As an autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis can cause pain all over the body. If you’re experiencing pain in your hands, however, and looking for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis hand pain, look no further. Here are three kinds of treatment that ease hand pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis.
Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis Hand Pain
The first treatment for rheumatoid arthritis hand pain is occupational therapy. This will essentially strengthen the joints in an individual’s wrists, improving their ability to move their hand. Furthermore, rheumatoid arthritis has the potential to cause deformity—if it hasn’t already—, and occupational therapy will help decrease that risk.
The second treatment for rheumatoid arthritis hand pain is finger and wrist joint replacement surgery. Surgery is not always ideal, but it is an option for those who have lost complete hand function. In order for surgery to be an option, the patient must have lost function because of deformity. This procedure involves a hand surgeon who removes damaged bone surface and replaces them with prostheses. The prostheses will be made of both plastic and metal.
The third treatment for rheumatoid arthritis hand pain is splinting. This will help to stabilize the hand joints, which, in turn, reduces the risk of further deformity. Note that there are numerous types of braces, so talk to your doctor about which is best suited to you. Over the last couple years, splinting has become less common, but it is still an ideal treatment for rheumatoid arthritis hand pain, especially if wrist joint replacement surgery is not an option.
The Takeaway
Remember, seek medical attention right away if your RA hand pain gets worse. The sooner you get treatment for rheumatoid arthritis hand pain, the better. Why? Because you don’t want to risk your joints getting worse as this could cause hand deformities somewhere down the line.
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Posted on May 5, 2023