finger cramps

[gilox]

have had RA for 20+ years,on mtx which has been good, but now my fingers/hands are constantly cramping. Any tips that may help? Thanks for reading!

[AgedCrone]

Have you ever injured your neck? Neck nerves can cause arm/hand cramps.

Ask your GP to refer you to a physio to see if gentle exercise might help. But get advice…don’t just think up exercises yourself.

[Joannos]

Go see the GP but consider a magnesium spray

[gilox in reply to Joannos]

Thank you!😍

[Tiverland]

That’s my main problem. Gentle finger exercises suggested by the RA physio works brilliantly. Also support gloves recommended by my RA OT. Worn overnight when the problem is worse. Couldn’t be without them. I also take curcumin/tumeric ( from Simply Suppliments. BUT check with RA nurse first). Hope you find this helpful

[gilox in reply to Tiverland]

Thanks, gloves seem like a good plan, seeing Rheumy nurse in a couple of weeks, will ask about it then.

[Tiverland in reply to gilox]

I buy mine from Amazon , if that helps I can always send you the link

[Hopeful1]

Magnesium supplement stops my cramps if your rheumy agrees. An email/ letter to their secretary may be a quick route to opinion. Also keeping well hydrated needs no prior approval. I also have a problem with trigger finger. Tendons affected? Good luck and a better new year!

[gilox in reply to Hopeful1]

Thank you! Have taken magnesium & it seems to help, but I crochet ( a lot) so guessing that doesn’t help! 😀

[Chester1975]

EBay sell blue stress balls really cheap and I use these to help. Gently squeezing daily. I also have a list of exercises to do which the physio gave to me but you can find the list online if you google arthritis hand exercises on google and click onto images. She gave me compression gloves and splints but I didn’t find that these helped. The gloves were just too tight and hurt Xx

[gilox in reply to Chester1975]

Thank you!

[cyberbarn in reply to Chester1975]

I have found the same thing with gloves, they are painful to wear! So as an academic researcher I took a dive into the peer reviewed trials of gloves for arthritis. Turns out it isn't the compression that is the key, it is keeping the hands warm, and any gloves that keep hands warm will work.

[trexhater]

Have you tried soaking yr hands in a little Radox and fairly warm water. It helps me a lot. Also warm showers/baths, heat really does help me. I use a soft ball and this too helps a lot, in fact the more movement, the better. But anything repetitive does not...crochet hmmm Hand warmers are excellent from chemist. Good luck.

[medway-lady]

That was actually the first sign I ever had of RA many years ago. My fingers just locked up and it was a real shock but also relied that it was RA and not Oestoporosis. So I was referred to a Consultant and never really looked back. I think this might mean your RA is no longer being controlled by the MTX and you need to discuss this with your Consultant.