November 2026
How Physical Therapy Helps Relieve Arthritic Hand Pain
Do you struggle with stiff, aching fingers? Is it difficult for you to pick up small objects, such as a pen or a toothbrush?
01 / Arthritic Hand Pain
Do you struggle with stiff, aching fingers? Is it difficult for you to pick up small objects, such as a pen or a toothbrush? Arthritis of the hands is relatively common, but that doesn’t make it any easier to live with. Fortunately, physical therapy at IMG Physical Therapy can help you find relief.
Arthritis is an umbrella term for over 100 conditions, all of which cause inflammation, pain, and restricted joint mobility. The two most common types of arthritis, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, can both affect the hands.
While pain is never fun, hand pain can feel particularly debilitating. We use our hands constantly throughout the day. Think about the day-to-day hand-related activities you take for granted: picking up a fork, jotting down a note to yourself, scrolling through your phone. With hand arthritis, these tasks and more start to feel impossible.
Fortunately, physical therapy does offer several solutions for relieving arthritis-related hand pain. We’ll work with you to develop a customized treatment program that alleviates your pain, improves your mobility, and helps you do those small daily tasks throughout the day.
Call IMG Physical Therapy today to schedule your initial consultation!
01
OA vs RA: Symptoms and Causes
The most common type of arthritis in the United States 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 the second most common form of arthritis in the United States. 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
02
How Physical Therapy Can Help You Find Hand Pain Relief
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 physical therapists will work with you to create a customized treatment plan focused on providing hand pain relief. While we tailor every program to the patient, here’s what you can expect:
- 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 immobilize 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.
Wave Goodbye to Arthritic Hand Pain Today!
At IMG Physical Therapy, we know how difficult it can be to live with hand arthritis. Fortunately, our team of dedicated physical therapists can provide you with the tools you need to successfully manage your condition.
Ready to get started? Call our clinic to set up your first appointment!
A proactive next step
Keep Moving Toward the Life You Want
Request an appointment with IMG Physical Therapy today to learn more about how we can help with injury prevention and recovery.
From the clinic
A Note from Chris
Cue the Turkeys…
Hello and Happy Holidays to all. It is hard to believe that 2026 is nearing an end. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Those who know me are well aware of this statement. Thanksgiving is now everything Christmas is supposed to be. Time with family. A big feast (food and drink). Thankful for all the blessings. Football (No Ravens, but feel free to watch the Eagles ruin the Cowboys’ Day). No stress about did I buy the right presents for so and so. Finally, in my family…Poker!!!
Don’t forget about the deductibles resetting in January. If you have that little ache and pain, don’t ignore it and let it become a big ache or pain in 2027. What is the most common reason for aches and pains for those over the age of 50? You guessed it…Arthritis.
Arthritis is simply wear and tear of your joints. The cartilage starts to shed and leaves your bones exposed. This can lead to pain and swelling. This isn’t a single event; and often can be the result of an old injury and following abuse on that particular body part. Why do I mention this? Because arthritis is not a death sentence. If 3 months ago you were pain free and all of a sudden the pain started, we could probably help. If you have had 10 years of arthritic pain, then we may need a little help from some friends. We cannot “cure” arthritis. But what we can do is strengthen up the areas around the painful joint to help decrease the load on the joint itself. Often that can help to turn back time.
Hand arthritis is a particularly limiting condition. Often what ends a career of a manual therapist or massage therapist is arthritis in the hands, fingers and especially the thumbs. Unfortunately, I can relate with my thumbs and the pain in my right hand particularly. Luckily, we have the Cold Laser at the office. The laser has been a huge blessing. You think we bought it for our patients? Yes, we did; however, we all like the benefits as well.
We wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving and lots of turkey. I believe Eric will be setting the trains up by the end of the month with the tree at the front desk. Please feel free to come in to see the display.
Exercise of the Month
Median Nerve Glide
Arms, Nerve Mobility
Stand tall with your arm extended in front of you at shoulder height, palm facing up. Use your opposite hand to gently grasp your thumb. Slowly extend your wrist and fingers back. Return to the starting position with control. Perform the motion gently and smoothly.
3 Sets, 10 Reps (each arm).
Recipe of the Month
Creamy Turnip Soup
In this healthy turnip soup recipe, the humble turnip is transformed into a velvety soup made creamy with just 1 tablespoon of butter. Serve it as a starter or side soup.
Ingredients
- 4 medium turnips (about 1 1/2 pounds) plus 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced turnip greens or spinach, divided
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon salt plus a pinch, divided
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper plus a pinch, divided
- 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- ¼ cup shredded carrot
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallion greens
- 2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
Instructions
- Peel and slice turnips. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the turnips, rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper; stir to combine. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, for 10 minutes.
- Add broth, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook until the turnips are tender, 10 to 12 minutes more.
- Meanwhile, toss the turnip greens (or spinach) in a medium bowl with carrot, scallion greens, vinegar, the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and pinch of salt and pepper.
- Puree the soup in the pan using an immersion blender or transfer to a countertop blender and blend until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Serve each portion of soup topped with a generous 1/4 cup of the salad.
The proof is in the progress
What Our Patients Are Saying
“When I started I could barely move my neck to the right, my sleep was highly disturbed and borderline impossible due to pain. I was experiencing weakness and numbness in my arms and hands. After 3 months of P.T. I am now virtually pain free with minimal weakness in the arms. My grip strength is double what it was at the beginning. I am able to sleep without pain and turn my neck to the right with minimal tightness being the only hindrance.”
— JH
“I did not know what to expect – never had physical therapy before. Your entire staff made it a most comfortable experience. Very pleased with the care taken when bending my wrist to gain flexibility without causing super pain. The personal touch was very appreciated. It does not matter which PT or helper I had, the therapy was done with the same care. Thank you very much.”
— DS
Don’t sit on an injury
Do You Have a Sports Injury?
If you have recently sustained a painful sports injury, stop trying to deal with it alone at home. Contact IMG Physical Therapy today to schedule an appointment and get back in the game!
Request an appointment with IMG Physical Therapy today to learn more about how we can help with injury prevention and recovery.
