5 Hand Braces For Arthritis Endorsed By Rheumatologists

Arthritis is an incurable condition and it can be managed by treating the symptoms. The damage caused to the joints is irreversible and the symptoms are generally treated by medications that help to relieve pain and inflammation.

Contraptions like braces and splints are recommended for patients with arthritis. These can immobilize the joints and can treat joint pain and swelling. Arthritis can affect our hands and there are braces that are specifically designed to treat arthritis in hands.

In this article, we will discuss five braces that are effective for the treatment of arthritis in the hands. Before that, we will have a general discussion on arthritis in the hands.

Arthritis Of The Hand

Arthritis is a condition that generally affects the tissues of your joints. It attacks your joint lining or cartilage, which is the smooth covering at the end of your bone. When the cartilage degenerates, the ends of your bones will become exposed.

When we use our joints the bones will rub against each other and will cause irreversible damage. The same thing will happen in the case of hands if arthritis affects your joints in the hands.

Arthritis of the hand causes pain, swelling, stiffness, and deformity in the joints. As it becomes more severe you won’t be able to use your hands to do everyday tasks as you once did. There are many kinds of arthritis that can affect your hands.

Osteoarthritis or arthrosis is the most common type of arthritis that can affect our hands. It affects the cartilage between the joints. The degenerated cartilage causes the bones to rub against each other causing major damage.

This causes pain, stiffness, and loss of movement over time. This mostly affects your wrist, joints at the base of your thumb, and joints of your fingers. Bony lumps also form in severe cases.

Rheumatoid arthritis is another condition that affects the joints in the hands. It is an inflammatory condition that causes the joint lining to swell. Rheumatoid arthritis can cause pain, stiffness, and loss of function.

It is an autoimmune condition, that is your body’s immune system attacks its own healthy tissue for some unknown reason. Rheumatoid arthritis affects the fluid and eventually the cartilage in the joints.

This causes damage to the bones. Tendons and ligaments around the joints also get affected and the joints will start to lose their shape. The small joints of your wrists, hands, and fingers are affected. It mainly affects the same parts of both sides of your body.

For example, if this arthritis affects the wrists on one hand, it is highly likely to affect the wrists on the other hand. Psoriatic arthritis also affects your hands. It causes your fingers to become swollen. It is similar to rheumatic arthritis in many cases.

Arthritis mainly affects four areas of your hand. It affects the base of your thumb (where the thumb meets your wrist), your knuckles, the middle joints of your fingers, and the top joint of your fingers nearest your nails.

The risk of arthritis in any part of your body increases as you get older. It is also significantly higher in women than men. Previous injuries to your hand can also increase the chance of arthritis. Some genes you inherit can also cause the development of arthritis.

Even if there are no proper treatments to cure arthritis, there are some medications to reduce joint pain and swelling. Different drugs are used to treat different types of arthritis and different stages of arthritis. Medications like acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used to provide relief for arthritis due to arthrosis.

Braces/Splinting For Arthritis In Hands

Braces and splinting are effective contraptions to treat arthritis in the joints. It can help to give proper support and care to the weak or inflamed joint. It can help in proper healing and relief of pain. It is useful in keeping the bone in the correct alignment.

For example, in the case of hands, some braces are used to keep the fingers straight. It can reduce the deformity in the affected joints by keeping the bones in the correct alignment. It provides joint stability and helps to reduce the strain on the joints. 

Splints and braces are designed to reduce pain when performing your daily tasks. It provides a cue to the user on how to use joints more carefully. It is also helpful to inform others about your condition so that they will be more careful around your painful joint.

Your doctor, occupational therapist, or hand therapist will discuss the various splinting or bracing options available. They will give proper guidance on how and when to wear them and how long to wear them. It is to be noted that wearing splints or braces for long periods can cause your muscles to weaken.

There are mainly two types of splints. They are resting splints and working splints. A resting splint will help to support and rest the affected joint in the ideal position. It thus reduces the stress on ligaments, minimizes the pressure inside the joint, and prevents joint movement.

Inflammation can be controlled by immobilizing the joint. This is usually worn at night or while you are resting. A working splint also helps in holding the joint in position. It can help to improve joint alignment and stability. This can help you to decrease stress on affected joints while doing activities. This helps to improve function while reducing pain.

Five Hand Braces For Arthritis Recommended By Rheumatologists

Hand braces are recommended for patients suffering from arthritis. Here we will have a discussion about five hand braces that are recommended by rheumatologists.

1. Lumino Cielo Arthritis Braces

This is an effective brace for arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome pain. Lumino Cielo arthritis gloves help in giving warmth to fingers and joints by retaining heat. This helps in pain relief from arthritic conditions like arthrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and carpal tunnel syndrome.

This brace gives gentle compression for fingers and hands; this can help in relieving muscle and tendon pain in your fingers and hands. It has a form-fitting design and it will help to ease arthritis pain in your joints.

Compression can help to improve blood circulation. This will help in reducing swelling and stiffness in fingers and wrists. This brace has open fingertips, so you can do your daily activities with ease. It is also made of breathable fabric, making it comfortable to wear.

2. Dclub Thumb Spica Splint Brace

This is a thumb brace specially designed for patients suffering from arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, tendinopathy, and ganglion cyst. It helps to keep your wrists, hands, and thumbs supported with super comfortable fabric.

It gives protection to your thumbs while limiting the range of motion. This will your muscles, joints, tendons, and ligaments rest and recover. This is made of high-quality fabric that will not lose its function over the course of time.

It is made of breathable neoprene materials with high-quality pre-shaped metal splints for strong support.

3. Momisy Arthritis Gloves

This is a fingerless compression glove that helps to relieve pain from rheumatoid arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome. It gives compression and comfort throughout the day and night.

It helps to promote blood circulation throughout your hands, relieves rheumatic pain, and relieves hand muscle tension. This glove is made of lightweight, breathable cotton, spandex, and polyester material and thus you can wear it comfortably all day long.

It helps to retain the heat to soothe hands and knuckles. The open-finger design helps to perform everyday tasks easily. It comes in unisex color and design which makes it a good choice for both men and women.

4. Medilink Wrist Brace

This is a unisex wrist brace with splints for arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, basal thumb arthritis, tendonitis, and ganglion cyst. It can also help with injuries and sprains. This provides a high level of wrist support. It is made of superior-quality material.

The high-quality soft material gives the wrist brace a comfortable feeling and will protect your skin. This can be adjusted into various sizes, so it comfortably fits into arms of different sizes.

5. Nucarture Wrist Brace

This is another hand brace that can be worn by arthritis patients. It is lightweight and comfortable to be worn all day. It is made from a breathable and sweat-reducing inner lining which makes it very comfortable.

The aluminum strips inside can be removed and can be washed. This brace can be also used for healing conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome, wrist sprains, weak wrists, ligament and tendon injuries, etc.

It helps to support weak and injured wrists while maintaining a full range of movement of the thumb and fingers.

Conclusion

Arthritis of the hand can be debilitating and cannot be properly cured. But there are medications and therapies that will help you to get relief from pain and related difficulties. Splints and braces are often recommended by doctors and therapists.

They give support to the weakened joints and you can perform your daily tasks without any difficulty or pain. There is a wide variety of choices in the market for splints and braces.

We have selected for you five good products that are recommended by rheumatologists. You can take the advice of your doctor or therapist for the right choice.