Hay, krysia dziedzic, joint protection and hand exercises for hand osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis of the carpometacarpal thumb joint this booklet has been written to provide you with information about your thumb arthritis and give you a better understanding of your thumb joint, why you experience pain, and how you can manage your symptoms. Avoid or minimize excessive stretch of joint ligaments. Use a stool for periodic rest breaks when standing. Think about ways you can avoid unnecessarily stressing your joints.
Respect pain pain is the bodys warning sign of excess joint stress. The biomechanical basis for joint protection in osteoarthritis. Joint protection and energy conservation mary pack arthritis. The severity of osteoarthritis symptoms can vary greatly from person to person, and between different affected joints. Joint protection and home hand exercises improve hand. Study protocol open access self management, joint protection.
Every extra pound you gain puts four times the stress on your knees. Rise from a chair symmetrically and avoid leaning to either side. They can make activities easier, and protect your joints. Osteoarthritis is a condition that causes the joints to become painful and stiff. Joint care looking after your joints when you have arthritis. Move around one way to prevent joint damage is not stay in one position too long. As for standing, you should stand straight, head high, shoulders back, stomach in, and hips and knees straight. Protecting your joints does not mean avoiding using them. Jul 11, 2011 there is limited evidence for the clinical and cost effectiveness of occupational therapy ot approaches in the management of hand osteoarthritis oa. Osteoarthritis arthritis australia the most common. These can help if you have pain at night which affects your sleep or if. Joint protection interventions have been studied in people with rheumatoid arthritis ra 9, 10. Osteoarthritis is a common degenerative disorder of the articular cartilage associated with hypertrophic bone changes.
Using joint protection principles is all about changing the. Joint protection involves using techniques and assistive. Goalsetting and problemsolving, with adequate time to practice new skills in order to develop new habits and routines, are used to facilitate uptake of exercise and joint protection techniques 11,12. This can reduce pain and fatigue and make everyday activities easier. Innovative techniques that go beyond pinch strengthening orthotics joint protection adaptive equipment exercises that first mobilize and then stabilize the thumb which do not involve painful pinching reeducation of specific muscles which assist in thumb stabilization is a key element pain modification techniques. Looking after your joints when you have arthritis sussex msk. Although often described as wear and tear, oa is now thought to be the result of a joint working extra hard to repair itself. Dec, 2015 simply put, the principles of joint protection are all about looking after your joints. Jul 06, 2018 how to prevent and treat osteoarthritis in the hands arthritis is a common condition. Also, joint protection has been developed as an approach to improve the performance of daily tasks by enhancing the control perceptions and improve the psychological status of the patient. Try adding a short length of foam tubing over the handles of toothbrushes and eating utensils. Because hand function is often disrupted in arthritis and mscs, much joint protection literature focuses on the hands. Selfmanagement approaches for osteoarthritis in the hand.
Guiding the patient to perform a task in a manner that puts less stress on joints is. Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, gets worse over time and is caused by trauma or a defect in the smooth, white tissue covering the ends of bones where they come together to form joints. Joint protection reduces strain on your joint capsule and ligament, which can become slack if you have arthritis, and straining them can make this worse. Improper use of diseased joints may lead to impaired function and deformity. An overview of joint protection and the application of the principles of joint protection to the neck and lower limb are presented separately.
For some people, the symptoms may be mild and may come and go, whereas others can experience. On long car trips, take breaks every hour or two so you can get out and stretch. Get more information about treatment goals for inflammatory arthritis, which includes both pain management and the prevention of joint and organ damage. Joint protection is a selfmanagement approach that aims to maintain functional. Raymond oppong, sue jowett, elaine nicholls, david g. Osteoarthritis oa is the commonest form of arthritis in the western world, and is the leading cause of disability in older adults, with the hand being one of the most frequently affected sites. Home hand exercise programs have been used in trials for persons. This publication was supported by grantcooperative agrement number joint protection fact sheet0705 2 99038 from the centers for disease control and prevention cdc. Osteoarthritis affects the large weightbearing joints such as the shoulders, knees, hips, and spine, and the small joints of. Pushing, pulling or twisting motions can be painful. Self management, joint protection and exercises in hand. There is also evidence for the effectiveness of joint protection in ra hammond and freeman, 2004, but no robust evidence for joint protection in the management of hand oa mejjad and maheu, 2000. Jun 14, 2019 people with hand arthritis should avoid pinching items between their thumb and forefinger because this puts extra stress on already painful joints.
Joint protection techniques for handfinger arthritis kings college. Joints that have been weakened by arthritis are at risk of being damaged by stress and strain. Criteria for implementation of joint protection techniques are developed in relation to these mechanical factors. Introduction to joint protection jo southall, independent ot. The principles of joint protection are derived from the simple, practical application of proper body mechanics, posture, and positioning of joints. Analyse each task before you start to see if you can simplify the steps needed to complete it. Joint protection is a selfmanagement approach that aims to maintain functional ability through changingadapting working methods and movement patterns of affected joints. Joint protection techniques proper use of assistive devices, braces and or orthotic use. Use these joint protection techniques to help you stay in control of your rheumatoid arthritis pain.
Acr recommendations for the use of nonpharmacologic and. This can be with the use of devices such as splints or pacing activities. This multicentre twobytwo factorial randomised controlled trial aims to address the. Resting splints consist of a custommade cradle with straps to hold it in place. Joint protection includes selfmanagement strategies to alleviate pain, reduce inflammation and reduce the risk of deformities. The advice is quite simple, but you must be mindful of proper movements and recognize body signals. Some relevant techniques are suggested to illustrate how commonly used treatment modalities can be applied specifically in an attempt to counter the most harmful forces on joints in osteoarthritis.
Joint protection and hand exercises have been proposed by european guidelines, however the clinical and cost effectiveness of each intervention is unknown. Conservative care includes preventive care, and joint protection is a fundamental way to provide preventive joint care. Evaluation of hand forces during a jointprotection strategy. Joint protection techniques for hands east sussex healthcare nhs.
We evaluated whether a jointprotection strategy changes the mechanics of opening a sealed jar. Arthritic joints cant tolerate as much stress as healthy joints. When joint protection is combined with hand exercises, there is evidence that it improves grip strength in hand osteoarthritis, but there is still conflicting evidence for its effectiveness in. Principles of joint protection for arthritis patient. There are several joint protection principles, which if followed, will help to conserve energy and preserve joint function. You may have swelling or pain from arthritis that make it hard to use your hands. Oct 19, 2015 joint protection techniques work best for persons with rheumatoid arthritis but all can benefit from these simple measures to prevent additional stress on your joints. Apr 23, 2020 joint protection is a proven strategy to help you manage rheumatoid arthritis pain and perform daily activities more easily. Certain types of pipe insulation tubing, which can be found at hardware stores, may be useful. Joint protection can reduce stress on arthritic joints and decrease pain. Research has shown that losing as little as 11 pounds may improve your joint health and cut your risk of osteoarthritis of the knee by 50 percent. If you work at a computer, do hand and thumb stretches for 10 seconds every hour. Despite the fact that joint protection and hand exercises are frequently used by ots and physiotherapists.
Energy conservation and joint protection techniques are suggested for persons with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, or any other joint compromising disorder. Information for patients this leaflet explains how to use your hands to do daily tasks and activities without causing unnecessary strain or pain on your finger joints. Intervention education about joint protection strategies i. Rheumatoid arthritis physiopedia introduction rheumatoid arthritis ra is a. Joint protection techniques for handfinger arthritis. Joint prot ection in rheumatoid arthritis ra will be a particular focus in this chapter. Jul 11, 2011 the joint protection and hand exercise programmes will use selfefficacy theory, the health belief model, selfmanagement cognitivebehavioural theory, motor learning and adult education as their basis, and will focus on addressing specific factors to support the use of joint protection techniques and hand exercises. Joint protection principles joint protection principles are a series of techniques which can be included into all activities. Use splints and supports working splints elastic wrist and thumb splints provide more flexible support to help reduce pain while youre working. Experts share the jointfriendly exercises that can boost your mobility and flexibility, and which workouts to avoid. Joint protection strategies are one of 3 conservative measures aimed at reducing. Joint protection techniques proper use of assistive devices, braces and or orthotic use appropriate foot wear weight loss considerations recommendations and referrals to other providers.
Following these principles can have a number of benefits including. If you notice early that any of your joints are becoming misshapen, change. The goal is to maintain and improve function of the affected hand joints. How to prevent and treat osteoarthritis in the hands arthritis is a common condition. How to protect your joints university health network. Joint protection principles kzn department of health. A combination of search terms was used such as hand osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, joint protection andor selfmanagement strategies.
Maintain a good posture and proper work heights during work, leisure and rest. Thirtyone adult women with hand osteoarthritis attempted to open a sealed jar instrument when using and not using nonskid material. Joint protection involves using techniques and assistive technology aids and equipment to minimise the stress and force placed on joints, to reduce pain and prevent or protect against further joint damage or deformity. How to prevent and treat osteoarthritis in the hands and. Joint protection and hand exercises for hand osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis can cause various deformities in your finger joints. Some activities that are likely to exceed the force of your thumb joint are cutting with scissors, opening a bottle or jar, and turning a key in a lock. Risk factors include genetics, female sex, past trauma, advancing age, and. Joint protection reduces local joint stress and preserves joint integrity. It has wideranging effects on multiple areas of the body and can involve any major joint.
See more ideas about arthritis, hand therapy and energy conservation. Utilise correct lifting methodslift with the legs and not the back, hold the. Looking after your joints information booklet versus arthritis. When writing or doing handwork, release your grip every 10 to 15 minutes. If you have hip or knee osteoarthritis, its important to get moving.
Osteoarthritis oa is a condition that affects the whole joint including bone, cartilage, ligaments and muscles. The flip side is that even a small amount of weight loss will give your knees relief. Exercise strengthens the muscles around your joint so that they can help to support it. Indication osteoarthritis is the leading cause of disability in older adults.