Finger Stretch: Put hands together by touching fingertips in front of your chest bring elbows out to sides as you gently press fingertips together. Finger Fan: Place hands flat on a tabletop with fingers together spread them wide, then bring them back together.

First, soak hands in warm water to loosen the finger and wrist joints, then hold each stretch for 2-5 seconds. 'Recent FDA-approved prescription topical pain-relief gels can help when rubbed onto the affected fingers,' Silverman says.Īs long as your joints are not inflamed, do the following stretches daily to retain flexibility. In severe cases, your doctor may prescribe stronger pain relievers. Treatments:Give your hands a rest, if possible, and take drugstore pain relievers such as ibuprofen. 'However, unlike rheumatoid arthritis, the joint is 'cool' and doesn’t feel inflamed,' Silverman says. Joint stiffness, particularly in the last joints near the fingerstips, occurs mostly in the morning. Symptoms: Typing, writing, knitting, lifting heavy weights, or humid or rainy weather may exacerbate pain. 'It’s one of the most common of the 120 forms of arthritis,' says Gary Silverman, D.O., a board-certified rheumatologist in Scottsdale, Ariz., and a faculty member at Midwestern University in Glendale, Ariz. It most often affects hands and over time may permanently damage joints. It’s caused by a breakdown of joint cartilage, allowing bones to rub together. Joint wear and tear, an injury, age or even genes may trigger osteoarthritis (OA). So are those with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (see #6), fibromyalgia and lupus, because inflammation and swelling narrows the nerve path. People with narrower carpal tunnels are more susceptible to CTS. The swelling compresses nerves in the CT, leading to pain and tingling in the fingers.

Repetitive activities, such as texting and computer work, may gradually trigger CTS, which is caused by swelling from irritated tendons or fluid in the carpal tunnel, a small passageway of bones and ligaments at the base of the hand. Read on to find out other triggers for common hand and arm problems and the best ways to get relief. 'Plus, new moms may be prone to tendonitis in the elbow from picking up and holding the baby throughout the day,' Dr. For example, mothers-to-be are at a higher risk of carpal tunnel syndrome because the increased fluid caused by pregnancy compresses wrist nerves. Geier adds.Īge, lifestyle, occupation and genetics determine your risk of hand and arm disorders. 'Tendon problems in the wrist typically cause pain in the wrist and thumb but also the forearm,” Dr. For example, muscles and tendons for wrist movements originate in the elbow, causing pain throughout the entire limb. 'The problem is, hand and arm pain may originate from more than one area of the body,' explains orthopedic surgeon David Geier, M.D., director of sports medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. In some cases, pain may even travel from one part of the arm or hand to another. Symptoms may come and go or get worse at different times or movements. Plus, diagnosing hand pain’s cause is complicated. Picking up tots, cooking dinner and texting on the phone are motions that can cause long-term damage to the joints, muscles and nerves in your hands and arms. But because a hand has many moving parts – 27 bones, several muscles, tendons, ligaments and thousands of nerve endings all packed into a small space – a lot can go wrong. Hands are remarkably complicated and versatile, capable of doing everything from grasping large objects to performing delicate microsurgery. Find out why your digits are aching plus, get solutions for relief… When ordinary hand movements – opening a jar, lifting a baby or texting – cause pain, daily life becomes difficult.

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