Stiff hands

[regina79]

Hi All

Are your hands very stiff in the mornings and you find that something has changed: they seem to bend rather than keep straight like you used to. They also feel weak and pa painful and just feel different?

I used to be able to straighten my hands and with a degree of energy. Now I don't seem to be able to do this anymore and typing on phones or keyboards is getting painful and difficult.

Xx

[rab1874]

Hi Regina my hands are like boxers gloves at the moment and have always given me trouble, I wear compression gloves at times which help xxc

[Gnarli]

Painful wrists and hands were my first symptoms of RD. I had a terrible time trying to do things like get washed and dressed, do buttons up, write or knit etc. Big fat bent fingers too. I've been on MTX now for over two and a half years now and things are practically back to normal. I do hope you find something that helps you

[Hidden in reply to Gnarli]

Once a week I have a hot wax treatment on my hands and then they are put into heated gloves. It is really helping.

[Gnarli in reply to Hidden]

Now that sounds soothing. Have you ever been tempted to get a wax bath of your own?

[Hidden in reply to Gnarli]

I have tried it and yes it was fantastic

[Mmrr in reply to Hidden]

Oooo...that sounds fabulous !

[Hidden in reply to Mmrr]

Makes your hands very soft

[JFlay]

Although my hands are generally ok usually (apart from being weaker) I have noticed that my once nice handwriting has really deteriorated ☹️ my feet though are absolutely crap in the mornings 😣

[Hidden in reply to JFlay]

I used to h e the neatest handwriting of everyone that I know and now it is like a drunk spider as cannot hold the pen

[JFlay in reply to Hidden]

😟 it's sad 😢 I'm not that bad but I can feel a definite difference. My feet are the worst even though they look 'normal' (apart from a bunion) I trip over nothing 😕

[Jesnaskah]

My hands feel swollen in the mornings. Sometimes takes a bit of time to loosen up. Also, I noticed some fingers bend really weird, as in not straight. I also find myself having objects fly out of my hands randomly.. as I'm trying to apply makeup, when I try to paint... Paint brush goes flying, sometimes when I'm trying to cut my food.

[Hidden in reply to Jesnaskah]

I also have the same problems. Many a bottle of milk dropped. To me it’s like my brain is telling me to grip but my hands are slow to react😬

[Troygirl]

Yes. Every single morning for months!

First thing I do when I wake up is run them under hot water for a few minutes.

Then while I am doing my pre-get ready for work routine on my computer, I wrap them both in ice wrist bands for half hour. Feels so good!

[GranAmie]

yes ..sounds familiar... any finger will freeze and stick up... or down ... or to left ..or right a bit like the way toes can cramp.. . Every now and then one or both hands freeze on the steering wheel.. had this for years b4 RA was diagnosed used to pull off road, unhook them and wait 4 a bit. support gloves n massage help or ibuprofen gel. rarely happens since i began biologics last year, tho. hope this helps... it's not knowing that is the worst, tho'.

[Hidden in reply to GranAmie]

Oh yes! wake up with claw hands regularly 🙁

[mickam]

Hi. I've noticed a slow but persistent deterioration in my hands. Things which were easy a year, or even six months ago, are now nigh on impossible. gripping anything, typing, pressing buttons, really basic things which in the past I took for granted. it takes me an age to get dressed because of buttons, zips, etc. I have every gadget known to mankind to help me but it's still a real effort. I have voice recognition software on my laptop so that I don't have to type but if you don't give voice commands and dictation very clearly you can end up with some very confused, and funny, results. I have to see my Rheumy in a couple of weeks and my hands are top of my list of things to moan about. Fortunately she's a very understanding lady.