What Are Common Hand Injuries?

Your hands are a vital part of your everyday life, but when you begin to experience pain and stiffness in your fingers, normal activities become challenging. Our team at H&D Physical Therapy understands the intricacies of hand injuries and can treat your hand pain at the source. Contact our Physical Therapist in Sutton Place for treatment for hand injuries.

Hand Injuries

DeQuervain’s Syndrome

DeQuervain’s Syndrome is most commonly caused by overuse of the tendon and/or tendons that bend and move your thumb. This condition causes pain on the back of the wrist, movement problems, and swelling at the base of your thumb. Often you can see an “orange peel” appearance on the thumb side of the wrist.

DeQuervain’s Syndrome is characterized by pain and stiffness in the thumb, index finger, and middle finger when you hold something or grip it tightly. It also hurts to bend your wrist. You may notice some weakness when grabbing things or carrying objects. 

Most people feel pain while performing activities that require grasping with the hand or moving the wrist in an upward or downward direction. Symptoms tend to worsen when you are repeatedly gripping something tightly with your fingers, for example, when using a screwdriver.

DeQuervain’s Syndrome can be caused by overuse of your thumb, such as playing an instrument. When you play certain instruments — including the piano, guitar, flute, and violin — you grip the instrument with your thumb and fingers. This puts pressure on your tendons, which sometimes leads to irritation and swelling. 

Treatment includes stopping any activity that is making your symptoms worse, resting your thumb and wrist, applying cold packs to reduce swelling, over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication can be helpful.

Hand Arthritis 

Hand arthritis is another common issue people deal with every day. Arthritis is a condition that affects the joints and makes them stiff, swollen, and painful to move. There are many forms of arthritis, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gouty arthritis. All can affect your hands as well as other parts of your body. 

Osteoarthritis is very common in people’s hands and is sometimes called degenerative arthritis. It happens as a result of aging, loss of cartilage due to injury or overuse, and causes pain, swelling, and stiffness that can make it difficult to move your hand. Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease that affects the entire body, including the joints in your hands. As a result, your joints become inflamed and painful, which can make it difficult to move your hand.

In gouty arthritis, uric acid builds up in the fluid of a joint and causes inflammation. Gout most often affects the great toe but can also affect other joints–including those of the hand.

General Damage

Lacerations are another common hand injury. Lacerations are tears or openings in your skin. Trauma to the hand can cause lacerations, which may occur when you hit your hand on something sharp like a table corner, doorknob, or glass window pane. These injuries commonly happen during sports activities and can also result from falls that involve hitting an outstretched hand against the ground.

Abrasions are another common hand injury. Abrasions are scrapes, scratches, or rubbing away of the top layer of your skin. These types of injuries commonly happen when playing sports and falling on an outstretched hand.

Trigger Finger

Another common hand injury our team can treat is Trigger Finger. Trigger Finger is a condition that affects the tendons and ligaments in your fingers. It usually occurs when a finger becomes stuck in a bent position and cannot move properly.

Symptoms of trigger finger include waking up with your finger or fingers “stuck” in a bent position, pain, swelling, and stiffness. You may not be able to fully straighten your finger or thumb. Trigger finger most often affects the thumb and may be accompanied by a lump on the palm side of your hand.

Treatment for trigger finger includes avoiding activities that make your symptoms worse, icing to reduce swelling, and medication such as over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications or pain relievers. Surgery is an option if you’re not relieved by non-surgical treatments.

As with any injury, it is essential to avoid further injury or harm after a hand injury has occurred. Keep your hand elevated above heart level and use an ice pack to reduce swelling. It is also crucial for you to check your symptoms with a doctor as soon as possible.

Physical Therapist in Sutton Place

Our team at H&D Physical Therapy can alleviate your hand pain through the use of physical therapy. Learn all the ways we can help you on our website. Contact our Physical Therapist in Sutton Place today for treatment for hand pain.