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Ouch! There go those hands again.
Maybe it’s not pain, maybe it’s just a weird numbness, or tingling, or maybe they just “feel weak”, like they just don’t want to work anymore. Whatever your hand problem feels like, it’s no fun to have hand that are acting up.
Common hand problems are far from uncommon. In fact, most adults suffer from finger or hand issues at some point in their lives.
Most hand problems fall into 3 basic categories: overuse; bone, muscle or joint problems; and problems that stem from medical conditions.
In this blog we will address hand pain that results from overuse.
It’s hard to define “overuse” since we use our hands so much each day by typing emails, cutting the vegetables for lunch, practicing our musical instrument…even just hitting buttons on the remote. Thinking about how often we rely upon our hands is almost an “overuse” of the brain. Suffice to say, we use our hands nearly every waking moment of our lives.
“Overuse” can result in a few nasty conditions:
- Writer’s cramps can develop with repeated hand or finger motion, such as typing or..well..writing.
- Repetitive motion syndrome is a term used to describe symptoms such as pain, swelling, or tenderness that occur from repeating the same motion over and over.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by pressure on a nerve (median nerve) in the wrist. The symptoms include tingling, numbness, weakness, or pain of the fingers and hand.
- Tendon pain is actually a symptom of tendinitis, a series of very small tears (microtears) in the tissue in or around the tendon. In addition to pain and tenderness, common symptoms of tendon injury include decreased strength and movement in the affected area.
There are many other more rare conditions as well including De Quervain’s disease and more.
At Brigham City Community Hospital, we are well-prepared to help diagnose and treat hand problems. Contact one of our primary care physicians for an evaluation.
If you would like more information about preventing and helping common hand problems, please join us for a FREE Healthy Conversation with Dr. Brent Miller on September 10!
