Best Daily-Use Products to Support Arthritic Hands

Image via Roger Vaughan, used with Unsplash License

While arthritis can make everyday tasks challenging, there is a wide range of tools that can be used to support your daily activities. From repurposing items in your home to specialized products, there is a tool to help your arthritic hands.

Understanding Daily-Use Products for Arthritic Hands

There’s a high demand for products that help people with arthritis perform daily tasks, with a market for erosive hand osteoarthritis products expected to reach $6.3 billion by 2032. This need for non-invasive products that provide instant, non-pharmacological pain relief explains why these treatments are projected to account for over 40% of the osteoarthritis market share in 2025.

Products that offer relief to arthritic hands range from repurposed household items like rubber bands that make zipping up a jacket easier to specially designed assistive products like hand compression gloves that reduce swelling and pain. There is a wide array of tools available that can help arthritic hands perform everyday tasks and minimize pain and discomfort.

Compression and Support Products

Certain symptoms of arthritis may be exaggerated in different seasons. Pain and swelling in the joints can worsen in colder months, which may explain why there is a seasonal peak in the demand for gloves. This highlights why joint-supportive wearables as daily-use products are some of the most sought-after and potentially valuable tools for helping arthritic hands.

In addition to compression products like gloves, there are also over-the-counter analgesic topical creams that can provide some relief to arthritic hands. In the arthritis market, these products have seen a 35% increase in first-year sales, demonstrating the potential value to arthritis sufferers.

Kitchen and Cooking Aids

Arthritis pain can interfere with so many different aspects of daily life. Squeezing and twisting motions are particularly common in the kitchen, whether to open a jar, cut food, or wash the dishes. There are, however, a number of supportive products to assist arthritic hands in performing these repetitive and tight-grasp tasks.

There are grip wrenches that function as levers to involve larger muscle groups in twisting open containers, taking some of the strain off the muscles of your hands. Finger and wrist splints are also available to support your joints and provide stability. Some silverware sets are even weighted with thicker handles that don’t require as much grip and minimize tremors.

Writing, Typing, and Office Tools

Another activity that can be more challenging with arthritis is writing because of the difficulty in holding writing utensils. Typing on a computer also presents challenges, given the repetitive motions and the sustained wrist position of using a keyboard.

To assist with these types of tasks, as with the thicker silverware sets, there are pens and pencils that have a wider base to ease the strain of gripping a narrow tool. For typing, arthritic hands may be relieved by ergonomic pads with cushions that take the strain off the wrist. Pillows can also help support your posture, which is also an important consideration because it affects the position of your wrist. Compression gloves, wrist wraps, and stents may also provide some relief for these tasks.

Personal Care and Grooming Products

When arthritic hands are suffering from weakness or pain, simple tasks like taking a shower and getting dressed can be frustratingly difficult. However, there are tools that can support arthritic hands in these tasks. For grooming, long-handle sponges can minimize wrist movements. Electric toothbrushes, along with combs that have longer handles, also reduce stress and strain on wrists and hands. Wide-gripped and curved nail clippers can also help with this grooming task that requires finer motor skills.

If arthritis is interfering with the mobility needed to get dressed, products like shoe horns, zipper pulls, button hooks, stocking aids for socks, or magnetic shoe laces can reduce the manual strain that can be caused by these personal care tasks.

Home Mobility and Accessibility Aids

It’s important that your ability to move around the house when your hands are swollen or weak from arthritis is maintained. Products like door knob covers that are non-slip can help reduce the grip needed for twisting motions. Metal grabbers can also help recruit the larger muscles in your forearms, which eases the burden on your hands and wrist. There are also tools available to help you strengthen your grip over time, like putty or finger exercisers. These can also be paired with heating pads or cold compresses to provide relief after exercises.

Contact The Hand and Wrist Institute Today

If you suffer from arthritic hands, schedule an appointment with The Hand and Wrist Institute today to learn more about treatment options. Dr. Knight is here to support you on your journey to hand health.

Dr. John Knight

Dr. Knight is a renowned hand, wrist and upper extremity surgeon with over 25 years of experience. Dr. Knight is a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon and Fellowship trained. Dr Knight has appeared on CNN, The Doctors TV, Good Morning America, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Forbes, The Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, Oxygen network and more.