Arthritis Hand Pain Relief

By Author: Michael Dorner
Total Articles: 2
Comment this article

Arthritis is an inflammation of one or more of the joints with over 100 different types which one can contract. This can be a debilitating condition, but there are ways to help lessen the severity of arthritis pain in one's hands. Some of these methods include medications, injections, creams, surgery, and exercise. It is advisable to talk with your doctor to determine the most appropriate course of action for you to take. Medications are typically the first line treatment for arthritis. However, they can only treat the symptoms and are not able to repair the damage already caused. Some of the more common medications are anti-inflammatories as they help prevent the body from producing chemicals that cause swelling. There are dietary supplements available as well, however, the US Food and Drug Administration does not test these for accuracy of their claims, unlike anti-inflammatories. Injections are something your doctor may recommend as one injection can provide pain relief from weeks up to months. A typical injection will contain a long-lasting anesthetic coupled with a steroid. The downside to this is the injections ...
... can only be performed a number of times before they can cause negative side effects, such as: infections, lightening of the skin, and weakness of the tendons and ligaments. The reason doctors provide injections is because first line medications are not appropriate. Pain management creams are beginning to be a popular way of treating arthritis pain. This is due to their cheaper costs, the ease of using, and the ability to target the exact area causing the arthritis. Pain relief gels are able to target the pain receptors-where applied-while having fewer side effects over traditional drugs. There is no need to worry about swallowing a large pill, and there is no need to worry about addictions either. Surgery is also one way of helping alleviate a patient of the pain they are experiencing. This is generally talked about once non-surgical means have been tried and fail to help. These days most of the major joints in the hand can be replaced, which will help alleviate the pain and provide the range of motion on had prior to arthritis. If replacing the joint is not an option there is also a fusion which can be performed. This will, however, prevent the appendage from bending where the joint use to be. Exercising provides many benefits to those suffering; however, most individuals do not exercise either because of swollen joints, joint or muscle pain, or fatigue. A lack of exercising is shown to lead to further debilitating conditions to include a decreased range of motion and muscle weakness. Performing daily exercises is one way to help slow down the effects of arthritis and can help enhance one's quality of life. Your doctor will have a list of exercises that you can perform daily to help alleviate the pain you experience.