Tips for protecting your digital joints

Avoid stresses and twisting or awkward motions.

• Carry heavy objects with your open palm, rather than grasping with the thumb and a finger. Use your grip rather than your thumb.
• If you must use your thumb and fingers to grasp an object, use 3 gripping points, such as the thumb-index-middle.
• Avoid movements that bend the fingers toward the little finger side of the hand.
• When carrying a heavy object, distribute the weight over the wrist and forearm.
• Slide objects rather than lifting them.
• Spare your fingers from prolonged gripping or pinching motions as often as possible; find other ways to do things.
• Avoid long periods of immobility; move the fingers often and vary your activities.

Respect your pain.

• Identify the motion that causes pain and avoid it.
• Use resting splints.

Engage in gentle daily exercise to maintain mobility.

• Bend the fingers downward into the palm.
• Thumb touch: thumb-index, thumb-middle finger, thumb-ring finger, thumb-pinky finger, thumb-base of pinky.
• Palm flat on a surface, gently lift and lower one finger at a time.
• Lateral finger exercise: palm flat on a surface, move the index toward the thumb, the middle finger toward the index, and so on.