DO YOU HAVE PAINFUL fingers?
SWOLLEN JOINTS in your fingers? 

Worried it is arthritis? Worried it will get worse with age?

Arthritis is not due to age but mis-use, under-use, over-use, inflammation, and/or poor nutrition. 

GOOD NEWS! ARTHRITIS DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PAINFUL.

Did you know the pain you feel is not from the arthritis but from the INFLAMMATION?

This is why some people have the gnarliest looking knobby arthritic hands, but no pain.

BETTER NEWS! ARTHRITIS CAN GET BETTER OVER TIME!!!

Your bones are not iron rods rusting with time. Your bones are living tissue. This means they can repair.

Your joints are not just padding between the bones that slowly wear away with time. CLICK HERE to learn more about arthritis.

On this webpage, we are going to discuss things you can do to help your arthritis, and things to avoid to help prevent your arthritis from getting worse.

Things to avoid

Believe it or not, the top thing to avoid is NSAIDs.

NSAIDs are non-steroidal anti-inflammatories. While NSAIDs provide relief from the pain of arthritis (as it reduces the painful inflammation), they can make your arthritis worse. Your joints are inflaming for a reason. It is how the body heals. If your inflammation is causing pain, it means you are harming the joint faster than it can repair. Artificially taking the inflammation away from the NSAIDs impairs the body's ability to heal, and by silencing the pain, it allows you to do the activities that was causing it harm. Can you see how this can worsen your arthritis over time?

Holding your phone

If you hold your phone (or anything) too long, that can cause the joints of your fingers to starve, speeding the degenerative (arthritic) process.

Excessive or repetitive use

But excessive pounding on the joints is not helpful either.

If your fingers repetitively type on the key board, it can cause the joints of the fingers to micro-sprain over time, speeding the degenerative (arthritic) process..

Arthritis often occurs when either the joints starve for nutrients with immobility, your joints tend to get hurt faster than they can repair, or the joints going through periods of both extremes.

Foods to avoid

Remember how your pain is not from the arthritis, but the INFLAMMATION! Inflammatory foods can feed this "fire". Avoid simple carbs like sugar, bread, even some fruits. Avoid foods you are sensitive or allergic too. Avoid chemical additives for your general health if not for your arthritis. You should notice a reduction in your pain if you clean up your diet.

Nutritional supplements can help

Another cause of arthritis is being deficient in the nutrients you need to repair your joints. If you are not eating the building blocks of the joints, how can your body repair it. It's like asking a construction crew to build a home, but not providing them bricks, stone or wood... You will end up with a straw and mud hut.

Glucosamine sulfate is imperative to joint repair. Beware, some supplements "label dress" and say they have glucosamine sulfate when they in fact have glucosamine chondroitin with MSM. This is not bad, but it is not near as good as pure glucosamine sulfate.

If you are looking for supplements, but unsure which one to pick, check out https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/drummond

Dr. Karin has created a list of supplements she approves of. Click Here to check it out.

OTC (over the counter) items that can help your finger pain

Topical Creams (ingredients to look for):

• Arnica (we use Cryoderm and Arnicare)
• Emu oil
• Camphor
• Eucalyptus
• Cinnamon oil
• Capsaicin
• CBD

Compression Gloves

Sleeping in compression gloves helps keep the swelling down and hands warm, which helps facilitate healing and reduces pain.

CBD Tape

Wearing CBD Tape at night can help facilitate healing and reduce pain.

Stretching can help your finger arthritis

For stretches and exercises to help relieve pain of the writs, hands, and fingers CLICK HERE.

Self massaging your hand and forearm can help take the pressure off the joints of the finger. Remember, arthritis is not due to your joints rusting with time, but thickening against the pressures of daily use. So if you keep the muscles that move the joints healthy, you will help keep the joints healthy.

To learn how to self massage and stretch the muscles of the arm and hand, check out:

TO COMBAT arthritis, YOU NEED TO 

MOVE WELL, SLEEP WELL AND EAT WELL

You don't have to be in pain. Why wait?

CLICK HERE 

to schedule an appointment.

Drummond Chiropractic, LLC
Best Chiropractors in Bloomington
565 N Walnut St
Bloomington, IN 47404
(812) 336 - 2423