At Salem Health Orthopedics, arthritis is one of the most treated conditions.

“It’s very common, especially in our older patients. We see a lot of inflammatory conditions. The main thing we see is plain old wear and tear osteoarthritis,” said Alexander Hammonds, PA.

The physician associate said a big part of his job is working with patients on exercises to relieve the pain that can often come with arthritis.

“We want everybody to be able to do everything they love, we’re just here to support their joint and bone health,” Hammonds said.

Hammonds said they not only treat pain and discomfort, but also educate patients on what to expect as arthritis progresses. The goal is keeping pain at bay before looking at tools like injections and surgery.

Range of motion and grip

“Our most important concerns are pain and functionality, including range of motion and grip,” the physician associate said. “We start with hand exercises. We have a great hand therapist who just starts with the basics, stretching their hands.”

Hammonds said these exercises are also useful for patients with Dupuytren’s and trigger finger.

“Specifically for the hand stretches and exercises, you extend the fingers all the way out and then curl down. The thumb can move in four directions, and we just focus on total motion. We look at each person’s grip to see how they’re gripping,” he said.

Physician associates and hand therapists also look at the pinch strength between the thumb and the finger.

“We don’t always love the squeeze ball and the stress ball. We care mostly about range of motion, so we mostly encourage curling into a fist on your own,” Hammonds said.

For the wrist, Hammonds recommends bringing the wrists together with the elbows up, holding that for a minute, and then relaxing.

Empowering patients at home

Ultimately, the orthopedics team wants to make sure patients feel comfortable doing these exercises at home, ideally when they first get up.

“Waking up in the morning, warmth is best for joint health and stretching,” Hammonds said. “Warm your hands up under the faucet, take a nice hot shower, then focus on stretching, including the wrist.”

The physician associate said a few weeks of these exercises can sometimes bring range of motion back, as long as the fingers aren’t too swollen.

In the later stages of arthritis, orthopedic surgeons will look at tools such a cortisone injections, braces and hand surgery.

Care at Salem Health

Are you feeling symptoms of arthritis, like joint pain and swelling? Salem Health Orthopedics has the largest group of surgeons in the mid-Willamette Valley specifically trained in treatment of hand and wrist conditions — and, with two new physician associates, there are often appointment openings the same day.  

Click here to learn more about care with Salem Health Orthopedics.