Many people take their physical abilities for granted. It is especially true for people with no chronic conditions or special needs. For instance, hand arthritis can significantly impede how you perform daily tasks. Even simple tasks like opening a jar or brushing your teeth can take minutes, but most people are not aware of that. When you have to deal with pain from hand surgery, arthritis or other chronic illnesses, specialty products can help make chores more bearable. Here are things that could ease the discomfort.
Implements That Help In Cooking
When you need to grip a handle while stirring or transferring food while cooking, you could strain your hands. Automatic stirring devices can help. These devices can be free-standing or rest on the lip of the pot, and they give you the chance to rest your hands even when you’re stirring.
You can also switch out your knives. Choose ones with alternative handle grips that put the hand in a less stressful position. An l-shaped or rounded bottom knife is best for people with hand pain; it makes rocking or slicking the blade smoother.
Besides slicing devices, you can also get chopping devices. These are tools that allow you to push a food item into a blade, which takes the pressure away from the base of your thumb.
Automatic Jar Or Bottle Openers
Your hand therapy and recovery will be quicker when you get devices that make other kitchen tasks more manageable. For example, if you frequently use canned goods in your cooking, you can get an automatic jar opener. This device fits easily into kitchen drawers and allows you to open jars without straining your joints.
This device fits over a jar’s lid. It opens the jar by squeezing the sides and rotating the lid to loosen it. These devices cost approximately $30 and can fit over jars of different sizes.
You could also get a bottle opener. This device removes corks from a bottle effortlessly; all you must do is place the device on the bottle and press a button, and the cork will come off in a few seconds.
Automatic Toothpaste Dispenser
There are various toothpaste dispensers available, and they cost anywhere from $3 to $20. These dispensers let you fasten the tube to a device that pushes the toothpaste out with a touch of a button. There are free-standing and wall-mounted variants, just like automatic hand soap dispensers.
Adaptive Equipment For Bathing Tasks
Body wash or shampoo bottles are easy to manage when you have full control of your joints. However, they can be challenging to work with if you have arthritic pain in your hands. If you need help, you can switch these bottles for ones with pumps. You could also use a silicone body scrubber for your body since it does not require squeezing or wringing, unlike a washcloth or a loofah.
Conclusion
Most people rely on their hands for daily tasks, whether it’s to type out documents, put numbers into spreadsheets, cook meals three times a day, or some other task. As such, you need to keep your joints free from pain, so they can help you accomplish what you need to do daily.
Besides getting tools that can ease the stress on your joints, you should get treatment for hand arthritis. Book an appointment at North Florida Hand And Wrist today; led by Dr. Richard D. Curtis and Dr. Jose Baez, our team of practitioners are committed to providing the best care possible to all our patients. Make an appointment today, or contact us to learn more!
