Posted on Tue, Aug 17, 2010 @ 01:54 PM
If you are looking to improve your hand muscle strength and joint range of motion due to arthritis, try these simple hand exercises. Start slowly doing the exercises several times a week and work up to daily for best results. These hand exercises should not cause pain, but, if you are experiencing challenges, try doing them while soaking your hands in warm water. Always start by relaxing your hand.
Finger Bends. Start by holding your fingers upright, straight and close together. Bend the end and middle joints of your fingers down. Keep them curled for 5 seconds. Your wrist and knuckles should remain straight. Slowly return your fingers to the starting position. Repeat 3 times. Then do the other hand.
Open Hand Stretch. Hold your hand upright and spread your fingers as wide apart as you can. Hold that position for 5 seconds. Slowly relax your fingers and bring them back together. Repeat this 3 times before moving to the other hand. Try to gradually increase the number of repetitions over time.
Make a Fist. Gently start with your fingers straight and spread apart. Make a loose fist wrapping your thumb around the outside of your curled fingers. Do not squeeze tightly. Hold 5 seconds. Slowly return to the starting position. Repeat 3 times and then switch to the other hand.
Range of Motion. You can improve your flexibility, maintain joint movement and relieve stiffness with passive, range of motion exercises (allowing someone else to move your joints for you).
Weights. Try strengthening exercises using light weights to help maintain or increase your muscle strength. This will protect the joints that are affected by arthritis.
About
Dr. Lee received his BS in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University and his MD from Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Lee has done his share of writing throughout his academic and professional life. All of the writing required by medical school and physician training took its toll. After trying just about every pen and failing to find a truly comfortable one, Dr. Lee was determined to create his own. He is the inventor of the ergonomic pen called the UGLee Pen, which he designed to alleviate strain to the tendons which also means less inflammation, swelling and pressure on the nerves, alleviating arthritis pain.
Posted on Fri, Aug 06, 2010 @ 03:33 PM
Julie Belkin, President of 3-Point Products was invited to speak about “Summer and Arthritis” on the WBAL-TV (Baltimore’s channel 11) morning news show on Sunday August 1st. Ms. Belkin and newscaster Sarah Caldwell talked about how the changes in the barometric pressure that are more severe in the hot summer months, can affect how your joints feel, especially if you have arthritis.
Julie demonstrated products for summer activities including golf and gardening. These products can be found at the following web links:
Ergonomic Garden Tools by Radius Garden
Peta easy-grip® Garden Tools: this is a UK site that also offers ergonomic scissors and kitchen tools
HandHelpers.com offers a variety of hand-friendly products
PowerGear® Pruners by Fiskars® (the one shown during the interview was the Large Bypass Pruner)
Terris Golf® "Competition Series" golf gloves
Bionic: full line of gloves for golf, tennis, equestrian, baseball, gardening….
www.cuttersgloves.com: The Naked Glove is easy to put on because the palm is open, which also minimizes sweating; the Training Glove is is a glove withour finger tips
Products from 3-Point, including the 3pp™ ThumSling™ that Julie was wearing for her own thumb arthritis, are described on this web site. The links below will take you directly to the pages where these products are described in more detail:
3pp™ ThumSling™ for thumb arthritis support when gardening, playing golf or tennis
3pp™ Elbow Wrap for tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow
3pp™ Carpal Lift™ for bicycling
3pp™ Wrist Wrap™ for tennis, golf and gardening among other activities
There are many other products that can improve function and reduce arthritis pain so check back often to see what is new on the blog. You can even sign up to receive notifications when a new blog is uploaded using the form on the left.
If you like this information, let us know by posting a comment.
Posted on Fri, Feb 19, 2010 @ 12:40 PM
What is a Swan Neck deformity?
A Swan Neck deformity is a condition where the middle joint of the finger, known as the PIP joint, hyperextends or bends backwards and the end joint near the fingernail, known as the DIP joint, flexes or is bent downwards.
How do you get a Swan Neck deformity?
The most common causes of a Swan Neck deformity are a diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), a ligament injury or an untreated Mallet or "Baseball" finger. Swan Neck deformity can also be a problem for people with a connective tissue disease known as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS).
There is a thick ligament called the volar plate under the middle finger joint that keeps it from bending backwards. This ligament can be damaged by the inflammation common in Rheumatoid Arthritis and it can be torn when the finger is forcefully hyperextended. In addition to the volar plate, the tendons that act on the middle and end joint can be damaged or displaced by arthritis and by injuries such as Mallet finger injury or hyperextension.
