If you have been struggling with pain and stiffness in your hands, you might find yourself going to the doctor and receiving a diagnosis of arthritis in your hands. Of course, the diagnosis is just the first step toward getting relief from your symptoms. The next step is to learn more about your treatment options so you can determine what you are going to do about arthritis in your hands and get the relief you are hoping for from the discomfort that you experience on a daily basis. 

Physical Therapy and Exercises

One of the best ways to deal with arthritis in your hands is through physical therapy and doing exercises that can help to increase flexibility in your joints and minimize the stiffness and discomfort that you feel. Going to a physical therapist for arthritis is something that a lot of people do not understand or realize that it is even an option. 

However, because arthritis is a degenerative condition with no known cure, your joints will become progressively more arthritic and stiff over time if you do not take steps to deal with the situation when symptoms are still relatively mild. Physical therapy has two purposes when it comes to arthritis in the hands. The first is to relieve current symptoms and the second is to slow the progression of the condition. 

Physical therapy will focus on a series of strengthening and stretching exercises such as finger lifts and making certain shapes with your hands (as well as wrist exercises and others) to help you maintain function and dexterity in your hand. 

Hand Surgery

If you have severe arthritis or other treatment options, do not seem to be effective for you, having surgery on your hand may be an option that you want to consider. The exact surgical procedure for your hand arthritis will depend on a variety of factors including the ways in which your joints have been affected by arthritis and the progression of the disease. 

Joint repair is one surgical technique that your hand surgery specialist may use, and joint replacement is another. If the main joint causing your arthritis pain is one that can be immobilized without affecting your ability to use your hand as needed, a joint fusion technique may be used to stop your symptoms. However, oftentimes, your surgeon will want to maintain as much movement as possible in all of your hand joints and will, therefore, choose to replace the joint using ceramics and other durable materials to provide structural support and function. 

With these options in mind, you can better prepare yourself for the treatments you may receive for arthritis in your hand. Check out a website like https://www.towncenterorthopaedics.com/ for more information and assistance. 

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