We use our hands so much every day, and when they are in pain, our life is put on hold. From typing to brushing our teeth, to driving, eating, and using our cell phones, our hands are a very important part of our life.
Don’t let hand pain keep you from the activities you enjoy. If you are experiencing hand pain that is preventing you from enjoying your day-to-day activities, make an appointment to visit our orthopedic specialists in Jacksonville, FL.
Keep reading to learn about the 5 most common causes of hand pain.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
If you feel numbness or tingling in your thumb, index, middle fingers, or wrist that comes and goes, you may have carpal tunnel syndrome. The carpal tunnel is a small tube in the wrist that protects the median nerve, one of the main nerves in the hand. This median nerve provides feeling in the thumb, middle, index, and ring fingers, and controls the thumb muscles.
When the carpal tunnel becomes too narrow, pressure is put on the median nerve, which causes pain, numbness, tingling, and pain in the hand.
Carpal tunnel can be hereditary or caused by repeated hand movements, extreme hand and wrist positions, pregnancy, or other health conditions. If left untreated, carpal tunnel syndrome will become worse and can cause permanent damage.
Arthritis of the Hand
The hand is composed of many small bones, joints, ligaments, and tendons, making it prone to arthritis. Arthritis is inflammation of the joints that causes pain and stiffness. Rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease, commonly affects the hands and causes painful swelling that erodes bones and joints over time. In osteoarthritis, the cartilage protecting the bones wears away causing bones to grind against each other.
De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis
De Quervain’s tenosynovitis is the inflammation of the protective sheaths covering the tendons of the thumb running down to the wrist. Repetitive hand and wrist motions may trigger this condition, as well as lifting a child repeatedly using your thumbs as leverage. This condition causes pain and swelling near the base of your thumb, and makes it difficult to pinch or grasp without pain.
Trigger finger is when one of your fingers gets stuck in a bent position and releases with a painful “snap” similar to the release of a trigger. Trigger finger can also present itself as finger stiffness, a popping or clicking sound as you move your fingers, pain at the base of the affected finger, or a finger that is locked in a bent position.
Trigger finger occurs when the protective sheath surrounding the finger tendons becomes irritated or inflamed. Trigger finger is more common in women than in men and can be the result of repetitive gripping motions.
Fractures of the Hand, Fingers, and Wrist
Falling and using your hands to catch yourself is one of the most common ways to fracture the bones in your hands, fingers, and wrists. Car accidents, work-related accidents, and sports injuries are also common ways to injure hand bones. Osteoporosis causes weak bones and increases the risk of hand fractures.
If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms of hand pain, don’t delay! Call an orthopedic specialist in Jacksonville, FL, right away to diagnose, treat and prevent future damage to your hands so you can get back to living your life pain-free.Return to Blog