For years my hand arthritis pain has been getting worse and now I have a trigger thumb on my left hand. My grip strength is practically non-existent and getting jar lids off is a real pain in the rear.
My doctor thought occupational therapy would help so I tried that for a while. There was a yummy bagel shop on the way, so that made the appointment a little more pleasant.
When I walked into the therapy room, I was shocked at how many women were having hand problems. There was one therapy aide and one occupational therapist, so you had to wait your turn.
It took time out of my husband Mark’s work schedule and counting the travel time to and from, and the actual appointment, it was two hours later.
Recently, I found something that is working to reduce my hand arthritis pain, which allows me to follow my treatment schedule: The Hand Therapy Complete Exercise Kit.
This is a complete toolkit for stretching and strengthening the hands and fingers, specifically designed for people with pain and mobility issues. It has an instruction booklet that shows you how to do all the exercises correctly. You work with exercise eggs, a finger strengthener, therapy putty, and a hand gripper.
There are also exercises that you can do without any other aids. These exercises are geared toward middle-aged or older, but if you’re not in that age group and suffering from arthritis hand pain, you’ll appreciate the simplicity of these exercises.
This is my review:
Warm Your Hands First
If you have painful stiff fingers, warm them up before you exercise. Use a heating pad or just soak the fingers in warm water for five to ten minutes.
I like using Hot Warmers. Be careful about leaving them on your hands too long. I find that just holding them on one palm and then putting my other hand over, gives me the right amount of heat.
How to Use Exercise Eggs
There are two exercise eggs, one is soft and one is medium touch. I use the soft one because it doesn’t cause as much pain, but try them both and see what works best for you.
The exercise balls go in the palm of your hand and you squeeze with the palm facing up and then down.
You can warm the egg but always immerse it in a container of warm water for three to four minutes. Don’t put the egg in the microwave.
I like chilling the egg in the refrigerator because it takes down the swelling and pain in my hands.
Have Fun with the Therapy Putty
Did you ever play with Playdough as a kid? This putty reminds me of that experience. The Therapy Putty comes in two different containers. The yellow is extra-soft and the green is a firmer touch.
I like the softer putty, but the firmer putty is easier to shape for the different exercises.
You spread the dough into different shapes. The Finger Spread exercise has you shape the dough into a pancake shape. You spread it over your thumb and fingers, then try to spread your fingers apart.
When I first started with the putty, I didn’t get it thick enough to spread my fingers apart, so it does take some practice to get it right! After I have it in the correct position, I press the putty down where it is a little tighter, so when you start trying to spread your fingers apart, the putty doesn’t get holes in it.
For the rest of the exercises, you’ll reshape the putty and do more exercises that help your grip strength, and extension exercises for your finger and thumb.
Practice with the Finger Strengthener
This is one of my favorites. There are holes for your fingers and thumb. Once that is finished, you try to straighten your fingers and it gives a nice stretch. I like to do this exercise while I am watching TV.
Squeeze the Hand Gripper
The Hand Gripper makes my hands a little sore. It is circular and you place it in your palm and squeeze. It turns out I didn’t have my fingers over the gripper, so now it feels a lot better.
Final Thoughts
My fingers feel so much better. If you have arthritis pain in your fingers, now is the time to start doing something about it. Consult your doctor first, and then try the Hand Therapy Exercise Kit. You have nothing to lose, and having full mobility in your fingers is priceless.
