Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes your immune system to attack the joints of your hands, leading to inflammation, pain, loss of movement and deformity. Hand exercises can help you maintain a higher quality of life and minimize the crippling effects of rheumatoid arthritis.
Significance
Forcing your hand to move through its maximum range of motion increases the blood supply to your hand to keep muscles, bones and joints healthier. Without exercise, the muscles and bones of your hands will weaken, increasing the stress and damage that rheumatoid arthritis places on your joints. Failure to commit to a daily hand exercise regimen might cause you to enter a cycle of depression, pain and inactivity, reports the Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Department at the University of Washington.
Benefits
Dr. Brian Bacot, an orthopedic surgeon for Comprehensive Orthopedic Global in the U.S. Virgin Islands, states that exercise will help keep your joints from stiffening, keep the muscles around your joints strong and keep the bone and cartilage of your joints healthy. Regular cardiovascular exercise helps control your cholesterol levels, maintain a healthful weight and reduce your risk of serious health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.
Types
Low-impact aerobic exercise, strengthening exercise and range of motion exercise all promote healthy joints. Hand rheumatoid arthritis benefits the most from range of motion exercises that require you to move your hand and fingers at every joint, including all the joints of the fingers and the wrist. Avoid exercises that place a lot of resistance on the joints, such as squeezing a tennis ball because that places too much stress on the hand joints and can worsen your rheumatoid arthritis, advises Mindy Albany, an occupational therapist at Rehabilitation Today in Bradford, Pennsylvania. Include aerobic exercise that limits the amount of stress placed on any joints, such as water exercise, walking or stationary bike riding.
Time Frame
Stiffness results when you fail to move your joints regularly. As soon as you notice rheumatoid arthritis affecting your hands, perform range of motion exercises at least once or twice a day to prevent stiffness, Albany advises. The quality of your movement affects your joints more than the quantity, which may require you to visit an occupational therapist once or twice a week, explains Dr. David Geier, Jr., the director of Medical University of South Carolina's Sports Medicine Department. Increase your blood circulation and promote heart health by including 30 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise at least five times a week.
Considerations
A treatment plan to control all aspects of rheumatoid arthritis provides the best option for controlling hand rheumatoid arthritis and maintaining hand flexibility. You may need evaluated by a hand surgeon to determine whether orthopedic surgery will help improve the functional use of the hand and prevent deformity of the hand and fingers, Geier advises. Treatment for rheumatoid arthritis often consists of therapy, anti-inflammatory drugs and diet.
References
- Dr. David Geier Jr.; University of Washington; Seattle, Washington
- University of Washington: Exercise and Arthritis
- Dr. Brian Bacot; Comprehensive Orthopedic Global; U.S. Virgin Islands
- Mindy Albany; Rehabilitation Today; Bradford, Pa
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