Some people are born with loose or lax joints that are often misnamed "double jointed". This laxity allows the fingers to bend backwards without there being any injury and without it being a problem. But for persons with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, the fingers can hyperextend so much that it's difficult to bend the fingers.
How is a Swan Neck deformity treated?
Splinting the finger to stop the hyperextension is often all that is needed and can be a very successful long term solution. In more severe cases, surgery can be done to help realign the tendons and tighten the tissues around the joint.
What kind of splint options are there?
There are splints on the market designed to treat Swan Neck deformity. There are some different metal splints available, one made out of stainless steel and one made from silver. Because the steel splints can be hard to wear and the silver splints can be expensive, I designed a lightweight plastic splint called the Oval-8 Finger Splint.
Oval-8 splints are designed to prevent hyperextension at the PIP joint but allow the finger to bend. They come in a broad range of sizes so they will fit almost any hand and are thin enough to be worn on several fingers at the same time if necessary. The wide bands make them comfortable to wear and depending on skin color, they can almost disappear on your finger. Oval-8's are comfortable, cost effective and can be worn short term or permanently if needed.
How do I get an Oval-8 splint?
Oval-8 splints have to be sized and fitted by a health care provider to make certain the fit is correct and that you know how to care for your finger.
If your doctor or therapist does not know about Oval-8 splints, you and they can get more information by visiting the Oval-8 page on this web site. It includes a video that shows how the Oval-8 is fit for a Swan Neck deformity.
You can even look for a hand surgeon or hand therapist near you who might have the Oval-8's and will be able to fit you by going to the "About Us" page. There are links for finding hand therapists or orthopedic doctors at the bottom of that page.
Author: Julie Belkin
Posted on Mon, Jan 25, 2010 @ 10:57 AM
As I mentioned in my previous blog, there are lots of products available to make living with
arthritis easier. Therapists call them adaptive devices, or ADL’s, which stands for Aids to Daily Living. Some you my have heard of, others you may not have or you may not have thought of alternative uses.
The previous blog covered self-opening scissors, alternative uses for wet towels and for pliers, as well as slip-resistant Dycem and quality pens.
Here is the second half of my TOP 10 list of adaptive items to help with arthritis.
6. A long-handled reacher
(image of Handi-Reacher courtesy of Sammons Preston, a division of Patterson Medical, Inc.)
Every household should have a long handled reacher. It does not matter if you don’t have arthritis, back pain, or you are tall enough to reach the ceiling, a reacher should be a standard household tool. When selecting a reacher, try to find one that requires all fingers to engage the mechanism. They are easier to use.
There is always a space between cupboards or next to the washer that something is certain to fall into. A narrow long handled reacher makes it easy to grasp the envelope that slipped between the cupboard and the stove, to pick up the sock that would otherwise go into the “disappeared” pile next to the dryer, and to pull that roll of paper towel to the edge of a just too high shelf. My reacher hangs in my pantry/laundry closet and it sees regular use. I have big pine trees in my backyard and my reacher is the ideal tool to pick up the hundreds of pine cones that fall each year without me having to bend down hundreds of times to clean the yard.
7. Bath
Mitts
(image of Sponge Wash Mitt courtesy of Sammons Preston, a division of Patterson Medical, Inc.)
A wash mitt beats a wash cloth every time. Slip it on one hand, soap it up and you are done trying to keep a grip on the cloth
and keep it soaped up. Simply switch hands as needed and bathing becomes just a bit less stressful for your hands especially if you have arthritis. Combined with my number 3 choice, a bath chair, showering or bathing is safer and more comfortable and you have a few extra moments to just let the warm water soak sore joints and bones.
8. A Shower or Bath Chair
(image of Shower Chair courtesy of Sammons Preston, a division of Patterson Medical, Inc.)A simple seat or bath bench is ideal for relaxing and safe bathing. The model shown folds so it is easy to take in and out of the tub or shower and can be stored out of the way if needed. Sitting makes it easier and safer to reach your feet with
the bath mitt and it allows you to get a good relaxing soak.
9. Stocking or Sock Aid
(image courtesy of North Coast Medical)
If you have arthritis, back pain or mobility problems and reaching your feet or holding open a sock is difficult, Sock aids really do work. The one shown here has a flat bottom to allow your foot to slide in and out of it easily. It is effective with all but really tight compression stockings. You can search for this aide under the name Sock-Assist. For true confession’s sake, even though my company does not carry this aide, I did design it for the company who makes it and it was my first patent. And it works, so I can safely recommend it.
