How Physiotherapy Addresses Arthritic Hand Pain

OA vs RA: Symptoms and Causes 

The most common type of arthritis in Canada is osteoarthritis (OA), which occurs when a joint’s cartilage and bone tissue degenerate due to aging, injury, or other factors. While we frequently hear about hip and knee osteoarthritis, hand OA is also common, especially as people get older.

Osteoarthritis symptoms typically onset gradually and include the following:

• Hand pain that worsens with use. At first, the pain will come and go; eventually, it will become constant and more intense.
• Stiffness and restricted range of motion that, again, will worsen over time
• Grinding, clicking, or cracking noises in the hand joints
• Swelling and tenderness
• Weakened grip

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is another common type of arthritis. It’s an autoimmune disorder that causes your body’s immune system to attack your joints and is most likely to affect your hands, wrists, or knees.

Symptoms will follow a pattern in which they get worse (flares) or better (remission). Some symptoms are similar to OA, such as the following:

• Pain, usually in more than one joint
• Stiffness, tenderness, and swelling, usually in more than one joint
• Weakened grip
• Symptoms occur on both sides of the body (i.e., both hands)

However, RA often has additional symptoms unrelated to your joints, such as the following:

• Fatigue
• Fever
• Loss of appetite

Managing Hand Arthritis with Physiotherapy 

Neither osteoarthritis nor rheumatoid arthritis have a cure. In both cases, you’ll need to focus on managing your symptoms: reducing pain, improving mobility, and restoring joint function. If you have rheumatoid arthritis, it’s also important to work with a physician to put the disease into remission, as, if left untreated, it can have effects throughout your body.

Our team of physiotherapists will work with you to create a customized treatment plan focused on your specific goals. While we tailor every program to the patient, here are some of the techniques we often use: 

• Manual therapy refers to a set of hands-on, drug-free techniques for managing pain and inflammation while working to improve mobility. We might mobilize the small joints in your hand to improve the range of motion or gently manipulate soft tissue to reduce pain.
• Hand exercises are crucial in managing arthritis. While manual therapy helps with initial pain management, regularly moving the joint can impact your pain levels long-term. We’ll show you tailored exercises you can do in our clinic and at home.
• Braces and splints work to mobilize your hand and/or wrist, relieving pressure on your joints. They provide stability to your hands and help minimize further joint damage.
• Finally, we’ll help you develop lifestyle strategies and modifications that can help reduce your symptoms by adjusting the specific movements that worsen your pain or restriction.

Staff Spotlight

Laurean Larocca, (B.H.Sc., M.Sc.PT)

Registered Physiotherapist
MSK WorkAssist / Ontario Workers Network

Laurean graduated with a Masters degree in physiotherapy from McMaster University in 2009 after completing an Honours Bachelor of Health Sciences degree from McMaster in 2007. Since then she has enjoyed working in the orthopaedic setting and she has continued her training by taking numerous post-graduate courses including acupuncture and successfully completing her Level 3 and intermediate exam in Manual Therapy through the Orthopedic Division of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association. She has a strong belief in the promotion of health through exercise and has a clinical focus of treating musculoskeletal injuries through exercise and manual therapy. She is a certified Nordic Pole Walking Instructor and is also Bone Fit trained to provide appropriate exercise for people with osteoporosis.

Laurean lives with her husband and son in Waterloo. In her spare time, Laurean enjoys horseback riding, exercising, and spending time with friends and family.