Im diagnose OA in january 2020 after maternity, what exercise i can do to manage pain in my hand ?

[Mithnish]

Pls. Suggest

[DorsetLady]

versusarthritis.org/about-a...

[kohai OA Ambassador]

Hi Mithnish,

OA in the hands is awful. Its the first place I got it many years ago, and doubt I will ever forget the pain and frustration I went through with it.

The Occupational Therapy dept helped a lot, but sadly at the moment, anything hospital related is heavily restricted.

To keep your hands moving, try getting a couple of really soft sponges (like bath sponges) , then either fill the sink, or do this while in the bath, keep your hands in the warm water, have one sponge in each hand, and gently squeeze the sponge, hold for a few seconds, slowly release and repeat. You can do this as often or however many times your hands are able to cope with, both during being in the water, and after.

Try to keep the room at the same temperature.. if you have warm hands in a cold room, the cold will go straight to your joints in each hand and trigger more pain and stiffness.

I also found that while reading or watching tv, have something as simple as a pen or ball - even a kids fidget toy in your hand, and keep playing with it, this keeps your hand moving and helps with stiffness. Then every twenty minutes or so, swap hands. You'll know yourself when the best time to stop or rest is. Its something I found that helped both of my hands during the times they were most idle (like relaxing in the evenings).

Also have a look at some of the hand gadgets on the mobility sites online, there are numerous gadgets available now that will make life so much easier for your hands.

I hope this has helped.

kohai