Arthritis In The Thumb – Symptoms, Causes And Remedies For Relief

Remedies for thumb arthritis

Although the condition doesn’t have a cure, there are many great natural remedies you can use to help alleviate the pain and other symptoms.

Rest

The best way to help with pain and prevent the condition from getting worse, is of course giving enough rest to the thumb. You should avoid doing movements that cause pain to the thumb as much as possible. You should also get a supportive splint, which will provide the thumb with proper posture and support. These can be found online, or you can discuss it with your health care provider. The splint will make sure that your thumb stays in good positions, for instance during night-time.

Heat and cold treatment

Arthritis in thumb can also benefit from heat and cold treatment. Arthritis Self Management recommended in 2012 that cold treatment is great for reducing inflammation and thus pain. You can place a cold pack onto your thumb and leave for 10 minutes at a time and repeat this process multiple times a day. The article says that cold can cause stiffness and should not be done prior to exercise.

You can also use heat therapy to relieve muscle spasms. This form of treatment is especially good to do before activities that require a lot of thumb mobility.

Exercises for the thumb

Arthritis Self Management reminds of the importance of exercise to keep the muscles strong and flexible. They suggest you do the following exercises a few times a day to keep the thumb joint from getting stiff. This will help arthritis in the thumb.

* Form a circle using your thumb and index finger. You can do this by touching the tip of your thumb to the tip of your index finger.

* Support the middle joint of your thumb with your other hand. This should bend your thumb joint slightly.

* Pinch your fingertips and remove the other hand from supporting while still maintaining the position.

* Increase the force of the pinch slowly. Stop when you feel as though the circle will collapse and the thumb will lose its bent posture.

* Relax your fingers and repeat 10 times.

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