As someone who has lived with arthritis for over 20 years, I’ve tried a lot of things to help my symptoms. Some things haven’t helped at all, and some things have helped other people but haven’t helped me. But I wanted to share the arthritis products that have helped my rheumatoid arthritis in case they can help you. 

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9 Arthritis Products That Help My Rheumatoid Arthritis

Compression products – Compression gear like sleeves, gloves, and socks can help with your inflammation, which then helps with pain. Creaky Joints says that compression gear “may lessen the symptoms of arthritis by applying mild pressure to affected joints, which can help with inflammation and swelling” (x). I wear compression gloves when typing (aka I’m wearing them right now), a compression sleeve on my ankle to help the swelling I always experience at the end of the day, and knee-high compression socks when I need compression across a larger part of my body.

I have these compression gloves from IMAK, which are endorsed by the Arthritis Foundation. I love them so much! The compression socks I got years ago aren’t available any more, but you can get these ones that are really similar. 

When it comes to compression sleeves, there are a lot out there to choose from. These cover basically your entire arm, while these are just around the elbow. And if you’re looking for a knee sleeve, check out these.

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Ring splints – If you have arthritis, you don’t necessarily need the intense (and expensive) ring splints that people with EDS need, as they need splints to prevent hyperextension (x). But if you have fingers or finger joints that need more support, then ring splints can really help your arthritis pain (x). 

If you have osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, you might need help straightening a finger, and it’s hard to use your fingers when that happens. In other cases, you could have inflammation around a tendon, which also makes your finger(s) hard to use. In general, “Ring splints stabilize the finger and control the movement of the joint in its normal range” (x). 

A few years ago, before I started using compression gloves or KT tape on my fingers, I bought a set of plastic ring splints. There are 3 in that set, each a different size, which is great for fitting a variety of fingers or the same finger at different inflammation levels. There are a variety of sets with different sizes, so if you have tiny fingers or huge fingers or something else in between, you should be set. 

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Sneakers – I exclusively wear Hoka One One sneakers and have since my 2018 subtalar fusion surgery. My feet are extremely messed up and my foot surgeon recommended them. I always have 2 pairs, 1 for outside and 1 for inside. Once my outside sneakers are done, the indoor pair becomes the outdoor pair, and I order a new pair for indoors. I’ve worn a lot of sneakers over the years, and I find Hokas to be the most comfortable. If I don’t wear sneakers, my foot pain (and inflammation) gets worse quickly.

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Lap desk – When the pandemic started and my company went remote, going remote went so well that we are going to stay remote. Because of that, everyone got some money to get their home office set up. I spent some of that on a lap desk. This is helping me because my neck isn’t craned down as frequently as it was. I have felt a noticeable positive difference in my neck stiffness and pain, and I didn’t even think that my neck hurt much!

There are a lot of options out there. This is the one that I have, and it’s a simple plastic padded adjusted lap desk that is $30. It just holds my laptop, both my work laptop and my personal Macbook, which are different dimensions. 

This one is pretty much the same, but it holds more. You can put your laptop, your phone, and your mouse! It’s $50. 

Want one that looks nicer? This lap desk is gray woodgrain and it’s $35. 

Finally, if you want a lap desk that’s more of a table, this is the lap desk you want. Not only is it a table, but there’s enough room for your laptop and your coffee mug, and there’s a storage drawer for pens or post-it notes. Great for days when you are bed-bound! Plus, it’s only $35.

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Food slicer – Many people with arthritis struggle with their hands. I mean, 2 of the things I’ve already talked about in this post are for finger and hand trouble, so you know that I’m one of them. Which can be difficult when it comes to cooking! Want to eat fruit? Struggle with chopping? Get a fruit slicer! I mostly use mine for apples, but you might use yours for mangos, pears, citrus, potatoes, or tomatoes. This Cuisinart Fruit and Vegetable Box Chopper is just what you need. 

Do you like pineapple? Do you struggle with slicing your pineapple? (I’ve never tried to slice one but it sounds difficult, especially for someone with hand trouble.) Then get this Pineapple Corer Slicer and Cutter, which isn’t even $15.

Now, I can’t eat eggs, but if you like hard-boiled eggs, you might want help cutting them. Kitchenaid makes an egg slicer that looks really helpful that is $9.

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Tempur-pedic neck pillow – Back when we knew something was wrong with me, but before I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, I saw a great chiropractor. He recommended that I get a tempur-pedic neck pillow to help with neck and back pain. (Note: at this point he had been treating my mom for years, and helped her prevent needing back surgery, so we really trusted him. I only stopped seeing him because I stopped living in Maine!) 

What is special about the neck pillow is the memory foam and the curved design. It “follows the natural curve of your body, supporting your head and neck when you sleep on your back or side” (x). I have used this pillow for 15 years, and when I have trouble sleeping or I’m having a TMJ flare, it makes my life so much better.

The original tempur-pedic neck pillow is not cheap at $119, but Bed Bath & Beyond’s version is a lot more affordable at $39.

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KT tape – This is a tool to use if you have joint pain. KT tape has helped my right hand, supported my shoulder, reduce the inflammation in my feet, and helped my knees move in the proper way without my knee caps floating. I suggest using KT Tape Pro, as it lasts longer, and the KT tape website has different instruction videos and PDFs to help you use it correctly. If you don’t see the area of the body or the purpose that you’re looking for on their website, then you can email them to ask. They’re super nice and will help the best they can!

KT Tape is the sort of thing where you will get the most benefit if you use it preemptively. It might help a little if a certain joint is already hurting, but it helps best by reducing the pain before it gets bad. Before I got my compression gloves, I taped the knuckle that connects my forefinger to my hand at the beginning of every work day. I super helped.

KT tape also comes in lots of fun colors. Nothing is different except for the color, but it’s a great way to make you smile a bit if, like me, you like color.

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Icy Hot – There’s a reason why Icy Hot is as well-known as it is: it can help you deal with your pain. Icy Hot isn’t for everyone or for every type of pain. A thing I deal with is costochondritis, which is “inflammation of the cartilage that connects a rib to the breastbone” (x). It’s extremely painful, and it’s in such a hard-to-reach and a hard-to-treat area. 

Technically, costochondritis isn’t related to RA, “but inflammation from RA can be a reason for damage to the rib cartilage,” which does result in costochondritis (x).

Icy Hot comes in a wide variety of forms. This roller-ball form helps keep your hands clean when you apply it. It’s also in cream form, patch form, or, my favorite, spray form. The spray helps me reach areas that I can’t get with cream or roller-ball.

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TENS unit –  This is a unit that uses electric current to stimulate the nerves and help pain. I was prescribed one in high school, and it helped my foot pain. That was before my arthritis was pretty much everywhere, and since then I’ve used it and it has helped some joints but hasn’t helped others. 

Getting a high-quality portable unit does require going through a doctor in order for your insurance to pay for it, but they are way more accessible now than they were in 2006. And Target now sells a version! This easy@Home TENS Electronic Pulse Stimulator Muscle Massager Unit is just $40.

Caring for Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

What arthritis products have helped you? 

Like this post? Check out:

What’s In My Tool Box for Dealing with Chronic Pain, What Is a Chronic Illness? And Other Frequently Asked Questions, What Is the Difference between Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis?, Why Is Rheumatoid Arthritis Hard to Diagnose?