Pain Physicians NY (Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Bronx NYC) is one of the first Pain Management Clinic in New York to offer an alternative treatment for arm and hand pain. Depending on the severity of the pain, signs, and symptoms in addition to traditional treatment options such as anti-inflammation injections or physical therapy we might offer cutting edge procedures with PRP and stem cells.
Brooklyn Pain Physicians are internationally recognized as one of the best shoulder pain management specialists and doctors for arthritis in hands in Brooklyn, NYC.
Arthritis in Hands, Wrist
Arthritis is a disease of the joints, and when it affects the hand or wrist, the affected individuals suffer from pain while using their hands. Arthritis can affect any joint in the body, often due to aging, and the hand is one of the most used joints in the body, is often affected.
Arthritis primarily affects older people. However, it can affect people of any age, mostly women. Women are more likely to develop the signs and symptoms of arthritis between the ages of 20 to 30 years old. Our doctor for arthritis in hands has estimated that more than 60% of people over the age of 60 have signs and symptoms of arthritis, while almost 90% of people over the age of 75 have these signs and symptoms.
How arthritis occurs?
Between every two bones is a joint which allows them to move, and there are about 360 joints in the human body. Each of these joints consists of cartilage, ligaments, tendons and the bursa (containing a lubricating synovial fluid). Damage to any of these structures can lead to arthritis, and while any joint can be affected, the condition is most prevalent in joints that are often used. These include the hand and wrist, as well as the knee, elbow, shoulder, and hip.
What causes arthritis of the hand and wrist?
Our doctor for arthritis in hands in Brooklyn offers the newest and most advanced treatments. There are various reasons that cause the joints of the body to get damaged, and most of the time they lead to arthritis:
- Osteoarthritis: this is a type of arthritis which refers to naturally occurring arthritis with age. It can be the result of overuse of the joints such as in athletes, which wears off the joint or infection. With age, the components of the joint begin to wear off, causing the joint to lose mobility and leading to symptoms of arthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis: unlike osteoarthritis, this type of arthritis is primarily caused by genetic factors. Those who have the condition develop an autoimmune condition that causes the synovial fluid to proliferate and the joint loses lubrication. The bones grind against one another, causing damage to the structure of the joint
- Injury: traumatic injury directly onto a joint can damage one or more components of a joint. This disrupts the alignment and distribution of forces across the joint, affecting surrounding tissue and leading to arthritis
- Other medical conditions: arthritis can also be due to an unrelated condition that affects the joints. Some of these include gout, lupus, pseudogout, psoriasis, and many others
Signs and symptoms of arthritis in the hand and wrist
- Pain: this is the most common complaint, and it is associated with arthritis when it occurs directly in the joint and increasing due to increased usage of the joint. As the condition worsens, the pain does to and can cause difficulty in using the hand or wrist
- Inflammation: this happens especially when the joint is infected, and the swollen area becomes tender to the touch
- Loss of motion: the affected person may have difficulty moving the hand, either due to pain or sometimes just an inability to flex the joint as before
- Cracking joints: cracking of the joints may seem cool in the movies, but it actually signifies a wearing down of the cartilages
Diagnosis and treatment
With these symptoms alone, a doctor for arthritis in hands can identify a case of arthritis in the hand or wrist. However, further X-ray tests may be used to determine the extent of the damage.
Arthritis in hands treatment options will depend on the extent of the damage: minor cases may only require anti-inflammatory medications, exercise or just rest, while serious cases may require injections of steroid medications directly into the joint. In the most severe cases, our doctor for arthritis in hands may be recommended surgery to either remove the infected components or even replace the joints.
Arthritis of the hand or wrist will cause you inconvenience for the rest of your life, affecting the possibility of doing daily tasks. In certain cases the pain is so severe, making it impossible to do the simplest everyday tasks. There are certain exercises that can help you relieve its signs and symptoms as well as regain strength and hand and wrist movements. Through various exercises, the production of the synovial fluid will be increased, which will improve the joint function as well. These exercises include:
- Making a fist
- Bending the fingers
- Bending the thumbs
- Making an O with your fingers
- Lift your fingers in a row while having your hand placed on a table
- Stretch your wrist
The most advanced pain management center, Brooklyn pain management doctors and specialists at Pain Physicians NY offers a unique, individualized approach to manage your Hands & Wrist pain. Our top doctor for arthritis in hands in Brooklyn uses the most effective pain management and treatment options to treat arm and hand pain, different forms of arthritis, trigger finger or thumb, frozen shoulder. We are utilizing the latest technologies available in the USA.