A large proportion of the adult population in the UK is predisposed to suffer from one form or another of arthritis or other rheumatoid and inflammatory conditions. Typically 20 million people will suffer from a rheumatic disorder in just one year in the UK. While certain forms of arthritis are predictable and can be associated with genealogy, there are now figures to confirm that a high proportion of arthritis can be directly linked with life style or occupational aggravation over extended periods.

In this instance we are focusing attention on hands and fingers. It is well documented and reported by General Practitioners and Occupational Therapists that the most common early symptoms with the onset of rheumatoid arthritis are found in the hands and finger joints. The condition is generally described by sufferers as loss of dexterity with an increasing stiffness and localised swelling that is often painful. The sufferer naturally abstains from aggravating the condition and uses the hands and fingers less and so precipitates a downward spiral, allowing the inflamed joints to stiffen further. Without direct medical intervention with specific physiotherapy the sufferer's hands and fingers can become severely disabled.

In a physiological sense it is no surprise that hands and fingers are frequently seen to be the first areas to be susceptible to arthritis. We use our hands and fingers in so many ways it is easy to take them for granted and believe they can cope with constant misuse.