The simple, easy, and efficient treatment for osteoarthritis
By Winston Lee L.Ac, Ph.D., KMD
Osteoarthritis of the hands is one of the degenerative diseases, and the joints of the fingers are swollen and stiff due to overuse or aging. If it worsens, the bones that make up the joint are deformed and bumpy.
Since degenerative changes are known to be the main cause of this, doctors only prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs or recommend not doing laborious exercise anymore, and there is no special treatment that can completely cure this. I see quite a few cases where seniors who love golf suffer from not gripping the golf club properly because of this problem. The knuckles are swollen and cannot bend completely, making it difficult to grasp or lift something, open a door, or drive a car.
Such movements of the hands and fingers are so important that it is said that there is almost nothing that people do without using their hands in daily life. Especially the symptom could affect the quality of life of the elders.
Since degenerative changes are known to be the main cause of this, doctors only prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs or recommend not doing laborious exercise anymore, and there is no special treatment that can completely cure this.
For the symptom, I prefer to use paraffin therapy. It is simple, cost-effective, and easy, and it works. It could be applied to osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and other joint mobility issues. The hands are soaked in it for a few minutes to paraffin. It could be applied to patients with osteoarthritis of the hands. Paraffin therapy is fundamentally a similar concept to the heating pad. The principle of paraffin therapy and a heating pad is the same as raising the temperature of a certain part. However, suppose the hand is fully immersed in the warm liquid paraffin wax. In that case, every corner of the finger joint has completely adhered with paraffin, and the temperature transfer is very efficient. The cartilage, ligament, and joint capsule are safely and sufficiently heated properly as heat is delivered to the finger joint’s front, back, and sides. In the case of mild issues, the flexion and extension of the finger joints are noticeably improved with a single treatment. It is better to do this treatment as often as possible, but if the patients want to continue using it at home, they can purchase it online. This product rarely breaks down, and even when plugged in all day, its cost for electricity is less than $10 a month.
Purchasing a sturdy and reliable product for use in a clinic is strongly recommended. Many physical treatments can be used in a clinic for large joints such as the back, neck, or spine, but there is no special method for small joints such as fingers.
There are precautions to be aware of applying Paraffin therapy. A heating pad or paraffin treatment should be avoided if the finger joint is swollen and there is redness and heat simultaneously. Since it is an acute inflammatory reaction rather than a chronic one, raising the temperature will aggravate the problem, so be careful. And if a patient complains of poor blood circulation, numbness in the hands or feet, diabetes, and any open sores. Remember that paraffin therapy can be used only when the finger problem is diagnosed as arthritis with a degenerative and chronic state.
