Q1. What are the causes behind pain over the hands?
There are many causes of hand pain. Some are simple and common, while others may be complex and should not be overlooked. Let's begin with the structure of the hand. The hand is made up of skin, bones, joints, cartilages and tendons. Surrounding the joints, there are soft tissues, blood vessels and nerve fibres.
Q2. What are the most common hand joint problems?
The most common hand joint problem is degenerative arthritis (osteoarthritis), which usually affects the proximal interphalangeal joints and distal interphalangeal joints. Some other patients may have inflammatory arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. Patients with chronic gout may feel pain on the hand joints if the problems are not properly managed. Some female patients with gout may have the disease start in their hands.
Q3. Why do the fingers feel jammed from time to time?
If your fingers feel jammed and painful when you try to stretch them, you may suffer from trigger fingers. Due to inflamed and swollen tendons, your fingers may get stuck in certain positions and feel painful when straightened. Recent research has shown that trigger finger can be an early sign of rheumatoid arthritis. If it occurs in several fingers for no obvious reasons, please consult a rheumatologist as soon as possible.
Q4. Is my hand pain caused by "poor blood circulation"?
Many patients believe that hand pain is caused by poor blood circulation. But it is mostly not true in modern medicine. In fact, for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, the blood circulation is found to be prominent near the joints. For patients with other rheumatic conditions, such as scleroderma and lupus erythematosus, they may experience Raynaud's phenomenon, that pain may occur when blood vessels constrict at cold temperatures, reducing blood supply to the fingertips.
Q5. Are skin problems related to hand pain?
In some rheumatic cases, patients may experience pain due to skin problems. For example, vasculitis can cause red rashes and pain on the fingertips, while skin rashes on the back of the hand or around the nails can lead to inflammation and also pain. In some cases like scleroderma, patients may experience discomfort as the skin thickens.
Q6. Is there any problem with my hand if they feel numb and tingling during sleep?
While one is often diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome if the hands feel numb and painful during sleep, it is necessary to identify the underlying causes before treatment. Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve, which passes through the wrist canal, being compressed by the surrounding tissues and structures. The pressure can be caused by tendon inflammation in the wrist or nerve compression due to rheumatoid arthritis, resulting in carpal tunnel syndrome. Other factors such as pregnancy, thyroid hormone imbalances, and growth hormone imbalances may also lead to similar symptoms. Problems in areas other than the hand, such as the cervical spine, may also manifest as hand pain.
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