Winter is often the worst time of year if you have arthritis in your hands. Your hands and wrists have more than 25 joints combined, and the more joints an area has, the more potential structures arthritis can affect. When your hands are cold, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints don’t move as easily as they do when they’re warm. Arthritic joints can become stiff because joint fluid isn’t moving as freely as it should. Joint fluid reacts to cold just like the oil in our cars: As it gets chillier, the fluid becomes thicker and doesn’t move as easily. Winter weather often exaggerates painful sensations for a variety of reasons. But there are many things you can do to prevent pain and discomfort from settling in your hands during the winter. Some of these are common sense, while others require more effort to prevent arthritis pain. Here are my five tips for keeping arthritis pain at bay during the cold winter months.
1. Choose Mittens Over Gloves
First and foremost, keeping your hands warm during the winter is the best way to prevent arthritis flare-ups. If you need to go outside, always wear adequate hand protection. Begin wearing gloves when the temperature gets below 50 degrees Fahrenheit to keep your hands warm and prevent joint stiffness. When it comes to picking out an accessory to keep your hands warm, mittens are often better than gloves, which separate the fingers and can lose their effectiveness in temperatures below about 25 degrees. Having liners in the mittens will keep your hands warm in temperatures well below zero.
2. Keep Your Hands Moving
It’s also key to keep your hands warm indoors. Movement will keep the blood flowing to your hands, and simple exercises like gripping a ball or rubbing your hands together can get the blood circulating. Total body movement will also help to get your blood pumping — and warm your hands as a result. When you start to feel pain or discomfort in your hands, find something you can do to keep them active and get the blood flowing. Whether that’s exercises or vacuuming, keeping your hands busy can provide noticeable pain relief.
3. Try Some Warm Water
If activity isn’t doing a great job of helping your blood circulate quickly to your hands, head over to the sink. Soaking your hands in hot water, doing the dishes, or just running warm water over your hands and rubbing them together will loosen them up and make them more comfortable. If warm water works for you, consider investing in a home hot-paraffin bath, or treat yourself to a warm-wax hand treatment. The wax has a small amount of oil in it that moisturizes your skin and keeps your hands supple.
4. Slather On Lotions and Medicated Creams
The joints, muscles, and ligaments of your hands and wrists are very superficial — that is, close to the skin. Using lotion to keep your skin moist and prevent cracking during the winter also helps prevent joint discomfort. Medicated creams may also help, because they usually have additives that help decrease pain. Aspirin cream, and creams that contain anti-inflammatories, can be very effective for hand joint pain; they have minimal to no systemic effect on the body and are safe when taken with other medications, like blood thinners. For maximum effectiveness and significant relief of hand pain, use medicated creams up to four times a day.
5. Consider Herbal Remedies and Anti-Inflammatory Foods
If your hand joint pain becomes severe or your joints change in shape and size, you may need more intense treatment. The first step in in this direction may be herbal remedies. The ones commonly used for arthritis include fish oil and chondroitin with glucosamine. Scientific studies have shown mixed results of their true effectiveness, but some people have found them to be very helpful. The next step is over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, like naproxen and ibuprofen, to control inflammation. If you’re taking these, always follow directions carefully and never take them on an empty stomach. Be sure to check with your doctor to see if it’s okay to take OTC drugs like these with your other current medications. Dietary changes to include more foods that have anti-inflammatory properties may also help. These might include green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, nuts, berries, and fish, which have all been shown to reduce and control inflammation. Stock your fridge with plenty of these options as the temperatures drop. Thomas Cohn, MD, is a physiatrist with the Center for Diagnostic Imaging in Sartell, Minnesota. He’s board-certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation, as well as in pain management, by the American Board of Anesthesiology, the American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians, and the American Board of Pain Medicine. PHOTO: Uwe Umstatter/Corbis
