How To Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis In Fingers?

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can affect any joint in your body, including the joints of fingers and hands. This causes difficulty in movement, pain, stiffness, and inflammation.

Wondering how to treat rheumatoid arthritis in fingers? Here’s the kicker:

You can get rid of RA pain, ease the symptoms, and stop the disease from worsening over time if you follow proper treatment, aligned with your condition. 

Below you’ll find some very effective treatment options that can help ease RA of fingers.

Rheumatoid Arthritis in fingers – Overview

Rheumatoid Arthritis is a joint disease that makes your joints painful and stiff. It can worsen over time, if not treated properly. In severe cases, RA impairs movements and causes severe pain and swelling.

Symptoms

The symptoms vary, depending upon the stage of RA. Main symptoms include:

• Pain in fingers
• Stiffness
• A weak grip, can’t hold things properly 
• Tingling sensation 
• Swelling 
• Inflammation 
• Pain if fingers aren’t moved for some time 
• Carpal tunnel syndrome including numbness 

Causes 

The causes of RA are still unknown but research has shown that RA can be caused by infection to a genetically predisposed person. Rheumatoid arthritis can also be caused by hormonal changes. For example, RA symptoms in a pregnant woman are less as compared to after having a child.

If the cause is known and a diagnosis is made, the next is proper testament to control the disease from flaring up.

Treatment options 

The treatment of RA shouldn’t be limited to only medicines as medicines only help to minimize pain and inflammation but can’t control the disease from worsening. Also, medications pose side effects, if used for a long time. 

Early arthritis in fingers can get better by following proper home care along with therapy, after consulting your doctor.

Home remedies

• Hand exercises for rheumatoid arthritis: try to move your fingers slowly and in different directions 
• Avoid repetitive movement of fingers 
• Try heat and cold treatment. Apply a cold pack on the fingers for around 20 minutes and then alternately use a heating pad. Hot and cold treatment helps relieve pain, swelling, and ease movements. 
• Partake in a “rheumatoid arthritis diet” so that your symptoms don’t flare up. Avoid food that triggers inflammation as it can make RA worse. Eggs and rheumatoid arthritis go well together – add eggs in your diet and other food that’s rich in Vitamin D. Vitamin D helps you strengthen bones and joints, relieving RA symptoms.
• Don’t hold heavy objects as you will feel severe pain

Physical therapy

Another effective method to ease the symptoms of RA is physical therapy. Specific exercises for fingers, advised by your physical therapist, can help minimize pain and improve movement. You should avoid exercises that increase pain and swelling after you’re done.

Laser pain therapy 

An advanced, safe, and completely non-invasive way to get rid of pain and move your fingers easily is low-level laser therapy (LLLT). The technique includes the use of a cold laser to reduce inflammation and help in tissue regeneration that reduces RA symptoms effectively. The treatment is performed by specialized doctors and it takes a few sessions to ease the pain and subside the symptoms.

Medication 

Rheumatoid arthritis medications often include doctors prescribing disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). These drugs help to control the symptoms and relieve pain. You might have to take these medicines for as long as you experience symptoms. If taken for too long, these medicines can pose side effects such as stomach ulcers, headaches, and dizziness.

Hand surgery 

Hand surgery is very rare for patients with RA. But if the patient suffers from extreme deformity and loss of movement then the doctor might offer finger and wrist joint replacement surgery. This surgery is done to remove the deformed joints and tissues and replace them with metal and plastic prosthesis.

The Bottom Line 

Rheumatoid arthritis is the disease of joints that can cause difficulty in movements, pain, and inflammation. RA can affect the joints of fingers as well, making your everyday life difficult. Follow the above treatment options, including home remedies and therapies to get rid of RA pain. You can defeat this disease with medical attention and therapies, to carry out your daily activities in a normal way.

Click here if you want to know more about how to treat rheumatoid arthritis in fingers through laser pain therapy.