If a handshake is painful, you can't hitchhike (well, you can't stick your thumb out), or you're among the 50% of women and 25% of men who experience osteoarthritis of the hand, we want to help you get a grip — physically and emotionally.
Hand pain not only hurts, it can interfere with your job and stop you from participating in activities you enjoy, such as pickleball, biking, or knitting. That can be depressing — and emotional distress can amplify pain sensations.
Fortunately, a study in The Journal of Hand Surgery reveals that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can reduce pain and increase hand mobility.
And if your hands are stiff and swollen from arthritis or from tendon tenderness and muscle miseries, hand exercises can increase mobility and ease pain. Here are some to try:
• Wrist ulnar/radial deviation. Put your forearm on a table on top of a rolled-up towel and move your wrist up and down 10 times through a full range of motion.
• Thumb extension/flexing. Stick your thumb as far out as you can (hitchhiking style), and then bring it back across the palm and back out again. Repeat this 10 times.
• Finger glide. Extend your fingers straight out, then curl them inward to make a fist. Repeat 10 times.
For more ways to prevent and control arthritis and other chronic inflammatory conditions that affect mobility, check out Dr. Mike's "The Great Age Reboot."