Guest guest Posted July 5, 2004 Report Share Posted July 5, 2004 Medication can prevent this. S > Hello, > > I am new to this group. I was diagnosed with RA about 2 years ago. > What scares me is that my mother had RA too and her fingers went > sideways. I asked my docotor about wearing a splint to prevent this > and he said there is no evidence that a splint would prevent this > from happening. Does anyone in this group used a splint and did it > help? > > Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 5, 2004 Report Share Posted July 5, 2004 Kathy, Welcome to our group. Medications for RA have come a long way in recent years. What happened to your mom doesn¹t necessarily have to happen to you if you find meds that can slow or halt the progression. Some doctors seem to support splints, while others don¹t. A good article on the rheumatoid hand: http://www.eatonhand.com/hw/hw018.htm a > Hello, > > I am new to this group. I was diagnosed with RA about 2 years ago. > What scares me is that my mother had RA too and her fingers went > sideways. I asked my docotor about wearing a splint to prevent this > and he said there is no evidence that a splint would prevent this > from happening. Does anyone in this group used a splint and did it > help? > > Kathy > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 5, 2004 Report Share Posted July 5, 2004 Welcome to the group, Kathy! I'm afraid I have to agree with your physician. I haven't read anything to suggest that splints will prevent ulnar drift or subluxations. DMARD therapy is the best defense against deformities. Are you on one or more right now? I'll tell you where to go! Mayo Clinic in Rochester http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester s Hopkins Medicine http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org [ ] Splints for arthritis > Hello, > > I am new to this group. I was diagnosed with RA about 2 years ago. > What scares me is that my mother had RA too and her fingers went > sideways. I asked my docotor about wearing a splint to prevent this > and he said there is no evidence that a splint would prevent this > from happening. Does anyone in this group used a splint and did it > help? > > Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 5, 2004 Report Share Posted July 5, 2004 My mom is horribly disfigured from RA and she has always used a variety of splints. It's the swelling that causes joint destruction and that causes the deformities. My mom used the splints because if she was hurting and had swelling, the splints kept her from mangling her fingers or clenching her fists and making the pain worse. She said her favorite splint ever was made from a cast. The doctor made the cast and then cut it off, and she used ace bandages to keep it on her arms at night. If you aggressively treat the RA with medication, and have a good a rheumy, you can avoid the drifting of fingers or worse deformity. My rheumy promises I will never end up like my mom. I have some wrist guards from CVS that I wear at night if my wrists are really hurting. I tend to sleep on them sometimes, but not if I have the wrist guards on. Jennie > Hello, > > I am new to this group. I was diagnosed with RA about 2 years ago. > What scares me is that my mother had RA too and her fingers went > sideways. I asked my docotor about wearing a splint to prevent this > and he said there is no evidence that a splint would prevent this > from happening. Does anyone in this group used a splint and did it > help? > > Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 5, 2004 Report Share Posted July 5, 2004 Kathy, I would also like to know about splints. I am getting damage in my right hand now, and my middle finger is starting to turn sideways. I am on meds, and I know they just slow the disease, but hope to hear from others about the use of splints. Thanks for bringing the topic up, Tawny > Hello, > > I am new to this group. I was diagnosed with RA about 2 years ago. > What scares me is that my mother had RA too and her fingers went > sideways. I asked my docotor about wearing a splint to prevent this > and he said there is no evidence that a splint would prevent this > from happening. Does anyone in this group used a splint and did it > help? > > Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 5, 2004 Report Share Posted July 5, 2004 Thanks Carol, That does help so much. I hope that the RA calms down a bit for Esther, she has had such a rough time, take care Tawny --- In , " Esther Finlaw " <honeynut@e...> wrote: > Hi, My name is Carol and I am the mother of Esther who has RA. She was diagnoised at the age of > 8 with Still's Disease and is now 35. She went through a period of remission ....but for the last > few months it's reared it's ugly head again. She was placed on Methotrexate and Prednisone > recently besides taking Plaquenil and Naprosin. Regarding hand splints....they do work! She wears them to > bed at night. Also, it helps to keep them straight. An Occupational Therapist can make them or if > you have a prescription from a Doctor you may be fitted by one who does braces and such. We > like the ones fitted by the brace company....they have individual slots for each finger and are > softer. Hope this helps! > > Carol > [ ] Re: Splints for arthritis > > > Kathy, I would also like to know about splints. I am getting damage > in my right hand now, and my middle finger is starting to turn > sideways. I am on meds, and I know they just slow the disease, but > hope to hear from others about the use of splints. Thanks for > bringing the topic up, Tawny > > > > > > > --- In , " Kvickr " <daffy11149@a...> wrote: > > Hello, > > > > I am new to this group. I was diagnosed with RA about 2 years ago. > > What scares me is that my mother had RA too and her fingers went > > sideways. I asked my docotor about wearing a splint to prevent this > > and he said there is no evidence that a splint would prevent this > > from happening. Does anyone in this group used a splint and did it > > help? > > > > Kathy > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.