Rheumatoid Arthritis Hand Exercises | Real Patient Demonstration

Learn how to improve your hand strength and flexibility and potentially reduce deformities for rheumatoid arthritis (RA)! Have you ever wanted to see a real patient with rheumatoid arthritis demonstrate common hand strengthening exercises and stretches? In this video, Arthritis Life founder and RA patient Cheryl Crow and occupational therapist Corinne McLees of Mobile OT Wellness Group show you: ***Exercises for the wrist, fingers and thumbs that are particularly helpful for people with rheumatoid arthritis ***Stretches for the wrist, fingers and thumbs. ***Answers to frequently asked questions about common deformities associated with rheumatoid arthritis including ulnar drift and swan neck deformity. **Video breakdown: Intro to Occupational Therapy for arthritis & fundamentals of hand exercises (0:00-6:45) Exploration of some of the typical deformities or joint changes that occur with rheumatoid arthritis (e.g. ulnar drift), including an explanation and demonstration of what’s going on currently with Cheryl’s hands ( 6:50-12:00) Exercises typically recommended for people with rheumatoid arthritis to help maintain or regain range of motion: Wrist flexion & extension (bending) (12:24) Wrist side to side (radial & ulnar deviation) (13:12) Finger flexion and extension: Making a fist and opening fingers up, “Jazz Hands” (14:42) Hypermobility - brief discussion (15:45) Thumb opposition for each finger (17:00) Chip clip trick for when you have muscle pain at base of the thumb (“thumb adductor”): (17:35) Tips for starting a new stretching habit (or any habit): (18:38) Hand anatomy basics: Brief exploration of muscles, tendons and ligaments, and where the muscles that move the hand originate (19:03) Tendon gliding exercises: (21:50) Brief exploration of Ulnar drift, a deformity associated with rheumatoid arthritis (23:40) Exercises that may counteract ulnar drift (25:47) Practical ways to avoid ulnar drift during everyday activities (27:10) More exercises to counteract ulnar drift (28:34) Thumb stability exercises that can help osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis thumb pain (30:00) Stretches for “swan neck deformity” (33:25) Concluding thoughts (34:33) **FIND MORE ARTHRITSI TIPS AND LIFE HACKS on Cheryl’s website: https://arthritis.theenthusiasticlife... **STAY CONNECTED ON: Arthritis Life Instagram:   / arthritis_life_cheryl   Arthritis Life Tiktok:   / arthritislife   Arthritis Life Facebook Page:   / arthritislife   Cheryl’s Twitter:   / realcc   Arthritis Life Facebook Group:   / arthritislifepodcastandsupport   ** ARTHRITIS SUPPORT GROUP: Join Rheum to THRIVE, a support group & education program Cheryl created to help people with rheumatic disease go from overwhelmed, confused and alone to confident, supported and connected: https://arthritis.theenthusiasticlife... ** Learn how confidently manage pain, fatigue, social and emotional life with RA in my “RA Roadmap” self-paced course: https://arthritis.theenthusiasticlife... **Medical disclaimer: All content found on Arthritis Life public channels was created for generalized informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.