Arthritis in Your Hands? 5 Drug-FREE Solutions
If you have arthritis in your hands, you know how difficult it can make daily life.
You use your fingers for so many tasks—from brushing your teeth, to tying your shoes, to opening that jar of pasta sauce.
So, when they’re stiff, painful, and weak, everyday tasks can be a real struggle.
But I’ll tell you what I tell my patients when they’re dealing with painful, arthritis hands:
You don’t need mainstream’s dangerous drugs to get some much-needed relief.
Try one of these 5 drug-free solutions instead.
This isn’t an exhaustive list of remedies for painful arthritis, but it’s a good place to start.
It includes a nice blend of exercise, therapies, creams, and supplements—all with evidence showing they can help with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, or both.
- Hand Exercises
Multiple studies have shown that performing hand exercises is beneficial for people with hand arthritis.
In one study, women with hand osteoarthritis (OA) did hand exercises three times a day for three months. The exercises included things like squeezing a rubber ball and spreading their fingers as wide as possible.
As the study progressed, the women experienced improvements in joint pain, grip, and function.
And in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who were already taking medication, those who added in hand stretching and strengthening exercises experienced greater improvements in hand flexibility, dexterity, and strength.
- Acupuncture
Acupuncture has a long history of successfully treating chronic pain. It has been specifically shown to help reduce pain and numbness in people with carpal tunnel syndrome.
And a review published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that adding in acupuncture with other therapies helped to manage pain and improve quality of life in people with rheumatoid arthritis.
- Hot and Cold Therapy
Heat and cold have different effects that can both be beneficial for a condition like arthritis. Heat therapy can relax your muscles and lubricate your joints, while cold therapy can help reduce pain, swelling, and stiffness.
You can try applying hot or cold therapy, but I’ve found that many people experience the greatest benefit by doing a combination of both.
Heat therapy can involve soaking your hands in warm water, applying a heating pad, or doing a paraffin wax bath.
Cold therapy can be as simple as putting ice or a bag of frozen vegetables on your hands.
- Capsaicin Creams
Capsaicin is the compound found in hot peppers that makes them hot. It’s also responsible for many of chili peppers’ health benefits (read about some of them here).
But topical creams made with capsaicin can be especially effective against arthritis pain because it helps block your body’s pain signals.
One study showed that when people with OA of the hand and knee used capsaicin gel for 12 weeks, they experienced a 50 percent reduction in pain.
- Curcumin
Curcumin, the main component in the spice turmeric, is hands down one of the best natural treatments for arthritis pain.
That’s because it’s one of nature’s best anti-inflammatories.
One study showed that just 500 milligrams of turmeric twice a day reduced joint pain and stiffness in both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.
Supplements are widely available at health food stores and online from retailers like Amazon.com
P.S. Arthritis – whether it’s in your hands, or your knees, or ANY joint – is miserable. It’s time to put an end to that pain for GOOD. Click here to learn how to stop your arthritis pain once and for all.
