Osteoarthritis of the thumb causes gripping and pinching to become very painful and can result in significant disability, he says. Lee Osterman, MD, a professor of hand and orthopedic surgery at Thomas Jefferson University and president of the Philadelphia Hand Center. Arthritis in the fingers and thumbs is incredibly common and it always affects your grip because 50 percent of hand use - and 100 percent of gripping - requires a functioning thumb, says A. How Arthritis Changes Your GripĪrthritis in the hands changes your grip from a structural perspective. Hand strength is a strong indicator of your overall ability to function and how disabling your arthritis is, likely because your hands are involved in so many aspects of daily life, according to a study published in the journal Advances in Rheumatology. This is particularly pertinent to people with arthritis, as they often experience a faster decline in grip strength and at younger ages. Starting in your late thirties, you naturally begin to lose both muscle mass and strength - including in your hand grip - and this can be an indicator of how quickly and how well your body is aging. Grip strength is closely associated with two widely acknowledged signs of aging: sarcopenia (muscle loss) and dynapenia (strength loss). For example, a study published in The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that a weaker handgrip strength was significantly associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality in adults. Poor grip is linked to age-related decline, physical dependence, and lower cognitive ability. Newer research shows that it is also linked with important aspects of overall health and aging. Why Grip Strength Is ImportantĪ grip is not just a sign of hand strength or dexterity. If you have arthritis, it’s important to understand how your condition can impact your grip and what you can do to protect it. Having arthritis can weaken your grip strength.

These may seem like small annoyances, but they are actually signs that you shouldn’t ignore: They are all red flags that your grip strength may be declining.

Have you ever worried that your handshake isn’t as firm as it used to be? Or that it seems to take more effort to squeeze the shampoo bottle during your morning shower? Or perhaps you’ve noticed you’ve been dropping things a lot more than usual?

Pickle grabber stick