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Inflammatory Arthritis
Inflammatory Arthritis
Osteoarthritis is often thought of as a condition caused by wear and tear. Joints that have been injured in the past tend to develop this condition faster. However, this is not entirely true that the injury directly causes the problem, and the thumb joint illustrates this very well. Osteoarthritis develops due to abnormal movement that results in abnormal joint function. This abnormal movement for the thumb is often not the direct result of injury, but instead a result of muscle imbalance. When you look at the function of the hand, we see a tendency to develop the muscles necessary to grip. These gripping muscles or muscles used to make a fist, for example, tend to become very strong. Consider how many times you hold a bag of groceries, a purse, or a suitcase. We exercise the muscles necessary to close our hands all the time, and many times the thumb must deliver force equal to the opposing four fingers. If you grab a mug or bar bell you will find your fingers on one side and your thumb on the other, with both fingers and thumb exerting a relatively equal force. Amazing function, but what about muscle balance? We can think of dozens of examples of lifting and carrying objects which requires our hands to close, but how many times do you exercise the muscles that open your hands? If you make a fist, certain thumb muscles are required to perform this action, if you open a fist, you activate the opposing muscles. It is these fist opening muscles that are often completely overpowered. The overdeveloped palm muscles pull the thumb bone toward the palm and the underdeveloped opening muscles cannot stabilize the joint, resulting in a shift of the thumb bone, and abnormal motion. This abnormal position of the thumb bone and by extension, abnormal movement over time damages the thumb joint resulting in osteoarthritis. Preventing this is a simple matter of balancing the muscles around the thumb by exercising the muscles that open the hand. A simple way to do this is with rubber bands. Simply put a rubber band or two on the outside of your fingers so that the band is resting on your finger nails. Then practice opening your hand against the resistance of the rubber band. It’s a simple exercise that can prevent a tremendous amount of pain in the future. The same principle can be applied to any joint. Look at the motions and the muscles that your daily habits tend to develop and spend some time working the opposing muscles. For example, if you sit a desk and your shoulders tend to roll forward, spend some time exercising them by bulling them back. This is one of the safest and most effecting ways of preventing joint problems.
