However, sometimes hand pain can strike when you’re not near your specially purchased gadgets. Or maybe you just don’t want to spend money on an item you might not use too often. That’s where “hacks” come in. Hacks are a clever way of repurposing tools you already have in new and useful ways. “You can transform things that are on hand in a way that’s helpful, especially if the specially made items aren’t handy,” says Genie Lieberman, director of the physical rehabilitation institute at the Boca Raton Regional Hospital in Florida.

8 Hacks That Lend a Helping Hand

Next time hand pain strikes, try these creative ways to use everyday items for carrying out daily tasks:

  1. Use a kitchen sponge for stability. Gripping a mixing bowl in a pinching manner while you stir the contents is tough on the joints. Placing a damp sponge under the bowl helps it stay in place with much less hand support, Lieberman says. A damp cloth is equally effective.
  2. Try an apron as a tool belt. Whether you’re doing minor repair work or cleaning around the house, holding supplies like a hammer and nails or a scrubber and sponge when you’re not actually using them fatigues your fingers. If you wear a kitchen apron, you can store the items in the pockets until you need to use them.
  3. Use headbands as pullers. When you have RA, it’s better to pull things with your forearms rather than your fingers, Lieberman says. That’s why she suggests wrapping headbands with Velcro closures on the refrigerator and oven doors. Simply loop your arm into it before you pull. The same concept applies to your purse: “If you find it hard to close handbags, try adding a keyring with an attachment (leather strap) to your zipper,” says healthcare provider Robbie Cassidy, as shared on Tippi RA.
  4. Try cuticle scissors for cutting condiment packets. Those tiny packs of ketchup, mustard, and other condiments served in many family-style restaurants can be painful to open. That’s why some people with RA keep a dedicated cuticle scissors in their purse or car to use on these packets. If you get scissors with a larger, padded grip, all the better.
  5. Stick a tennis ball on your toothbrush. If you don’t have a specially made grip for your toothbrush, simply slice a tennis ball and insert the handle end inside. This gives you a larger surface area to hold during the two minutes you should be brushing. “Alternatively, you could by an electric toothbrush with a large handle,” adds Cassidy, as shared on Tippi RA.
  6. Use a pot holder while you’re ironing clothes. Lifting a heavy iron can tax your joints, which is why experts suggest you slide the iron as much as possible. What do you do when you have to adjust the item you’re de-wrinkling? Keep a potholder on the ironing board and slide the iron onto it until you’re ready to slide it onto the garment again.
  7. Use a piece of a pool noodle as a card holder. If you love a game of rummy or poker but can’t hold the playing cards for long, this pool toy can help. Take a pool noodle and slice an inch or more off the end. (You should have a piece that looks like a small donut.) Then slice that piece halfway in, like you’re in the middle of cutting a bagel. Splay the cards in your hand and slide them into the slit. The surface area you’ll have for holding the cards is now much larger.
  8. Try a nonslip shelf liner or rubber bands to help with gripping. Opening jar lids is one of the hardest things to do when RA affects your hands. A nonslip grip shelf liner, such as the kind sold at home improvement stores, can be cut to fit various objects and enhance your grip. You can also place rubber bands on the jars, which similarly increases your traction. Use big bands for pickle-size jars and smaller bands for items like nail polish. Another option: “If you have trouble opening jars, and you are going right home, ask the checkers at the grocery store to loosen the jars for you,” says Judy, 78, who has RA, as shared on Tippi RA.