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Slide show
Slide show: Joint protection for people with hand arthritis
By Mayo Clinic staff
Holding your toothbrush
Arthritis in your hands causes your finger joints and knuckles to become stiff and sometimes painful and swollen. Protect your hands by avoiding pushing, pulling and twisting motions. Here's a look at joint-protection techniques. Talk to your doctor or occupational or physical therapist about other joint-protection ideas.
Avoid making a tight fist or pinching objects tightly. Instead, use a grasp that aligns your knuckles evenly along the handle of the tool or utensil. This makes grasping the tool more comfortable and requires less effort to use the tool. For instance, a built-up handle made of foam can make it easier for you to grasp your toothbrush.
Next slide- Barbara Woodward Lips Patient Education Center. Joint protection for the person with arthritis. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2001.
- Looking after your joints when you have arthritis. Arthritis Research Campaign. http://www.arc.org.uk/arthinfo/patpubs/6055/6055.asp. Accessed Dec. 30, 2009.
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