Hand and Wrist Pain – Causes and Symptoms

Hands and Wrists Pain"Honey, would you open this jar for me?" This request may make your spouse feel strong and needed, but if you have pain in your hands or wrists, it probably makes you feel frustrated. Your hands stay so busy during the day, you don't even think about how vital they are ... until pain interferes with simple tasks like opening jars or doors.

Pain, numbness, or tingling in your hands or wrists can affect all areas of your life and sometimes may be a symptom of a larger problem. It's time to see your doctor if you have hand and wrist pain or numbness and:

Tingling or numbness in your hands and feet
Seizures
Muscle cramps or weakness

These symptoms, along with an irregular heart­beat, may signal that you have too little calcium in your blood. This is a medical emergency, and you should get help immediately.

Morning joint stiffness Limited movement and dexterity

This could mean osteoarthritis, a condition where the cartilage in your joints gradually breaks down. Usually, you will feel an aching pain when you move or put weight on your joints.

  1. Tight, thick, shiny skin (especially on fingers and face)
  2. Raynaud's phenomenon (hands and feet become red, white, and blue when exposed to cold)
  3. Difficulty swallowing
  4. Heartburn

These are symptoms of a rare but potentially fatal disease called scleroderma. It is a condition where your immune system attacks your own tissues. In mild cases, it affects only your skin, but severe cases may involve your heart, lungs, kidneys, gas­trointestinal tract, and joints.

Knots in your palm, usually at the base of your fingers

These type of knots could signify Dupuytren's dis­ease, which occurs mostly in older people. In this condition, nodules develop in your palm, often causing your fingers to bend involuntarily inward.

  1. Swelling
  2. Warmth in affected area
  3. Muscle pain or tenderness that increases with motion

If you have these symptoms you may have tendini­tis, an inflammation of your tendons. The problem often is caused by an injury or by repeating the same motion over and over.

  1. Pain is located mainly in your thumb, index, and middle fingers
  2. Pain is worse at night
  3. Weakness in your thumbs
  4. Numbness or loss of feeling in fingers

These symptoms could result from a condition known as carpal tunnel syndrome.