Training

Have you consulted with a physical therapist and/or personal trainer who can asses you in person to provide tips and tools to make it easier? My PT when giving me bands, arranged them in a way by making loops so I wouldn't need to pull and tug with my hands. -Effie, team member

Hi . I want to echo Effie on talking with a PT. My wife, Kelly Mack (a contributor here), was diagnosed at age two, 45 years ago. Due to being diagnosed at such a young age, her hands are considerably smaller than average and have quite a bit of damage (see: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/hand-care-options). Besides the things she mentions in the article I linked, she has since worked with a PT to add things like the bands. For other arm exercises she uses wrist weights, which sometimes she holds in her hands.
In addition, another contributor Kat, who was also diagnosed at age two, is an occupational therapist. She wrote this article on tips for improving hand strength: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/stronger-hands-exercises. Hope this information is helpful and please feel free to let us know how you are doing and to ask additional questions. Best, Richard (Team Member)

, I agree that a physical therapist is a great resource. At a recent PT visit, my therapist recommended that more repetitions of a particular exercise would be helpful until I could manage a weight. Honestly, I would rather he said, "Read more chapters of your book" instead 😀 But PT and then faithfully doing the exercises at home has always been a big benefit.