How Can Copper Compression Gloves Help with Fibromyalgia Hand Pain?
Anyone dealing with fibromyalgia pain in their hands or fingers knows how unbearable it can be. Fibromyalgia symptoms can make it difficult to conduct daily activities such as typing, writing, using a mobile phone or even lifting objects.
Along with other fibromyalgia treatments, copper compression gloves can help you manage the symptoms of this painful condition. Let’s look at the disorder in more detail and understand how compression clothing can help with fibromyalgia pain relief.
What Is Fibromyalgia Hand Pain?
Also known as fibromyalgia syndrome, fibromyalgia is a condition that is chronic in nature leading to pain, stiffness and fatigue in muscles. While the disorder can affect muscles in any part of the body, it’s most common in extremities, especially hands and fingers. Generally, symptoms will first show up on the little finger and spread inward until they reach the thumb.
Signs and Symptoms of Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a condition can be difficult to diagnose correctly since the symptoms are often mistaken for other conditions. There are no laboratory tests for the disorder, and doctors usually need to rule out other potential health issues in order to reach a diagnosis.
The symptoms of chronic fibromyalgia include:
- Stiffness in extremities, particularly the hands and fingers
- Muscle and joint pain or throbbing joints in the fingers, knuckles and wrist
- A feeling of “tightness”, tenderness or weakness in hand muscles
- Reduced mobility while moving the wrist or extending finger joints
- Fibromyalgia hand pain and stiffness that is especially severe in the morning
- Numbness or tingling sensations in fingers and hands
- Skin becoming waxy or rubbery in texture
With severe fibromyalgia, you may also notice pain and tenderness in other parts of your body. This can cause headaches, disturbed sleep, reduced cognitive function or memory, and many other issues.
Who Is Most Likely to Be Affected by Fibromyalgia Syndrome?
Anyone can be diagnosed with fibromyalgia hand pain, and research has not yet revealed what causes it. Here are some of the risk factors believed to be associated with the condition:
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Age – You may develop the symptoms of fibromyalgia at any age, but the condition is most commonly reported among patients who are middle-aged or older.
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Gender – According to NIAMS (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases), women are 8 or 9 times more likely to have fibromyalgia than men.
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Health – Fibromyalgia often accompanies other chronic pain conditions and rheumatic diseases that affect joints, muscles and bones, e.g. lupus or rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
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Genes – According to some scientists, if you have a family history of the disorder, there may be a higher likelihood that you will develop fibromyalgia symptoms as well.
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Other Factors – Repetitive injuries, trauma or stress may also contribute to the risk of chronic fibromyalgia, along with lifestyle factors such as obesity.
What Causes Fibromyalgia?
Experts have been unable to identify a single cause for fibromyalgia. However, there could be multiple factors that contribute to this condition.
- This condition runs in families, so it is obvious for doctors to believe that genetics has a big role to play. Other than your family history, your gender could be more susceptible to the disorder. Research reveals more women with fibromyalgia than men. So, if you a woman and you have a family history of fibromyalgia, you are more likely to develop the condition.
- Some illnesses like rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, or lupus prompts or aggravates the disorder.
- Physical or emotional trauma are also known to trigger the condition.
What Are the Treatment Options for Fibromyalgia Pain?
Studies are still being conducted on treating fibromyalgia, but prescription or over-the-counter medication can help you manage the pain and other symptoms. Doctors may also suggest combining medicine for people living with fibromyalgia to relieve pain with certain lifestyle changes and complementary therapies.
Some examples of the most effective natural cures for symptoms fibromyalgia patients exhibit:
- Getting proper rest and enough quality sleep
- A nutritious diet and regular exercise
- Avoiding stressful work routines
- Massages and physiotherapy
- Paraffin or Epsom salt soaks
- Copper compression gloves
In rare cases, surgery may be required for treating muscle stiffness caused by severe fibromyalgia. However, this should be the last resort, since any kind of surgery may lead to other health complications as well as putting you at risk of infections.
Benefits of Copper Compression Gloves for Fibromyalgia Tender Points on Stiff Hands
Copper compression clothing is used to treat pain or stiffness in muscles and joints among athletes, the elderly and people with fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis. It combines the circulation-boosting benefits of graduated compression with the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties of copper.
Here are some ways in which copper compression gloves can complement your fibromyalgia treatment:
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Fighting Inflammation Chronic fibromyalgia is often accompanied by inflammatory rheumatoid conditions such as RA. Copper can help relieve muscle, joint and tendon inflammation, in addition to killing infection-causing germs.
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Improving Blood Flow Graduated compression gloves gently squeeze your wrist, hand and fingers to enhance circulation in the extremities. This can help improve mobility and movement in your hand muscles and relieve stiffness in joints.
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Restoring Movement If you suffer from fibromyalgia hand pain, day-to-day activities can become almost impossible to manage. By relieving muscle stiffness and pain, copper compression gloves can make it easier to carry out daily tasks.
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Retaining Warmth Fibromyalgia pain and muscle fatigue tends to worsen when the temperature drops and blood flow to fingers is reduced as well. Copper-infused gloves keep your hands warm throughout the day and even while sleeping.
How Long Does It Take for Copper Compression Gloves to Help Fibromyalgia?
In your first wear of copper compression gloves, you’ll feel instant relief of the pain in the joint with improved mobility and reduced swelling. This is because the copper compression gloves use compression to reduce the swelling.
Consistent, long-term use of copper compression gloves give you greater benefits. Not only your hands will experience enhanced mobility, but you’ll also enjoy greater joint flexibility and greatly reduced pain. All these benefits come with absolutely no side effects and that makes copper compression gloves the simplest and the easiest way to get rid of arthritis pain.
When to Wear Copper Compression Gloves?
You need to wear copper compression gloves for straight 8 hours to get the most out of your copper compression gloves. Consider your personal routine and habits to determine your best time of the day to wear the gloves. The copper compression gloves are so comfortable that there’s no reason not to wear them during the day.
Having said that, the best time to wear copper compression gloves for arthritis is while you sleep.
Dealing with excessive hand pain or stiffness? Our semi-compression or fingerless gloves can help.
Grab your pair today!