Give yourself a hand
If a handshake is painful, you can't hitchhike (well, you can't stick your thumb out) or you're among the 50% of women and 25% of men who experience osteoarthritis of the hand, we're here to help you get a grip -- physically and emotionally.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) improves function and reduces pain. Hand pain not only hurts, it can interfere with doing your job and stop you from participating in activities you enjoy (pickleball, biking, knitting). That can be depressing -- and emotional distress can amplify pain sensations. But a study in The Journal of Hand Surgery reveals that CBT can reduce pain and increase hand mobility! Try Psychology Today's therapist finder (psychologytoday.com/us/therapists) to locate a local practitioner.
Hand exercises increase mobility and ease pain. If your hands are stiff and swollen from arthritis or from tendon tenderness and muscle miseries, hand exercises can help.
-- Wrist ulnar/radial deviation. Put your forearm on a table on a rolled-up towel and move your wrist up and down 10 times through a full range of motion.
-- Thumb extension/flexing. Stick your thumb as far out (hitchhike style) as you can and then bring it back across the palm and back out again. Repeat 10 times.
-- Finger glide. Extend your fingers straight out, then curl them inward to make a fist. Repeat 10 times.
For more ways to prevent and control arthritis and other chronic inflammatory conditions that affect mobility, check out Dr. Mike's "The Great Age Reboot" and the iHerb.com blog "Natural Support for Joint Pain."
Dr. Mike Roizen is the founder of www.longevityplaybook.com, and Dr. Mehmet Oz is global advisor to www.iHerb.com, the world's leading online health store. Roizen and Oz are chief wellness officer emeritus at Cleveland Clinic and professor emeritus at Columbia University, respectively. Together they have written 11 New York Times bestsellers (four No. 1's).
(c)2025 Michael Roizen, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
(c) 2025 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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