Arthrosis or osteoarthritis of the hand affects millions of people around the world, setting in with the passage of time, as the joints degenerate. Another cause of arthrosis is inflammation of the joints, which is manifested with pain, stiffness and swelling.

Arthrosis of the hand and wrist can be quite debilitating because it prevents many activities related to the daily routine.

The hand consists of 27 bones, more precisely the eight carpal bones, the five metacarpal bones and the 14 phalanges (two at the thumb and three – proximal, medial and distal – at the each of the other fingers).

In addition to these bones, the hand consists of a rich network of muscles and ligaments and is connected to the forearm by the wrist (carpal bones). This unique arrangement gives the hand great freedom of movement, great flexibility and precision.

If the healthy joints move quite easily due to the presence of articular cartilage that covers the bone surfaces, in arthrosis the cartilage is progressively destroyed and the bone surfaces will rub against each other causing pain, inflammation and joint stiffness.

Repetitive movements in certain sports activities or in certain professional activities, such as repetitive use of the keyboard, can affect the wrist and cause damage to it.

There are other causes that can lead to damage to the wrist, such as:

➢ Inflammation of the carpal tunnel (a tube of tendons and nerves passing through the wrist)

➢ Sprains or tendinitis, which are frequent lesions of the tissues around the wrist

➢ Osteoporosis, which affects bone density

1. Cessation of activities that aggravate pain in the hand

2. Immobilization of the hand, with the help of a splint or orthosis for a short period of time, helps to relieve symptoms

3. Alternative use of heat and ice by submerging the hand alternately, for 2 minutes, in a basin/bowl with warm water, followed by immersing the hand in the basin/bowl with cold water, also 2 minutes. These alternative baths help reduce inflammation.

4. Locally administered anti-inflammatory medication and/or cortisone injections also help reduce inflammation.

5. Physical therapy

Practicing a specific exercise program significantly helps:

➢ pain reduction

➢ preventing stiffness and implicitly limiting hand movements

➢ maintaining joint flexibility

➢ muscle toning, a toned muscle helps prevent other injuries.

➢ Self-care measures of the hand

Being a degenerative condition, with progressive evolution, a good collaboration with the physician and the physical therapist is necessary for the periodic evaluation of the hand and implicitly of the treatment, which will be of long duration.