Hand problems, pain and other issues.

[barkingmad]

Finally, your Gp has done it!! Well done Claire.
I found that after i subluxed fingers they are better taped for a few days, otherwise I kept knocking them and putting too much strain on them. You could try taping them for a while to see if it does give you relieve but dont tape to tightly, just enough to give support and to remind you to be careful of them.
Can you feel anything out of place?
If it is really unbearable you can go back to A/E and say that the pain is really awful. They have to see you.
Have you tried heat...I love heat!! It must be hard to see to your little one when your hand is feeling like that.
BUT AT LEAST HE FINALLY GAVE YOU THE REFERRAL!!! YIPPEE!!!
Will PM you later to see how you are going.
Donna x
PS I would insert one of those smiley faces but dont know how!!!

[sandy34]

hi can anyone hepl the past week i am having various finger pain.
right hand, middle finger and the joint after the nuckle.
left hand ,index finger(next to thumb) the very top joint.
these fingers are very hot change colous very stiff all the time and very very painful.i am walking around with these fingers isolated and away from the other.iam very protective of them and cannot use them.

this is a different pain to the normal i am used too.
sandy

ps any help please.


Mod edit - topic merged.

[Blaadyblah]

Hi Sandy, sounds like you need to get that checked out by your GP or minor injuries clinic (I find the latter really useful in these 'aaargh something's gone wrong' situations). Anything out of the ordinary (for whatever your definition of ordinary is!) you should get looked at, particularly if it's impairing function. If you do a search for finger pain/swelling you'll see that the subject comes up quite frequently in wrist topics too as it is often caused by or related to a wrist injury (didn't you hurt your wrist recently?). Hope it feels better soon.

[lil_miffy]

im not a pro with hms but my hands are one of my worst places and where ive had problems longest. i usuly put a wrist support glove on them but as you said youve been told not to strap it. you could try another suport i use. you get them from the pound shops. they little white fingerless gloves, very thin so not restricting. thers a pocket to put a heat pad in that coumes with them. it doesnt heat up a great deal but enough for a little comfort (which i find beter on my hands than the hotter pads). you could try with or without the pad.
if this is still to restricting get a pair of loose gloves. the heat will help keep the muscles relaxed. or you can get those thin cotton gloves you put on over moistureis at night. i think boots do them in the botanics range.

also massaging lotion or cream in pref a lavander based one (not lavender smelly one but actually esential oils) will help relax the muscles.

other than that i would treat it same as a sprain RICE- Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.

use your hand as little as you can but maybe try wiggling your fingers often, an ice pack or cool patch (again from pound shop) will reduce any swelling that might be gong on inside your hand, compression-this is the strapping etc so maybe give this a miss, elevation means just keeping it support so a pillow under it or a sling for a few days.

[Retro]

Elevation to reduce swelling should involve raising the injured part preferably above the level of the heart so for a wrist/hand injury an "elevation" sling (so that your hand rests on the opposite collarbone) rather than an imobilisation one (where your elbow is at 90 degrees) is better.

As has already been said, some support/splinting tends to work better for us as it allows everything to settle back into place. Short term anti-inflammatories might also help. Might be better to see a physio or sports injury specialist in the short term.

Lindsey

[aheaps]

Thanks for all your replies.

My wrist still looks swollen and the knuckles look swollen too. Still painful, but because I have been referred to Rheumy my GP will do nothing further

I am now strapping the wrist up when the pain is too bad as at least this seems to help a bit.

I guess I will just have to wait to see the Rheumy (whenever that will be as I've been told by Sunderland Hospital a couple of days ago that there is no available appointments at the moment and don't know when there will be any! They will contact me in the future when one becomes available.)

Claire

[sarahh]

Hi Claire I really hope your wrist settles down soon and that you don't have to wait too long to see a rheumy.

[aheaps]

Hi everyone

Thanks for all your replies. Still don't have appointment date for Rheumy so I have booked an appointment with Prof. G for next Tuesday at 3pm.

My wrist and hand are still bad. Nearly 5 weeks that it has been like this. No longer sure whether it is all swelling or lump or what. Hopefully Prof. G can get to the bottom of it. My knuckles still keep swelling as well as my little finger, however the wrist looks for like a soft lump and the little finger also feels like it has a soft lump near the top joint, near the nail. The knuckle of the little finger looks either swollen or misshapen, not sure which and still really painful.

I now strap it up most of the time as it is the only thing that seems to ease the pain.

I'll let you know how I get on.

Claire

[Sharilee]

Hi all,

Well you learn something new every day!! I was reading previous threads about hand pain and I will have to say I didn't know HMS could affect your hands as much as your other major joints. Ahhh...Duh to me...!! I have had severe hand/finger pain since January and then in Mar-April the swelling in my hands has prevented me from closing my hand at all, so I can't hold small things, and find it difficult doing fine hand actions. My family doc did a rheumatoid factor test and it was negative so I know that is not the problem. Has anyone had a similar problem? Have you had any pain/swelling relief?
I work in a medical/clerical job typing, filing etc all day and I am having great difficulty accomplishing my daily tasks.

Sharilee
modnote: merged with existing thread

[Blaadyblah]

If you go to the advanced search and look for hands in topic titles only, you'll find two pages of discussions of various hand problems, many of us experience similar problems. You might also want to take a look at the topics on typing, writing and kitchen gadgets.

Also, find out exactly what you've done - if you can look for the specific problem someone has usually had it.

[Livsmum]

I am experiancing increasing pain in my hands, I cannot write now than a few words without cramping pains, cannot hold things, like a cup of coffee, a kettle to make the coffee, small objects, without spasms and cramps in the backs of my hands and things like turning keys or doorhandles are being increasingly difficult. Driving can also be problematic, with pins and needles from holding the steering wheel to cramps and spasms which mean I can't hold it! Thankfully my left hand is not as bad as my right, so I can still hold on with that one!

Is there anything I can do/use to help with this pain in my hands? I also have burning sensations in my wrists and up my arms.

[Blaadyblah]

First off, check you're not overgripping (lots of us do that). Read through the rest of this topic, you'll see many of us have similar problems and have found some (if not all) solutions. Chunky pens help with the writing (there's a separate topic for writing problems).

[gila]

re the driving- maybe try changing seat position- I had to change to "lil old lady right up close to the wind screen" position so that my shoulders didnt get pulled out of place... shoulders out of place can cause numbness, burning, tingling in hand/arm too...
and as blaady said def try not gripping too tightly, try to do things 'relaxedly' (easier said than done...)
xxg

[Livsmum]

Thanks, thats interesting about driving, I do get pain in my shoulders, across my back and up my neck when I drive too, often resulting in my neck clicking with everymove of my head and restricted movement. My back and hips are very painful driving too, I think I will try to find a good support for the carseat, any info on good ones appreciated!

Reading through all these previous posts I can't see much on the cramps and spasms I get in the back of my hand, there's lots on Carpul Tunnel, which I do have, but it's the painful spasms that are causing the most problems. I have to change GP, haven't got round to it yet, because we have moved and changed counties, so I think I may ask for OT referal for me as well as Olivia when I do. The other thing I picked up from the previous posts was glucosamine chondroitin, would this help with cramps and spasms?

[gila]

I dont have carpal tunnel (but orthopod thought so at some point) but do get crampy claw hands from gripping too much, same hand position/movement for too long...cant hand write for example, even with thick pens, for long at all... have to stop and do little hand exercises v frequently...
and I sure cant keep both hands on steering wheel all the time, need to move/wiggle them a lot
xxg