8 Hacks That Can Help Rheumatoid Arthritis Hand Pain

When you have pain, stiffness, or swelling in your hands caused by rheumatoid arthritis (RA), everyday chores can be a challenge. Assistive devices can help give your joints a rest, but sometimes hand pain can strike when you’re not near any specially purchased gadgets.

That’s where these helpful hacks come in — clever ways to repurpose items you may already have (or can purchase cheaply) in new and useful ways. To review these techniques, or if other tasks give you trouble or you still have pain, reach out to an occupational therapist.

“You can transform things that are on hand in a way that’s helpful, especially if the specially made items aren’t handy,” says Genie Lieberman, a licensed occupational therapist and regional director of outpatient rehabilitation for Baptist Health in Boca Raton, Florida.

1. Use a Kitchen Sponge for Stability

If you’re whipping up some pancake batter or cookie dough, it can be tough to grip the mixing bowl with one hand while stirring the contents with the other.

Placing a damp sponge under the bowl can help it stay in place with much less hand support, Lieberman says. A damp cloth is equally effective if you don’t have a spare sponge.

If you have extra funds, consider investing in a stand mixer, which can do much of the hard work while you sit back and relax.

2. Try an Apron as a Tool Belt

Whether you’re doing minor repair work or just cleaning around the house, holding supplies like a hammer and nails or a scrubber and spray bottle when you’re not actually using them can fatigue your fingers.

If you wear a kitchen apron, you can store the items in the pockets until you need to use them. This can give your hands a break and help keep them pain-free for the actual tasks at hand.

3. Use Headbands as Pullers

When you have RA, it’s better to pull things with your forearms rather than your fingers, Lieberman says. That’s why she suggests wrapping headbands with Velcro closures around the refrigerator door and oven doors. Simply loop your arm into the headband, then pull.

This same concept applies to any item that you have to grip to pull open or closed, like your handbag zipper, the utensil drawers in the kitchen, or the cabinets below your sink — as long as there’s a handle you can attach the strap to.

4. Try Cuticle Scissors for Cutting Packages

Those tiny packs of ketchup, mustard, soy sauce, and other condiments served in restaurants or thrown in with takeout orders can be painful to open.

That’s why some people with RA keep a dedicated pair of cuticle scissors in their purse or car to use on these packets. If you get scissors with a larger, padded grip, all the better.

5. Stick a Tennis Ball on Your Toothbrush

If you don’t have a specially made grip for your toothbrush, simply slice open a tennis ball and insert the handle end inside. This gives you a larger surface area to hold during the two minutes you should be brushing.

6. Use a Pot Holder While Ironing Clothes

Lifting a heavy iron can tax your joints, which is why it’s better to slide the iron as much as possible instead of continually picking it up and putting it back down.

But what do you do when you have to adjust the item you’re ironing? Keep a potholder on the ironing board and slide the iron onto it until you’re ready to slide it back onto the garment again.

7. Use a Piece of Pool Noodle as a Card Holder

If you love a game of rummy or poker but can’t hold the playing cards for long, an inexpensive pool noodle can help.

Take the noodle and slice an inch or more off the end. (You should have a piece that looks like a small doughnut.) Then slice that piece halfway in, like you’re in the middle of cutting a bagel. Slide the cards into the slit.

You’ll now have a much larger and softer surface area to hold, rather than pinching the ends of the cards in your fingers.

8. Try a Nonslip Shelf Liner or Rubber Bands to Help With Gripping

Opening jar lids is one of the hardest things to do when RA affects your hands. You can cut a nonslip grip shelf liner, such as the kind sold at home improvement stores, to fit various objects and enhance your grip.

You can also place rubber bands on the jars, which similarly increases your traction. Use big bands for pickle-size jars and smaller bands for items like nail polish.

The Takeway

• Living with RA can present challenges, but small adaptations using everyday household items offer potential pain relief and can make performing certain tasks easier.
• These strategies utilize common household objects, such as a kitchen sponge for stabilizing bowls while mixing or rubber bands to give you a better grip on jars.
• If tasks remain difficult due to RA symptoms, seek advice from an occupational therapist, who can provide tailored strategies to make daily activities easier.