If you have rheumatoid arthritis, you most likely felt it first in the small joints of your hands. With the pain comes stiffness and swelling, which can make day-to-day life a challenge.
Occupational therapists sometimes recommend arthritis gloves to help with symptoms. You just slip them on to help ease pain and swelling. They could make it easier to deal with your daily activities.
How Therapy Gloves Help
Try all the different kinds of gloves to find the right one for you. One type keeps your hands warm. These are known as thermals. Another gives you extra support. These are called glove splints. The compression type will provide pressure on your aching fingers and hand joints. You can choose a glove with a combination of features.
In addition to easing your symptoms, they may also help you feel more relaxed and calm. The gloves aren’t going to do much to help you regain the use of your hands, but they might improve your grip.
The gloves are designed to be worn for 8 hours -- about the length of time you sleep. So if you keep them on overnight, you might see a difference in:
Swelling. Compression gloves can help with puffy fingers.
Hand pain. If you wear them at night, your hands might hurt less while you sleep.
Joint stiffness. Your fingers may be easier to move in the morning.
Use of your hand. Your grip can get better, but you’re not going to be more nimble.
The gloves, and how effective they are, really depends on you and how you react to them. They might help with one symptom but not another. Or they could have no effect at all.
Tips for Maximum Relief
- Make sure your gloves fit well. If they're too tight or too loose, there's less chance you'll get any benefits from wearing them. Ask your doctor or therapist if you need help with fit.
- Stick with the 8-hour rule. You probably won't see any changes if you only wear them for an hour here and there.
FAQs
Do gloves help rheumatoid arthritis? ›
Objective. Arthritis gloves are frequently prescribed to people with undifferentiated inflammatory arthritis (UIA) or RA to help reduce hand pain and improve function.
How effective are compression gloves for arthritis? ›Incredibly, both groups reported nearly identical levels of improved satisfaction, positive feelings that the gloves helped with hand symptoms and that warmth from wearing gloves was especially helpful.
What is the best pain relief for arthritic hands? ›Analgesics, which include acetaminophen (Tylenol) and opioids, are commonly used for arthritis in the hands and other joints. They also may be used to relieve pain from other hand and wrist conditions or surgery. Unlike NSAIDs, which target both pain and inflammation, analgesics are designed purely for pain relief.
What helps rheumatoid arthritis pain in the fingers? ›- Medications.
- Rest and exercise.
- Splints and special arthritis aids that take pressure off of painful joints.
- Managing stress.
- Avoiding foods that trigger inflammation.
- Eating foods that curb inflammation, such as omega-3 fatty acids found in fish such as salmon or in flax oil.
- Regular medical checkups.
In order to get relief, you've got to wear the arthritis gloves for long enough, says Jacobs. “People think if they keep the glove on for an hour or less you're going to get the benefit of it, but it's really important to wear the gloves longer— there is an eight-hour rule of keeping it on,” she says.
How many hours should you wear compression gloves? ›The gloves are designed to be worn for 8 hours -- about the length of time you sleep. So if you keep them on overnight, you might see a difference in: Swelling. Compression gloves can help with puffy fingers.
Is it good to sleep with arthritis gloves on? ›Wearing compression gloves while you rest can help relieve joint stiffness first thing in the morning (especially those with rheumatoid arthritis). Compression gloves are designed to apply pressure and support your hands and fingers while you sleep.
How do you stop severe arthritis pain? ›- NSAIDs . Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can relieve pain and reduce inflammation. ...
- Counterirritants. Some varieties of creams and ointments contain menthol or capsaicin, the ingredient that makes hot peppers spicy. ...
- Steroids. ...
- Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).
Use hot and cold therapy
Heat and cold treatments can help relieve arthritis pain and inflammation. Heat treatments can include taking a long, warm shower or bath in the morning to help ease stiffness and using an electric blanket or moist heating pad to reduce discomfort overnight.
There is no cure, but healthy lifestyle habits and treatments can help manage your symptoms and keep you active. Non-Drug Treatments: Reducing strain on joints with a splint or brace, adapting hand movements, doing hand exercises or using hot or cold therapy can help to ease pain.
Does the pain ever go away with rheumatoid arthritis? ›
Rheumatoid arthritis signs and symptoms may vary in severity and may even come and go. Periods of increased disease activity, called flares, alternate with periods of relative remission — when the swelling and pain fade or disappear. Over time, rheumatoid arthritis can cause joints to deform and shift out of place.
