Q: I too am suffering from arthritic finers and joint pain. I was thinking that a gel-type glove, warmed, would perhaps stop the pain and the joint deformity as well. Thanks.
I agree w/Ellen about the joint deformity. I'm not a doctor, but from everything I have read and been told, it takes medication to stop joint deformity.
I use those thermal wraps...they have one that fits around your hand and wrist like a glove...to releive my hand and wrist pain. I also have a split I wear from time to time. If I have a lot of pain, I use the parafin bath for my hands.
I tried putting cold on my hands and about went through the roof. Very, very painful. On the other hand, I use cold to stop the pain and swelling in my shoulder and my knees. I have no idea why cold works sometimes, and heat works other times. Just have to try it and see what works best for you.
The do have some over the counter creams/ointments that help some people. i use Pennsaid which was prescribed to me by my rheumatologist. It is a topical medication, but does require a prescription.
Hope this helps! Best Wishes, V
I don't believe that something external will prevent the joint deformity, but paraffin hand bath may be helpful. But use with caution: sometimes heat can make inflammation worse, not better. Sometimes cold can be helpful, sometimes not. I use a paraffin bath from time to time, not as much as I used to. But for some wrist pain/strain, and also neck and back, cold now stops the pain and heat seems to make it worse. Trial and error is the name of the game! I do highly recommend trying the paraffin bath for fingers and hand, and I also wear either a wrist splint (originally) or the elastic glove (Futura energizing glove with no fingers) which works very well. I use it mostly 24/7.
Hope this helps - good luck!
heat can definitely help the pain and stiffness of RA, so this idea sounds like it will quite likely help you get relief from the symptoms. Some people find ice more helpful than heat, so give both a try and see what you respond best to.
that said, although heat can be an effective aid in reducing symptoms, it will not prevent the kind of damage to your joints that leads to deformities. It's important that you speak to your rheumatologist about medications that can suppress your RA and protect your joints.
Please keep us posted on the glove experiment? Would you mind writing a SharePost about it? I think this could be really helpful information to our other users.
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