Arthritis of the Hand
Hand arthritis is the most common form of arthritis that mainly affects the fingers. As in most forms of arthritis the joints become inflamed resulting in pain. Essentially, a joint is made up of two bones that are covered by cartilage and are conjoined together moving smoothly across each other. If this smooth surface becomes damaged or wears out over time, arthritis will result
The most common symptoms of hand arthritis are pain, swelling and reduced movement resulting in diminished grip and pinch strength. The doctor or physician will also examine all other joints to help aid the diagnosis of hand arthritis.
The doctor can also determine the severity of the hand arthritis by observing the clinical appearance of the hand. Further to this X-rays will be utilized to further identify the severity of hand arthritis by seeking potential bony outgrowths.
My mother-in-law fell over in her kitchen and fractured both her wrists. Now this has nothing much to do with arthritis in hands other than the possibility of getting arthritis through traumatic progression but just to prove how inconvenient it is not to be able to use your hands, she had to move in with family members until her wrists had healed some weeks later, as even picking up the kettle to boil water so that she could make a cup of coffee presented a problem!
Prevention is always better than cure, so try to take care of your hands, treat them with care feed yourself the right nutrients via supplements and you will always have good use of them. You will never know how much you take for granted having pain free joints, until the day they ache!