Why is rheumatoid arthritis so painful? ›In a joint with RA, the lining of the joint becomes inflamed, causing damage to joint tissue. This tissue damage can cause long-lasting or chronic pain, unsteadiness (lack of balance), and deformity (misshapenness).
Does the pain from rheumatoid arthritis go away? ›When you have rheumatoid arthritis, your symptoms -- including joint pain and swelling -- can come and go. The times when you feel better and your symptoms are under control are called "remission." The goal of your RA treatment is remission. It can make you feel like your RA has gone away -- at least for a while.
How often should you wear arthritis gloves? ›Day time • Wear as long as needed to help with swelling, pain or stiffness. Do not wear while driving as you may not be able to grip. Night time • Wear your gloves overnight if you have swelling, pain or stiffness then.
What is good for rheumatoid arthritis in hands? ›Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis
If you have rheumatoid arthritis in your hands, medications can help decrease inflammation, relieve pain and slow the progression of the disease. Anti-inflammatory medications, oral steroids, and/or cortisone injections may be used.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
Or your doctor may prescribe a type called a COX-2 inhibitor, such as celecoxib or etoricoxib. These medicines can help relieve pain while also reducing inflammation in the joints, although they will not stop rheumatoid arthritis getting worse over time.
Arthritis (or compression) gloves are widely prescribed to people with rheumatoid arthritis and other forms of hand arthritis. They are prescribed for daytime wear to reduce hand pain and improve hand function, and/or night-time wear to reduce pain, improve sleep and reduce morning stiffness.
What size arthritis gloves do I need? ›A: To determine the size needed, measure across the knuckles. X-Small fits: Up to 2-3/4 inches. Small fits: Up to 3-1/8 inches. Medium fits: Up to 3-1/2 inches.
Do compression gloves help with nerve pain? ›Compression gloves may support circulation and manage tingling and pain in your hands. They work by lightly squeezing the veins in your hands to support healthy circulation, while also preventing inflammation that can cause joint pain if you have: osteoarthritis. rheumatoid arthritis.
Do copper gloves work for arthritis? ›But will they provide you with relief? While some consumer reviews are positive, wearing copper jewelry has long been shown to have no clinical effect on arthritis. Gloves with copper filaments are unlikely to give relief for arthritis pain in any way other the placebo effect.
How do I know what size compression gloves to buy? ›
To find the appropriate glove size, use a tailor's measuring tape to measure around your dominant hand just below the knuckles, excluding your thumb. The dominant hand will be the right if you are right-handed and left if you are left-handed. This measurement is your HAND WIDTH glove size.
Can you reverse rheumatoid arthritis hands? ›The joints most likely to be affected are those in your hands, wrists, and feet. Like other forms of arthritis, RA can't be reversed. Even if you show evidence of low inflammation and your joints aren't swollen and tender, your doctor may want you to continue taking some medication to avoid a flare of the disease.
Do gloves help with arthritis fingers? ›Special arthritis gloves are no more effective than looser-fitting alternatives in reducing hand pain and stiffness, new work has shown. The researchers say that healthcare professionals should not recommend special gloves; the cheaper alternatives are just as effective.
What is the best thing to do if you have rheumatoid arthritis? ›- Exercise regularly. Gentle exercise can help strengthen the muscles around your joints, and it can help reduce fatigue you might feel. ...
- Apply heat or cold. Heat can help ease your pain and relax tense, painful muscles. ...
- Relax. Find ways to cope with pain by reducing stress in your life.
But will they provide you with relief? While some consumer reviews are positive, wearing copper jewelry has long been shown to have no clinical effect on arthritis. Gloves with copper filaments are unlikely to give relief for arthritis pain in any way other the placebo effect.
What vitamin helps arthritis in fingers? ›Vitamins D and K are both important for bone strength, and vitamin K is involved in cartilage structure. Supplementing these two nutrients may be helpful if you're deficient in them. When you take supplements as directed and under your doctor's supervision, they're generally safe.
What vitamins help rheumatoid arthritis? ›Vitamin B6: Research seems to show inflammation from RA lowers B6 levels which in turn makes the inflammation worse. In addition, the NSAIDs that many people use to treat their inflammation lowers B6 levels in people with RA.
Can vitamin D reverse rheumatoid arthritis? ›Vitamin D can play a role is easing some of the symptoms related to rheumatoid arthritis, but it is by no means a panacea. You still need your medication and other forms of therapy to keep the disease under control.