Hand Massagers for Pain and Stiffness Relief At Your Fingertips

A quick look at our picks for hand massagers

  • Best acupressure hand massager: Lunix LX3 Cordless Hand Massager
  • Best heated hand massager: Comfier Cordless Hand Massager with Heat
  • Best cold therapy hand massager: iECO Cryosphere Cold Massage Roller Ball
  • Best all-around hand massager: Healsmile Electric Hot Compress Recovery Massager
  • Best manual massager: Lure Essentials Finger & Wrist Acupressure Massager

Arthritis can be a frustrating and painful chronic condition. When you have arthritis in your hands, the associated pain and stiffness can be debilitating.

Once-simple daily tasks, like buttoning your shirt, working a doorknob, or opening a jar can become difficult or even impossible. This disruption to your abilities can reduce your quality of life.

Increasingly, research is showing the benefits of massage for arthritis.

A 2011 study sought to determine the benefits of massage for hand pain. Compared with a control group, participants had less pain and greater grip strength after 4 weeks of massage therapy. The massage therapy group also had greater improvements in their rates of anxiety, depressed moods, and sleep disturbances.

A 2017 study of 18 participants with osteoarthritis of the knee found that massage beneficial for pain relief. It also found massage provides relaxation, improved quality of life, and a sense of empowerment due to an improved ability to complete daily tasks.

Massage is even recommended as a treatment by the Arthritis Foundation.

Here, we’ll explore massagers for relieving pain and stiffness associated with arthritis of the hands.

ishonest’s picks for the best hand massagers

Lunix LX3 Cordless Hand Massager
  • Price: $$$
  • Customer callouts: 4.3 stars out of over 4,500 Amazon reviews

The Lunix LX3 Electric Hand Massager is a high-end model with lots of exciting bells and whistles to try out. Customize your relief by choosing from 6 levels of massage and intensity, with optional heat up to 107.

This massager uses compression acupressure therapy, which can help blood circulation and reduce numbness. The Lunix LX3 comes with a bonus manual hand massager and is charged via USB.

Comfier Cordless Hand Massager with Heat

In addition to massage, the Comfier Cordless Hand Massager boasts both heat and compression options. Choose from three options each for pressure, intensity, and heat for your hand massage.

This massager is designed to encase the entire hand, so you can soothe your knuckles, fingers, and palm all at once. The internal battery is rechargeable using the included USB cable.

iECO Cryosphere Cold Massage Roller Ball

Freeze the roller ball for 2 hours for up to 6 hours of cold therapy relief. The large rubber grip makes it easy to hold in your palm — especially important if you have arthritic hands.

The ball is made of food-grade stainless steel and filled with nontoxic cooling gel. Once cold, you can use the ball to massage your hands, wrists, or any part of your body that needs relief.

As a bonus, you can also use this for 20 minutes of warm therapy by placing your ball in hot water for 5 to 10 minutes.

Healsmile Electric Hot Compress Recovery Massager

This unique Healsmile hand massager looks like a fingerless glove wrapped around a rubber ball. Though it might look a little strange, it’s a powerful hand massager. It’s particularly good for those with limited dexterity, or those who are recovering from a stroke or hand surgery.

To use this massager, attach the wrist strap (with built-in aluminum bar support), insert your fingers into the finger loops, and grip the textured ball. Use the wired remote to turn on the vibrating massage, choose from 5 intensity levels, and activate the heat setting.

Lure Essentials Finger & Wrist Acupressure Massager

This inexpensive manual massager is lightweight and portable, perfect for storing in a purse, car, or desk drawer.

I own a massager similar to this one, and I like using it after a lot of typing. The company website claims this massager can increase grip strength, finger mobility and flexibility, and fatigue, while decreasing inflammation, pain, and fatigue.

The cooling magnet roller ball on one end can be used to massage anywhere on the body, including the face.

The takeaway

Arthritis of the hands can be difficult to manage, but there’s hope. Be patient with yourself as you explore all the different options for managing your pain and stiffness. Self-massage can be a beneficial tool for managing arthritis, but it’s not the be-all, end-all.

Think of self-massage as a tool for your arthritis relief toolkit. The more techniques and products you try, the more knowledge you’ll have about the best solutions for you. Good luck, and may your pain relief toolkit runneth over.

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