Chronic inflammation contributes to painful joints. Rheumatoid arthritis treatment looks to lessen pain and inflammation, but you may wish to think about other ways to bring down pain in the hands while improving your overall dexterity and mobility. There are many pain management and assistive devices to aid you in handling inflammatory arthritis symptoms that affect your hands. Here, we will discuss some of those products.
Compression Gloves
It is potentially a good idea to tackle where inflammation comes from before thinking about using assistive devices. Even if you are on medication types like DMARDs or steroids for inflammatory pain in the joints, the hands may gain from the additional support of these arthritis gloves.
When seeking the best gloves for this type of arthritis, think about the product that is light and that you can wear throughout the day. Cotton and other breathable fabric types also often work well across seasons to aid in preventing sweat. Some glove types are fingerless, whereas others cover the fingers.
Tools For Use Around Your Home
Besides devices that can aid you in eating, grooming yourself and getting dressed, other forms of products that might simplify other daily tasks are available. Assistive devices for use in the bathroom, living room and kitchen, such as the following, can be some of those products.
- Tools that simplify picking up products and that offer support to your hands when cleaning. Seek grabber-reacher tools with long handles.
- Kitchen aids are likely to aid you in opening cans, jars and bottles.
- Smart home products, like thermostats and light switches, are made in a way that allows controlling them with smart devices.
Button Fasteners And Zipper Pulls
Rheumatoid arthritis may make it a bit more difficult to grip and pull a small pant or jacket zipper made of metal. Button or zipper-free clothing could be helpful when you possess a long dressing stick, but you may have to cope with the odd button or zipper in your clothing. That is where zipper pulls potentially come in handy.
Takeaway
When you have a rheumatoid arthritis flare in both hands, think about using supportive products designed to aid you in completing daily tasks without much pain and safely. The products can include many different assistive devices and compression gloves. You may consider speaking to your doctor regarding different, potentially uncomfortable tasks for you when experiencing finger and hand joint pain. Besides your RA treatment plan, the professional may tell you to see a specialist in occupational therapy for support.