Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsExercisesHome RemediesLifestyle TipsPrescriptionsHand TherapySurgery
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Exercises
Home Remedies
Lifestyle Tips
Prescriptions
Hand Therapy
Surgery
Getting rid ofarthritispain and stiffness in your fingers can be accomplished in several ways:
These methods won’t cure the condition, but they do help ease the symptoms of arthritis in the fingers.
This article walks you through the various treatment options for finger arthritis and how each can help.
Verywell / Theresa Chiechi
Symptoms of Finger Arthritis
Many different types of arthritis affect the finger joints and hands. Three of the most common areosteoarthritis (OA),rheumatoid arthritis (RA), andpsoriatic arthritis (PsA).
Exercises to Relieve Arthritis Symptoms
The following exercises increase blood flow to thecartilageof the fingers, delivering the nutrients and oxygen it needs to stay healthy and prevent further breakdown.Consult your healthcare provider before starting these exercises to make sure they are appropriate for you.
Pain Relief Exercises
These eight exercises are focused on reducing pain and stiffness associated with both OA and autoimmune inflammatory types of arthritis, like RA and PsA:
What to Do About Arthritis of the Knuckles
Finger-Strengthening Exercises
These hand exercises require props and help strengthen the muscles that support the joints of your fingers. Start with a few repetitions each day and gradually increase as you gain strength.
These five exercises work the finger muscles in different ways:
A 2015 study demonstrated that people with rheumatoid arthritis given daily hand exercises as part of their treatment plan showed twice the improvement in hand function after one year, plus better grip and more finger flexibility, as those who didn’t do hand exercises.
Home Remedies to Relieve Arthritis Symptoms
Besides exercise, there are a variety of over-the-counter (OTC) and home remedies that can help you cope with arthritis pain in your fingers.
Arthritis Pain Relief: 7 Ways to Manage
Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
NSAIDs commonly used to treat arthritis pain include:
Arthritis Medications: Strongest to Weakest
Supplements
Popular options include:
20 Supplements and Vitamins for Arthritis
Heat and Cold Therapy
There are different ways to deliver heat and cold therapy to the hands and fingers:
Benefits of Hot and Cold Contrast Therapy Baths
Splints and Compression
Finger splinting has been shown to reduce OA pain and improve joint mobility when symptoms are acute (sudden and severe).Splints are only intended when joint movement causes extreme pain. They are not intended for long-term use as they can increase joint stiffness and lead to a permanent loss of the range of motion of a joint.
Compression gloves can also help. Studies have shown that compression helps ease pain and stiffness during acute exacerbations (flare-ups).
Both splints and compression gloves can be found in drugstores. Ask your pharmacist for the correct size as well as instructions on how to use them.
How Ring Splints Help Arthritis in Fingers
Lifestyle Tips to Relieve Arthritis Symptoms
A few changes in habits and a few simple tools can help ease your arthritis symptoms and slow the progression of joint damage.
Here are some easy fixes that can help:
Prescriptions to Relieve Arthritis Symptoms
If conservative measures fail to provide relief, your healthcare provider can prescribe medications to help you better cope with your arthritis symptoms.
Medications
They include:
Cytokines and How They Work
Cortisone Injections
Cortisoneis a synthetic form of the hormonecortisol. The body uses it to reduce inflammation and pain at times of stress. Cortisone injections can be used for OA, RA, and PsA, and are injected directly into an affected joint.
Cortisone shots may work immediately or take several days depending on the type and severity of the condition. The relief can last several months and sometimes up to a year.
Hand Therapy to Relieve Arthritis Symptoms
Hand Physical Therapy for Arthritis
Surgery to Relieve Arthritis Symptoms
As arthritis progresses, joints may become deformed and less able to move effectively. When symptoms are severe and medications fail to provide relief, your healthcare provider may recommend surgery.
Options involve:
Summary
Consulting with a certified hand therapist (CHT) or surgical interventions may be more appropriate options for people with severe arthritis.
14 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Managing arthritis pain with exercise.Creaky Joints.8 daily arthritis hand exercises that can soothe your pain.Sports Medicine Review.SportsMedReview’s Guide to Physical Therapy - Hand Range of Motion Exercises PDF.Opava CH, Björk M.Towards evidence-based hand exercises in rheumatoid arthritis.Lancet. 2015;385(9966):396-398. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61285-XArthritis Foundation.NSAIDs.Arthritis Foundation.Popular Supplements for Arthritis: What You Need to Know.HealthLink BC.Osteoarthritis: Heat and Cold Therapy.Kasapoğlu Aksoy M.Short-term efficacy of paraffin therapy and home-based exercise programs in the treatment of symptomatic hand osteoarthritis.Turk J Phys Med Rehab. 2018;64(2):108-113. doi:10.5606/tftrd.2018.1535Watt FE, Kennedy DL, Carlisle KE, et al.Night-time immobilization of the distal interphalangeal joint reduces pain and extension deformity in hand osteoarthritis.Rheumatology (Oxford). 2014;53(6):1142-9. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/ket455.Hammond A, Jones V, Prior Y.The effects of compression gloves on hand symptoms and hand function in rheumatoid arthritis and hand osteoarthritis: a systematic review.Clin Rehabil. 2016;30(3):213-224. doi:10.1177/0269215515578296.Creaky Joints.Prevent arthritis hand pain in your daily activities with these 10 OT-approved tips.Arthritis Foundation.DMARDs.Saalfeld W, Mixon AM, Zelie J, Lydon EJ.Differentiating Psoriatic Arthritis from Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Narrative Review and Guide for Advanced Practice Providers.Rheumatol Ther. 2021;8(4):1493-1517. doi:10.1007/s40744-021-00365-1American Society of Hand Therapists.What we do.
