Whether it’s opening a bottle or organizing your inbox, your hands are essential to carrying out day-to-day routines. But many of us suffer from a range of maladies affecting our hands and fingers, leaving us less independent and more incapacitated than we’d like. For one overview of a range of hand disorders that can afflict you, carefully click here.

For many older individuals, the most challenging hand problems stem from arthritis or tremors. Due to a loss of cartilage and the rubbing of bones, or because of inflammation, your hands may become swollen, painful and even deformed due to arthritis. There are a range of options for treating arthritic hands, everything from the mild (rest) to the most invasive (surgery). To find out how to reduce your pain and increase your maneuverability, take a look here. And if hand tremors are beginning to bother you, there could be multiple causes to consider. For many, shaking hands are a sign of “essential tremors,” a malady of uncertain origin that often runs in families and tends to become more pronounced the older you get and the more you move your hands. But there are also lots of other potential causes of shaking hands so it’s best to check in with your doctor to determine an appropriate course of action.

And there are a whole range of additional problems that can cause pain and limitations on the use of your fingers and hands. From “trigger fingers” to carpal tunnel syndrome, you may experience stiffness or difficulty bending your fingers or pain when using your hands, which may greatly impair the quality of your life. For a wider description of some of these problems, and potential remedies, read more here.