10. Work gloves with a gripping surface
Gloves that have a silicone or rubber gripping surface make a lot of tasks easier and safer. There are a variety of lightweight gloves that are easy to slip on an off and can be used for many tasks. If you have arthritis or you don’t, the gripping surface makes it easier to hold things so you apply less force and therefore less stress on your hands and arms. If your hand strength is diminished, gripper gloves make tasks such as slicing meat or picking up heavy vases or books, easier and safer.
These are great when vacuuming or sweeping and my mother takes them with her to the grocery store so she can safely take cans off the shelf and lift heavy juice containers into her cart. The gloves pictured above are just two of the many brands available.
So now I have given you my Top 5 picks plus my next Top 5 picks for items that really do make it safer and less stressful to perform daily activities. If you have arthritis, diminished mobility or strength or like me, just don’t want to add more stress on an aging body than I have to, these are good things to have and use.
There are other well designed products that can be very helpful. When deciding what you might want to have in your house, your purse or your car to make it easier to get through your day with less physical stress, ask yourself these questions:
- Is this something that will help me do something I can’t really do anymore?
- Will I use it regularly?
- If my friends see me using this will they want one too?
If you answer yes to any of these questions – buy it.
What are your favorite “tools” to make living with
arthritis easier? Share them in the comments below.
Author: Julie Belkin
Posted on Thu, Jan 14, 2010 @ 10:18 AM
If you feel pain at the base of your thumb (down by the wrist) when you pinch or grasp something, you may have arthritis of the basal or CMC joint. This very unique joint is the most common site for arthritis in the hand. If you are a woman over the age of 40 (and willing to admit it), you stand a higher than average chance of having thumb arthritis. There are other conditions that can also cause pain around the base of the thumb so it is important to discuss the problem with your health care provider.
The good news is - there are things you can do to alleviate the pain and lessen the progression of the arthritis.
Stages of arthritis
Like any other type of arthritis, CMC joint arthritis can be mild or very severe, interfering in your ability to perform daily activities. As a therapist deciding how to treat someone, I break thumb arthritis down into three stages.
Stage 1
At the onset of CMC joint arthritis, you may feel a "grabbing" or sharp pain only when you start doing an activity. You may find the pain diminishes once the activity gets underway only to return when you stop the activity. This occasional pain is easy to ignore - but I don't advise it.
Stage 2
As the arthritis progresses, pain may be present with even light activity or at rest. You may also experience pain and tenderness when you touch the joint. At this point you may notice the base of the thumb "sticking out" and looking as though it is a little ledge or step. Now if there were any doubt you have CMC arthritis, your thumb is definitely telling you otherwise.
Stage 3
In later stages, the thumb can assume a few different "crooked" postures. When the middle knuckle of the thumb (the MCP joint at the level of the web space) is flexed or bent, and the end or IP joint is hyperextended, it is called a Boutonniere Deformity.
The opposite of this posture is a Swan Neck deformity. The MCP is hyperextended and it may be difficult to move he thumb sideways, opening the web space. With time, the skin in the web can shrink, making it impossible to open the thumb away from the palm.
In late stages, pain may actually decreases but the deformity impairs function and strength is greatly diminished.
Is there anything I can do not to end up with Stage 2 or Stage 3 arthritis?
It would be really nice to be able to say - if you take this pill, wear this splint, or do this exercise, the arthritis will not progress or it may even go way. Unfortunately for those with a family history of arthritis or those who just did not win the toss of the die for long lived, healthy bones, the disease may progress despite the best care.
What you can do however, is learn to use your hands so they take less stress, use devices that help you perform daily tasks with less stress, and wear functional splints or braces that support the joint.
Even at the very early stages of CMC arthritis, wearing a support that applies light compression and helps maintain the integrity of the joint, can really help relieve pain and allow better function.
I can't wear a hard splint and still work. Are there other options?
Yes, there are a variety of options in soft splints. There are several companies that use Neoprene (the same fabric skin divers wear) that apply compression and restrict some motion, but still allow enough motion to be able to function. Liberty and Comfort Cool splints from North Coast Medical and Freedom splints from Alimed are some brands of Neoprene splints. There are other lighter weight foam lined splints that provide cushioning, support and light compression with only slight restriction on motion. 3pp splints from 3-Point Products offer some very functional options in lightweight thumb and wrist splints.
The important thing to know is that you can do something to decrease the pain and reduce stress to try and limit future deformity and dysfunction.
Future blogs will discuss joint protection techniques and the "adaptive equipment" everyone should be using. Another blog is planned to discuss surgical options for those in stage 3 where splints only provide some relief and who need more than a splint and equipment can provide.
Author: Julie Belkin