Exercises as simple as squeezing a ball as hard as possible, spreading the fingers widely apart and rolling the fingers into a fist significantly improved function and reduced pain in women with hand osteoarthritis (HOA). This randomized, three month trial started with 10 repetitions of each exercise and increased to 15 repetitions. Some participants reported considerable pain after the exercises, but it decreased significantly over the course of the study.
PositiveTip: Hand exercises in HOA may result in significant improvements.