Osteoarthritis is a degenerative progressive and incurable disease. It can be contained but not cured by a coordinated therapy. The articular cartilage is degraded and the joint space narrows, bony attachments to the joint are intended to increase the force-transmitting surface. Increased immobility and inflammatory conditions increasingly affect the capsular ligament apparatus and surrounding musculature. The elasticity of the ligaments is lost and the musculature deteriorates.
Exercises
Since our joint cartilage is mainly nourished by movement, movement is the remedy of choice in osteoarthritis. It is important, however, that the movement does not burden the joints and is painless in any case. The joints should be mobilized and strengthened and not put under further strain.
1 Exercise In order to mobilize the joints gently, they should first be warmed up with simple, non-combined exercises. In this way, the patient can begin to bend and stretch finger by finger. 2 Exercise Various coordination exercises can then be performed with the fingers.
(Alternately touching the thumb or similar) Each individual finger joint should be mobilized in isolation. The fist closure is another good exercise. 3 Exercise In case of severe pain, the patient can relieve the strain on his or her joints by exerting light traction on the joint.
To do this, the patient grasps a certain finger joint close to the joint and gently pulls the finger. The joint surfaces loosen from each other and thus the joint cartilage can be relieved for a short time. Further hand and forearm exercises can be found in the following articles:
- Exercises for finger erysipelas
- Mobilization Exercises
- Physiotherapy for finger joint arthrosis
Finger arthrosis occurs more frequently at a young age, in contrast to knee arthrosis or hip arthrosis.
In most cases, a previous illness is the cause of the joint wear and tear. Arthritis, for example, is a rheumatic disease in which recurring inflammation of the joints occurs. The finger joints are often affected.
The inflammations can lead to premature arthrosis. Women are affected much more often than men. Accompanying physiotherapy as well as drug treatment are particularly important in order to maintain the affected patients’ ability to work.
Psychological factors should also be taken into account here and, if necessary, taken into account in the therapy planning. Risk factors that further damage the joints should be avoided. Nutrition can also support joint wear and tear and should therefore be adjusted to avoid inflammation in the body.
The workplace should be rearranged in order to allow for a gentle working day. The article Polyarthritis might also be of interest to you. Later, aids can also be added, such as therapy clay or a soft, elastic ball of fabric.
With this the grasping can be practiced and strengthened. In case of severe limitations, a functional hand can be developed. Here the first three fingers, i.e. thumb, index finger and middle finger are used for coordinative exercises, while the little finger and ring finger are used for strength demanding tasks.
The exercises should be individually adapted to the patient and then performed regularly, preferably several times a day. Hand massages can be effective in relieving acute pain and after overloading. There is a variety of exercises and aids that make the exercises for the finger joints easier and keep them varied.
In addition to movement, thermal stimuli are particularly suitable for minimizing pain. Some patients benefit from the cold, others from the warmth, this is a matter of individual choice. In the case of acute inflammation, however, heat should generally be avoided.
In special facilities, paraffin baths are often offered in which patients place their hands in a basin with hot wax. In acute stages of inflammation, relief helps. The hands should be used as little as possible, and movement should be painless in any case.
Splints, tape bandages or orthoses can help to immobilize the joints. In physiotherapy, the joints can be mobilized by manual therapeutic grips. The traction treatment is particularly pleasant when the two joint surfaces are released from each other by a handle close to the joint, so that the cartilage/bone is subjected to less pressure.Drug therapy completes the range of therapies.
The finger joints are constantly in motion and strained in everyday life. Orthoses and splints are often bulky and restrict the patient in his or her actions. Tape bandages can help here.
The classic tape can be used excellently to stabilize joints individually. The thin bandage is waterproof to a certain extent and can therefore still stabilize with everyday life even after washing your hands. It does not take up much space and maintains the mobility of other joints.
After some practice the bandage can be applied either by yourself or by your partner. Specific devices can even exert a relaxing pull on the joint surfaces. Kinesiological taping is also possible for the treatment of finger joint arthrosis.
There is a wide range of different systems that can be adapted to the patient and his or her everyday stress. Natural remedies can support the classic drug therapy well and can be used to alleviate symptoms. Since finger arthrosis is a progressive permanent disease, it is accompanied by long-term use of anti-inflammatory and painkillers.
In order not to burden the body unnecessarily with “chemicals”, many people resort to alternative remedies. Some natural remedies have been scientifically tested. For example, the devil’s claw root, which has a pain-relieving effect in osteoarthritis.
Creams and ointments are also available. The natural remedies can also improve symptoms in the long term. However, it is necessary to consult a doctor.
It is particularly important to avoid inflammatory conditions in the joints to prevent the disease from progressing. In some cases, therapy with natural remedies alone may not be sufficient. In such cases, the use of normal antiphlogistic drugs should not be avoided.
The consultation with the doctor is important to enable a coordinated therapy. Drugs used for finger arthrosis are the classic drugs used for degenerative joint diseases. One speaks of so-called non-steroidal antirheumatics (NSAIDs).
These are anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving drugs that do not act on the basis of cortisone. However, cortisone can also be used for severe inflammation. Cortisone injections into the joints are questionable, since although cortisone has an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect, it is also damaging to cartilage.
Hyaluronic acid injections into the joints, on the other hand, have a positive effect on the synovial fluid and the nutritional condition of the cartilage and improve the sliding of the joint surfaces against each other. It can therefore reduce inflammation. Hyaluronic acid is a component of synovial fluid and cartilage.
