Exercises For People with Arthritis In Hands

15 May 2006

Research shows exercise decreases gives arthritis pain relief, improves signs and symptoms, and performance. But before you rush out to an aerobics session, prepare your muscles with some flexibility and strengthening exercises.

For Arthritis Pain Relief try these arthritis exercises for better movement - arthritis knee exercise, arthritis neck exercise, arthritis shoulder exercise and arthritis hand exercise.

Arthritis Exercises for the Hand

Some simple arthritis hand exercises:

• Bend your fingers - Relax your hand. Start with your fingers straight and close together. Bend the end and middle joints of your fingers. Keep your wrist and knuckles straight. Moving slowly and smoothly, return your hand to the starting position. Repeat with your other hand. If you can, perform multiple repetitions of this exercise on each hand.



• Make a fist -Start with your fingers straight and spread apart. Make a loose, gentle fist and wrap your thumb around the outside of your fingers. Be careful not to squeeze your fingers together too tightly. Moving slowly and smoothly, return to the starting position. Repeat. Perform this exercise on both hands.



• Open your hand wide - Spread your fingers apart as wide as you can and hold that position. Slowly relax your fingers and bring them together. Return to the open-wide position. Repeat with each hand and gradually add to the number of repetitions.



• Touch your fingertips -
  1) Straighten your fingers and thumb. Bend your thumb across your palm, touching the tip of your thumb to the pad of your hand just below your pinky finger. If you can't make your thumb touch, just stretch as far as you can. Return your thumb to its starting position, as shown in images 1 through 3.
  
  2) For the next exercise, form the letter O by touching your thumb to each fingertip, as shown in images 4 through 6. Moving slowly and smoothly, touch your index finger to your thumb, then straighten your fingers. Touch your middle finger to your thumb and straighten. Follow with your ring and pinky fingers.



• Walk your fingers -Rest your hand on a flat surface, such as a tabletop, with your palm facing down and your fingers spread slightly apart. Moving one finger at a time, slowly walk your fingers toward your thumb. Start by lifting and moving your index finger toward your thumb. Follow by lifting and moving your middle finger toward your thumb. Proceed with moving your ring finger and then your pinky finger toward your thumb. Don't move your wrist or thumb while doing this exercise. Repeat with your other hand.

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