14 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Managing arthritis pain with exercise.Creaky Joints.8 daily arthritis hand exercises that can soothe your pain.Sports Medicine Review.SportsMedReview’s Guide to Physical Therapy - Hand Range of Motion Exercises PDF.Opava CH, Björk M.Towards evidence-based hand exercises in rheumatoid arthritis.Lancet. 2015;385(9966):396-398. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61285-XArthritis Foundation.NSAIDs.Arthritis Foundation.Popular Supplements for Arthritis: What You Need to Know.HealthLink BC.Osteoarthritis: Heat and Cold Therapy.Kasapoğlu Aksoy M.Short-term efficacy of paraffin therapy and home-based exercise programs in the treatment of symptomatic hand osteoarthritis.Turk J Phys Med Rehab. 2018;64(2):108-113. doi:10.5606/tftrd.2018.1535Watt FE, Kennedy DL, Carlisle KE, et al.Night-time immobilization of the distal interphalangeal joint reduces pain and extension deformity in hand osteoarthritis.Rheumatology (Oxford). 2014;53(6):1142-9. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/ket455.Hammond A, Jones V, Prior Y.The effects of compression gloves on hand symptoms and hand function in rheumatoid arthritis and hand osteoarthritis: a systematic review.Clin Rehabil. 2016;30(3):213-224. doi:10.1177/0269215515578296.Creaky Joints.Prevent arthritis hand pain in your daily activities with these 10 OT-approved tips.Arthritis Foundation.DMARDs.Saalfeld W, Mixon AM, Zelie J, Lydon EJ.Differentiating Psoriatic Arthritis from Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Narrative Review and Guide for Advanced Practice Providers.Rheumatol Ther. 2021;8(4):1493-1517. doi:10.1007/s40744-021-00365-1American Society of Hand Therapists.What we do.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Managing arthritis pain with exercise.Creaky Joints.8 daily arthritis hand exercises that can soothe your pain.Sports Medicine Review.SportsMedReview’s Guide to Physical Therapy - Hand Range of Motion Exercises PDF.Opava CH, Björk M.Towards evidence-based hand exercises in rheumatoid arthritis.Lancet. 2015;385(9966):396-398. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61285-XArthritis Foundation.NSAIDs.Arthritis Foundation.Popular Supplements for Arthritis: What You Need to Know.HealthLink BC.Osteoarthritis: Heat and Cold Therapy.Kasapoğlu Aksoy M.Short-term efficacy of paraffin therapy and home-based exercise programs in the treatment of symptomatic hand osteoarthritis.Turk J Phys Med Rehab. 2018;64(2):108-113. doi:10.5606/tftrd.2018.1535Watt FE, Kennedy DL, Carlisle KE, et al.Night-time immobilization of the distal interphalangeal joint reduces pain and extension deformity in hand osteoarthritis.Rheumatology (Oxford). 2014;53(6):1142-9. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/ket455.Hammond A, Jones V, Prior Y.The effects of compression gloves on hand symptoms and hand function in rheumatoid arthritis and hand osteoarthritis: a systematic review.Clin Rehabil. 2016;30(3):213-224. doi:10.1177/0269215515578296.Creaky Joints.Prevent arthritis hand pain in your daily activities with these 10 OT-approved tips.Arthritis Foundation.DMARDs.Saalfeld W, Mixon AM, Zelie J, Lydon EJ.Differentiating Psoriatic Arthritis from Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Narrative Review and Guide for Advanced Practice Providers.Rheumatol Ther. 2021;8(4):1493-1517. doi:10.1007/s40744-021-00365-1American Society of Hand Therapists.What we do.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Managing arthritis pain with exercise.
Creaky Joints.8 daily arthritis hand exercises that can soothe your pain.
Sports Medicine Review.SportsMedReview’s Guide to Physical Therapy - Hand Range of Motion Exercises PDF.
Opava CH, Björk M.Towards evidence-based hand exercises in rheumatoid arthritis.Lancet. 2015;385(9966):396-398. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61285-X
Arthritis Foundation.NSAIDs.
Arthritis Foundation.Popular Supplements for Arthritis: What You Need to Know.
HealthLink BC.Osteoarthritis: Heat and Cold Therapy.
Kasapoğlu Aksoy M.Short-term efficacy of paraffin therapy and home-based exercise programs in the treatment of symptomatic hand osteoarthritis.Turk J Phys Med Rehab. 2018;64(2):108-113. doi:10.5606/tftrd.2018.1535
Watt FE, Kennedy DL, Carlisle KE, et al.Night-time immobilization of the distal interphalangeal joint reduces pain and extension deformity in hand osteoarthritis.Rheumatology (Oxford). 2014;53(6):1142-9. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/ket455.
Hammond A, Jones V, Prior Y.The effects of compression gloves on hand symptoms and hand function in rheumatoid arthritis and hand osteoarthritis: a systematic review.Clin Rehabil. 2016;30(3):213-224. doi:10.1177/0269215515578296.
Creaky Joints.Prevent arthritis hand pain in your daily activities with these 10 OT-approved tips.
Arthritis Foundation.DMARDs.
Saalfeld W, Mixon AM, Zelie J, Lydon EJ.Differentiating Psoriatic Arthritis from Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Narrative Review and Guide for Advanced Practice Providers.Rheumatol Ther. 2021;8(4):1493-1517. doi:10.1007/s40744-021-00365-1
American Society of Hand Therapists.What we do.
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