From splinting to OTC medications to injections, you’ve got options to get relief and improve function.

By Michael O. Schroeder , Staff Writer Feb. 26, 2019, at 3:08 p.m.

Especially as a person ages, it’s common to experience pain in the hands that’s caused by arthritis. It’s most often the result of a loss of cartilage that can leave bone rubbing on bone, or what’s called osteoarthritis. Inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis (resulting from the skin disease psoriasis) that leads to swollen fingers and toes can also be to blame.

Arthritis in the Next Generations

While some are able to handle a mild degree of discomfort, arthritis in the hands is frequently more than a fleeting annoyance, and it can even lead to hand deformity if left untreated. As pain becomes more regular and severe, it can affect a person’s ability to do everything from activities they enjoy – like golf or other forms of recreation – to those things they need to do just to get through the day, from buttoning a shirt to gripping a cup of coffee in the morning.

Fortunately, there are ways you can ease arthritis-related hand pain, including:

• Rest and modifying activities.
• Splinting.
• Heat and cold.
• Medication.
• Injections.
• Surgery.

Rest and Modifying Activities

As arthritis-related hand pain becomes more severe, it can affect a person’s ability to perform everyday tasks. (Getty Images)

Some of this – like giving your hands a break when they hurt – is intuitive, at least to a degree. But it’s a balance, since you can’t always seek to avoid using your hands when they hurt. You want to make sure to maintain suppleness in your fingers, “because losing motion is a consequence that can be hard to correct and can have long-term consequences for folks,” says Dr. Philip Blazar, chief of hand surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Experts say it’s most important to rest arthritic hands or make accommodations when arthritis flares. “But when it settles down, maintain your motion; restore your strength; resume activities,” Blazar says.

Besides doing less pinching or grasping of objects when arthritis pain is at its worst, aim for more comfortable workarounds. To make working in the kitchen easier, for example, the Arthritis Foundation suggests replacing heavy stoneware with pots and pans that are lighter to using ergonomically designed kitchen tools like a rocker, and using assistive devices like an electric can and jar opener, among other accommodations.

Splinting

An extension – in more ways than one – of the rest approach, using splints or braces made of materials ranging from neoprene to metal can stabilize arthritic joints. Besides relieving pain, this approach may allow you to continue with some activities even while a splint is on.

“So if you have arthritis at the base of your thumb, we’ll put you in a splint that holds your thumb – at least that base of your thumb,” says Dr. Daniel Mass, a professor of orthopedic and plastic surgery at the University of Chicago. But even as it keeps this in place, he notes the splint “still gives you the tip of your thumb and your fingers, and basically the splint reminds you not to grab things hard and lift heavy things with your hands.”

Like with resting the hand when arthritis flares, it’s important to strike a balance with splinting as well. “If you’re using a splint and you no longer need it, don’t become dependent on it,” Blazar says.

Heat and Cold

One of the first line treatments for osteoarthritis – including that which affects the wrists and hands – is to apply heat or ice to reduce pain and swelling, according to Cleveland Clinic. This can also help with hand pain from other sources or decrease inflammation related to a new joint injury.

Medication

Over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen (Motrin and Advil), are a good place to start. “If your primary arthritis is in the hand, and you take an anti-inflammatory, it should reduce inflammation in those joints and allow you to keep functioning – if the arthritis is mild,” says Dr. Lorenzo Pacelli, orthopedic hand surgeon at Scripps Clinic, which is based in La Jolla, California.

However, all medications – even OTC drugs – carry side effects; and taking them on an ongoing basis can increase the risk of adverse events. Long-term use of NSAIDs is associated with a higher risk for serious side effects like ulcers and even heart attack. And some people are advised not to take drugs like aspirin either if they’re already on blood thinners, since taking both could increase their risk for bleeding.

As an alternative, Mass says Tylenol (acetaminophen) decreases pain, but it doesn’t decrease inflammation. “So you’ll still have swelling in the joints,” he says, but he adds, too much Tylenol can lead to liver problems.

Apart from OTC medication, some patients may be prescribed drugs to address their arthritis. For rheumatoid arthritis, medication can do more than relieve symptoms. What are called disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, or DMARDs, like methotrexate, can slow the progression of the disease, and have reduced the need for surgery to treat rheumatoid arthritis.