Condition

Hand osteoarthritis

Wear of the small joints of the hand, causing knobbly, achy, stiff fingers — common with age.

Affects Hand & wrist

See a clinician

Some causes of hand osteoarthritis need medical care, not self-treatment. Seek help for any of these:

A single hot, red, acutely swollen joint with fever (rule out infection)
Rapidly destructive or deforming joint changes
Symmetric swelling of many small joints with prolonged morning stiffness (consider rheumatoid arthritis)

What may help

Remedies studied for hand osteoarthritis, ranked by strength of evidence.

C
Turmeric (curcumin extract) herb
One small pilot trial suggests low-dose curcumin may improve hand OA pain and function.
—
Boswellia serrata herb
The randomized hand-OA trial was negative; Boswellia's positive evidence is in the knee and doesn't transfer.

Hand OA is managed with exercise, joint protection, and topical or oral analgesics. Supplement evidence is thin: a single small pilot suggests curcumin may help, while the randomized trial of Boswellia for hand OA was negative.