneficial option for those with arthritis. Therapy works to strengthen weakened joints and to reduce pain and inflammation. Our trained therapists work one-on-one to provide treatment and education to our patients, ensuring safety and consistency for optimal care.
The best defense against arthritis pain and stiffness is regular exercise. Find an exercise that you enjoy, such as walking or gardening, and try to spend some time engaging in that activity each day. Or, if you would like to try therapy for arthritis pain-relief, talk to your doctor today.
