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Pain
Get a helping hand for pain
- By Maureen Salamon, Executive Editor, Harvard Women's Health Watch
Hand osteoarthritis can be painful, but there are strategies to help you manage it and maintain function.
Your hands work hard from the moment they pick up your toothbrush in the morning to the time they pull your covers up at night. If you’ve got osteoarthritis in the joints of your hands, all those daily tasks can become more of a challenge.
Osteoarthritis is a common condition that occurs when the cartilage between the bones begins to break down. Cartilage acts as a smooth padding, cushioning the bones and allowing the joint to move freely. When it deteriorates, the bones may start to rub together, triggering inflammation that causes pain and stiffness.
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About the Author
Maureen Salamon, Executive Editor, Harvard Women's Health Watch
Disclaimer:
As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.
No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
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Healthy Hands: Strategies for strong, pain-free hands
Beneath the skin, your hands are an intricate architecture of tendons, joints, ligaments, nerves, and bones. Each of these structures is vulnerable to damage from illness or injury. If your hands hurt, even simple tasks can become a painful ordeal. Healthy Hands: Strategies for strong, pain-free hands describes the causes and treatments for many conditions that can cause hand pain. It also features information on hand exercises, as well as handy tools and other gadgets that take strain off your hands.
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