Possible Causes of Your Hand Pain (And What We Can Do About It)

From gripping heavy objects to threading a needle, your hands give you the capability of performing many functions. Though your hand is quite complex, it’s also very delicate, comprised of thin bones, tendons, and blood vessels that sit just under your skin, making your hand vulnerable to injury and pain.

Because you rely on your hands to perform so many tasks, any type of pain can interfere with your daily life. At Orthopedic & Wellness, with office locations in Frederick, Waldorf, and Germantown, Maryland, Dr. Ojedapo Ojeyemi and Dr. Matthew Roh are hand pain specialists who want to share information about the potential causes of your hand discomfort and what we can do about it. 

Why does my hand hurt?

There are endless reasons you may be experiencing hand pain, ranging from an unexpected acute injury to a side effect from an unrelated health condition. Your hand’s complex and delicate system of bones, ligaments, joints, nerves, muscles, and blood vessels all work together to perform fine motor tasks, like texting, cutting your steak, and stitching a torn seam.

Your hand pain may result from injury, overuse, or disease that affects one or more components that make up your hand. Some of the most common causes of hand pain include:

• Arthritis
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Fracture
• De Quervain’s disease
• Tendinitis
• Trigger finger
• Ganglion cyst
• Osteoporosis
• Neuropathy
• Infection
• Writer’s cramp
• Repetitive motion syndrome

You may also experience pain or tingling sensations in your hand from issues related to your neck, such as a herniated disc or spinal stenosis. 

Getting the right diagnosis

Because hand pain can develop from so many causes, it’s essential that you get the right diagnosis so you can take the necessary steps to alleviate your pain. We recommend scheduling a consultation as soon as you start to experience symptoms, such as:

• Hand pain or burning
• Tingling or numbness in your hand
• Difficulty grasping objects
• Hand pain that worsens when you’re sleeping

We perform comprehensive evaluations when you come in looking for relief from your hand pain to help you get the most accurate diagnosis. In addition to reviewing your symptoms and examining your hand, we also ask detailed questions about your medical and family history, occupation, exercise routine, and lifestyle habits to try to pinpoint the possible cause of your pain.

In order to confirm or rule out a diagnosis, we may run diagnostic tests, such as blood work, X-rays, CT scans, or MRI. Once we know the exact cause of your hand pain, we can design a personalized plan to help you get relief.

Easing your hand pain

No single treatment works for all causes of hand pain. At Orthopedic & Wellness, we develop customized treatment plans that address the underlying cause of your discomfort to significantly reduce your pain and maybe even resolve your hand pain altogether.

For conditions such as arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and tendinitis, for example, we may recommend physical therapy to develop a program that stretches and strengthens supportive muscles to alleviate your discomfort. You may also benefit from occupational therapy to improve ergonomics at work and home to reduce repetitive hand stress that may lead to pain. We also may recommend a hand splint.

For immediate pain relief, we may prescribe anti-inflammatory medications or corticosteroid injections. In some cases, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger, or ganglion cyst, surgery may be needed to restore normal hand structure and function to alleviate your pain.

We also offer platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, a form of regenerative medicine that enhances your body’s natural healing powers. You may benefit from PRP injections to alleviate hand pain caused by arthritis, tendon or ligament injury, or fracture. 

Pain is a signal your body uses to let you know something is wrong. Ignoring your hand pain and hoping it may improve with time can ultimately worsen your condition. Let us help you get the relief you need. Contact us by phone or online today.