Hand Pain

The problem
You have pain, swelling, and/or redness in your hand.

Causes of Hand Pain

• Tendinitis. Your fingers are painful and tender, with tenderness worsening at night. You also have trouble moving your fingers and you may have muscle spasms in your hand. Tendonitis is caused by sudden physical trauma (e.g., falling or lifting heavy objects), prolonged repetitive movement. It can affect any part of the body but most commonly affects the shoulders, elbows, wrists, ankles, and fingers.
• Ganglia. You have a round swelling under the skin of your wrist or the back of your hand. It may be hard or rubbery but usually not painful or tender. You have a ganglion or ganglionic cyst, which is common and usually needs no treatment. If especially troublesome, it can be aspirated (i.e., emptied) with a needle in your doctor’s office or removed surgically.
• Infection. You have pain, swelling, redness, and warmth in your hand. You also have a fever and feel ill. This could be osteomyelitis (especially if there was any receding trauma to the hand), infectious arthritis, soft tissue infection, or rheumatic fever (especially if you recently had a sore throat).
• Gout. Yu have pain in the joint at the base of your big toe, foot, ankle, or knee, or in your hand or elbow, that has intensified to the point that no position provides relief. Gout is actually a type of arthritis. It runs in families, and it results fro a buildup of uric acid in the blood and around the joints. If your doctor diagnoses you with gout, you will probably receive antigout drugs and be advised to cut down on rich foods and alcohol.

Self-Care-Measures
If tendinits is the cause, try the RICE remedy.

Prevention

• For sprains, strains, tendonitis, and carpal tunnel syndrome:
• Avoid highly repetitious movement.
• Take breaks.
• Use appropriate arm and wrist supports while keyboarding.
• Vary your activities.
• Exercise regularly at a level you are comfortable with, warming up and cooling down before and after your workout.
• Use the proper sports equipment (e.g., the right gloves, wrist guards, or protective gear, etc.).