Arthritis is a joint disease that causes joint pain, stiffness, and swelling. It can affect any joint in the body, being the arthritis in hands one of the most commonly affected areas. This pathology is degenerative in nature and, in most cases, the initial symptom is usually pain in the affected joints. At the beginning of the disease, the pain improves with rest and increases with the onset of movement, especially after a period of inactivity. When the joint warms up after movement, the pain improves substantially, but if the activity is prolonged it can start to hurt again.
- Symptoms
As we said, the main symptom of arthritis is pain, with or without inflammation, which can be accompanied by stiffness, weakness, deformity and loss of functionality.
To find out if we have arthritis of the hands, we need to consult a specialist in the field who can guide us properly. In case of prolonged pain that causes us discomfort and prevents us from carrying out our day-to-day activities on a regular basis, we should go to a specialist to treat it as soon as possible.
There are some risk factors among which are the fact of being a woman or those who are born with defective cartilage or malformed joints. Other risk factors include older age, hand injuries, jobs that require a lot of manual labor and a family history of arthritis.
- How to stop arthritis of the hands
As we said, arthritis is a progressive disease so there is no cure, although there are a number of solutions that we can do to alleviate the pain and slow down this process a bit.
First of all, it is important not to force the affected joint excessively, so it would be good to try using electrical devices to squeeze, peel or beat food, as well as to open cans. We should also support as little weight as possible with our hands and hold light things made of plastic or aluminum.
Hot water baths or heat application both in the morning and at night are also very good, although on some occasions, during acute inflammatory outbreaks, it would be good to use just the opposite, that is, the application of cold.
In phases of acute pain, it is highly advisable not to force the affected joint at all and let it rest for as long as possible.
Although drugs to cure arthritis of the hands have not yet been discovered, there are drugs and other types of alternative, but very effective, treatments for joint pain.
- Natural ingredients to combat arthritis
Ingredients such as turmeric, highly anti-inflammatory, can help us relieve pain.
There is also an ingredient called glucosamine that stimulates the synthesis of cartilage and sinus fluid . It delays the degeneration of cartilage and contributes to the regeneration of the joint, thus reducing pain and increasing mobility. Finally, it inhibits inflammatory processes, also responsible for cartilage degeneration.
For its part, chondroitin maintains the viscosity of the sinus fluid, helping to reduce friction in the joints. Thanks to its properties, it is capable of delaying the progression of arthritis.
Finally, other ingredients such as zinc (with an anti-inflammatory effect), bamboo (a natural source of silicon) and black pepper (antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties) also help combat the symptoms of arthritis of the hands.
These types of ingredients can be found in specific food supplements to treat joint pain caused by arthritis.
