Hands Archive

The most common causes of hand pain include osteoarthritis, nerve conditions, and tendinitis. To help manage the pain and avoid surgery, doctors recommend splinting, corticosteroid injections, anti-inflammatories, heat and cold applications, and hand exer

Doctors have three ways to treat Dupuytren's contracture, a condition that pulls one or more fingers toward the palm. A needle aponeurotomy breaks up the thick collagen tissue sticking to the tendons. A collagenase injection contains an enzyme that eats up and dissolves the collagen. Surgery involves the removal of the collagen tissue. With all three procedures, the condition can return. The procedure that's right for someone depends on the condition's severity and the location of the collagen.

One condition affecting the hands and fingers is Dupuytren's contracture, where one or more fingers become curled, making it difficult to perform everyday activities. Dupuytren's affects one in 20 Americans, so what do people need to know about it?

The typical causes of cramps in the hands include dehydration and straining the muscles with repeated motions like typing. Low calcium or magnesium or a compressed nerve in the wrist may also cause cramping. Stretching the fingers may help.

Performing hand exercises using therapy putty can help a person improve grip and pinch strength.

Hand arthritis makes it tough to do winter activities, such as preparing holiday feasts, shoveling snow, wrapping presents, or using walking or ski poles. It helps to plan out activities, break them up when possible, take lots of breaks, use tools to make the jobs easier, and enlist help if needed. For example, consider asking family and friends to assist with holiday meal prep, or hire a service to remove snow.

White spots on fingernails are common and have many possible causes. These include minor trauma to the fingers, wearing nail polish for prolonged periods, fungal infections, low iron levels, kidney disease, or liver cirrhosis.

Two main types of arthritis can affect the thumb and fingers. Osteoarthritis typically affects joints in the middle or end of the fingers or the base of the thumb. Rheumatoid arthritis more often affects the fingers' middle joints or the joints that connect the fingers to the hand. Medications can halt or slow the progression of rheumatoid arthritis. There aren't any drugs proven to halt or slow osteoarthritis. Using a splint or brace, using assistive devices (such as a shirt buttoner), and working with a certified hand therapist can help people cope with either type of arthritis.