Sore hands

[Rosalynnmarie]

Suffering with very sore and itchy hands. My pinky has become quite deformed. I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis some years ago. I’m a fit 71 year old. Anything I can do for the pain and discomfort

[MAS_Nurse]

Hello Rosalynnmarie,

Welcome to this community. Have you been to see your doctor recently to discuss your symptoms? If not book yourself for a chat and medication review and suggest pain relief. Keeping your hands clean, dry and well lubricated. Also keep them warm, when more painful, maybe rest on a warm heat pack when you are sitting down, and wear gloves or fingerless ones if you need to do something e.g using a computer. Maybe try E45 cream if your skin is cracked and sore. Also Arnica gel a herbal remedy can be rubbed into to the painful joint and can be used with other medications. If you live in the UK , your doctor could also refer you to an outpatients appointment to either a physiotherapist or an Occupational Therapy Hand Clinic to assess your hand function. They can provide a range of treatments including one which I really enjoy and have benefitted from, hot wax treatment...(hmm yummy), suggest hand specific exercises, assess for hand/wrist supports, etc.

Here's some more information for both the UK and US, just click on the links:

arthritisresearchuk.org/art...

aota.org/about-occupational...

Hope this helps.

Keep in touch.

Sending you best wishes.

[Rosalynnmarie]

Thank you so much for your response. Very helpful

[Shirleyjill]

My sisters law has something very similar. She has arthritis in her hand but it's goes with psoriasis . She had to have bold tests before they could diagnose this. Once that was done she had medication. That was in the later part of last year , now she is so much better. Take yourself off to the doctors. There are loads of things that it could be if not that. When I was young I use to work in a shop selling cheese this was before you had to wear gloves to cut the cheese . My hands got a very bad rash from the cheese and drove me made. Think about what your using and change the product. Maybe soap powers I also had a very bad rash from this

but only on my back , but once I change the rash cleared up. Good luck , but get that blood test!

[Rosalynnmarie in reply to Shirleyjill]

Thanks for that. Had a dreadful evening with the itch and soreness. I think you are right visit to the doctor overdue..there is no visible rash as such just redness and swelling. It’s bad in the morning too until I have my antihistamine. I’ll let you know how I get on with the consultation. Hate going to the doctors!

[Rosalynnmarie]

Visit to docs confirmed osteo arthritis pay killers 3 times a day. Also changing my antihistamine tables, got and inflammatory cream, cream for washing and special hand cream. Takes me a while to get prepared in the morning! But it all seemed to working. Apparently itchy skin is an old age thing! Omg what nxt... but feeling positive. Thanks for all your help! Ros

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