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Treat Your Own Hand and Thumb Osteoarthritis
Drawing from the latest research, Treat Your Own Hand and Thumb Osteoarthritis is a friendly manual that offers a simple, yet effective program for those who suffer from hand and thumb osteoarthritis.
Illustrated with over 100 step-by-step photographs, readers will find easy-to-follow exercises that are designed to make their hands less stiff, much stronger, more coordinated, and less painful. Perhaps best of all, the exercises can be done in the privacy of one's home with little cost or equipment - and they take just a few minutes each day to do.
Jim Johnson, P.T. is a physical therapist who has spent over twenty-one years treating both inpatients and outpatients with a wide range of pain and mobility problems. He has written many books based completely on published research and controlled trials including The Sixty-Second Motivator, Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff, The 5-Minute Plantar Fasciitis Solution, Treat Your Own Knee Arthritis, Exercise Beats Depression, Treat Your Own Tennis Elbow, Treat Your Own Achilles Tendinitis, and Treat Your Own Spinal Stenosis. His books have been translated into other languages and thousands of copies have been sold worldwide.
Besides working full-time as a clinician in a major teaching hospital and writing books, Jim Johnson is a certified Clinical Instructor by the American Physical Therapy Association and enjoys teaching physical therapy students from all over the United States.
Illustrated with over 100 step-by-step photographs, readers will find easy-to-follow exercises that are designed to make their hands less stiff, much stronger, more coordinated, and less painful. Perhaps best of all, the exercises can be done in the privacy of one's home with little cost or equipment - and they take just a few minutes each day to do.
Jim Johnson, P.T. is a physical therapist who has spent over twenty-one years treating both inpatients and outpatients with a wide range of pain and mobility problems. He has written many books based completely on published research and controlled trials including The Sixty-Second Motivator, Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff, The 5-Minute Plantar Fasciitis Solution, Treat Your Own Knee Arthritis, Exercise Beats Depression, Treat Your Own Tennis Elbow, Treat Your Own Achilles Tendinitis, and Treat Your Own Spinal Stenosis. His books have been translated into other languages and thousands of copies have been sold worldwide.
Besides working full-time as a clinician in a major teaching hospital and writing books, Jim Johnson is a certified Clinical Instructor by the American Physical Therapy Association and enjoys teaching physical therapy students from all over the United States.
96 pages, Paperback
First published October 4, 2012
1 person is currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Jim Johnson
30 books4 followersJim Johnson, P.T. is a physical therapist who has spent over 25 years treating both inpatients and outpatients with a wide range of pain and mobility problems. He has written many books based completely on published research and controlled trials. His books have been translated into other languages, and thousands of copies have been sold worldwide.
Besides working full-time as a clinician in a large teaching hospital and writing books, Jim is a certified Clinical Instructor by the American Physical Therapy Association and enjoys teaching physical therapy students from all over the United States.
Besides working full-time as a clinician in a large teaching hospital and writing books, Jim is a certified Clinical Instructor by the American Physical Therapy Association and enjoys teaching physical therapy students from all over the United States.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 3, 2026
As someone who has been diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my thumb and finger, I’ve been doing what I always do when something new enters my life: reading about it. I’ve read a few books about the condition now, but none as specific as this one.
It’s a physically large but thin book with large print. On the first page, the author, Jim Johnson, says: "The books I wrote address common, everyday problems that people of all ages have.” “Therefore, by writing books with larger print that are short and to the point, everyone can get the information quickly and with ease. After all, what good is a book full of useful information if nobody ever finishes it?"
I’m going to include an overview of the chapters here. Since this is only available as a physical book, it’s harder to find a sample online to get a feel for what’s actually inside.
The Chapters:
1. Hand osteoarthritis: Not a hopeless case
2. Getting to know your hand
3. Getting rid of that stiffness
4. Making your hands stronger
5. Increasing the coordination in your hands
6. How to protect the joints in your hands
7. The usefulness of splints
8. How to stay on track
9. Why measuring your progress is very important
10. Comprehensive list of supporting references
I’d seen some of these ideas in other books or articles, but there were also some fresh thoughts. I hadn’t come across "The Cochin Hand Functional Disability Scale" before, and I plan to start using that to track my own progress.
I also found the chapter "Getting to know your hand" really useful. It gave me a real appreciation for how complex the hand is. The "wrist rubble" (all those tiny bones) is fascinating. What a wonder the body is.
A couple of the exercises were new to me, though many were the same as the advice I got from the physio at my GP surgery. This was reassuring and made me trust the rest of the book even more.
The chapter on coordination was a novelty and something I hadn't thought about before. I’ve now bought some Chinese health balls to practice with. You can sometimes hear them chiming in the background while I’m on video calls!
The final chapter includes all the research material Jim used to put the book together. I always appreciate seeing well-referenced writing.
I definitely gained some new information from this book, and I’m really glad I picked it up.
It’s a physically large but thin book with large print. On the first page, the author, Jim Johnson, says: "The books I wrote address common, everyday problems that people of all ages have.” “Therefore, by writing books with larger print that are short and to the point, everyone can get the information quickly and with ease. After all, what good is a book full of useful information if nobody ever finishes it?"
I’m going to include an overview of the chapters here. Since this is only available as a physical book, it’s harder to find a sample online to get a feel for what’s actually inside.
The Chapters:
1. Hand osteoarthritis: Not a hopeless case
2. Getting to know your hand
3. Getting rid of that stiffness
4. Making your hands stronger
5. Increasing the coordination in your hands
6. How to protect the joints in your hands
7. The usefulness of splints
8. How to stay on track
9. Why measuring your progress is very important
10. Comprehensive list of supporting references
I’d seen some of these ideas in other books or articles, but there were also some fresh thoughts. I hadn’t come across "The Cochin Hand Functional Disability Scale" before, and I plan to start using that to track my own progress.
I also found the chapter "Getting to know your hand" really useful. It gave me a real appreciation for how complex the hand is. The "wrist rubble" (all those tiny bones) is fascinating. What a wonder the body is.
A couple of the exercises were new to me, though many were the same as the advice I got from the physio at my GP surgery. This was reassuring and made me trust the rest of the book even more.
The chapter on coordination was a novelty and something I hadn't thought about before. I’ve now bought some Chinese health balls to practice with. You can sometimes hear them chiming in the background while I’m on video calls!
The final chapter includes all the research material Jim used to put the book together. I always appreciate seeing well-referenced writing.
I definitely gained some new information from this book, and I’m really glad I picked it up.
December 10, 2014
Jim Johnson is an angel. He has taken the time to put together an easy to read guide that is sure to help anyone. From x-rays to how to keep up with everything, to a chart to help you keep up with your progress, he has thought of everything and put it in this book.
Whether you just have a little bit of stiffness or you have an advanced case, you need to read this book. There are exercises in here that will help every level of pain. He has also included a lot of information about the hows and whys, and he explains why his solutions work. This is a must read!!!!
Whether you just have a little bit of stiffness or you have an advanced case, you need to read this book. There are exercises in here that will help every level of pain. He has also included a lot of information about the hows and whys, and he explains why his solutions work. This is a must read!!!!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews