The hand is a complex prehensile appendage with opposable thumbs, five distinct fingers (digits, phalanges) with fingernails, around 19 major and minor bones, a broad palm (metacarpus) and back (opishenar). Fully functional hands can accomplish amazing things. But an injury or chronic condition can be debilitating.
What is hand pain?
Hand pain is any discomfort that occurs between your wrist and fingertips. The pain in your hand may be sharp, dull, tingly, or throbbing, and the onset of redness, stiffness, or swelling may accompany it.
What causes hand pain?
Hand pain can originate in the bones, joints, connective tissues, tendons, and nerves. It can be caused by inflammation, nerve damage, repetitive motion injuries, sprains, fractures, or a chronic condition that persists over time.
Common causes of hand pain include:
- De Quervain's Tendinitis - inflammation of the tendons at the base of the thumb. It's also known as Mommy Thumb because new mothers get it from holding their babies in awkward positions. Wrist fractures also raise your risk for de Quervain's.
- Fracture - categorized as simple, complex, comminuted, and compound.
- Arthritis - the leading source of hand pain. There are many forms of arthritis, but the most common ones are Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Osteoarthritis (OA)
- Tendon Injury and Laceration
- Trigger finger - most common in adults between ages 40 and 60.
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Tumors including Glomus Tumor, Digital Mucous Cyst, and Enchondroma
- Jersey Finger
- Mallet Finger (also known as Baseball Finger)
- Bennett Fracture-Dislocation
- Friction Blisters
- Stroke/Cerebral Vascular Accident (CVA)
- Parkinson's Disease
What kind of treatment can I expect?
Our hand therapy services are provided by experienced, skilled physical therapists. Our therapists work one-on-one with patients using compassion, creativity, and advanced therapy techniques, in a comfortable environment, to help patients achieve their goals and restore function. Individually designed therapy programs are carefully developed for patients with injuries and/or medical conditions related to the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, and digits.
Services may include the following:
- Evaluation (pre- and post-op)
- Splints (custom & prefabricated)
- Patient/Family Education
- Written Home Programs
- Wound Care
- Kinetic Taping
- Thermal and Electrical Modalities
- Strength & Endurance Training
- Injury Prevention Programs
- Scar and Pain Management
- Edema Control
- Manual Therapy Desensitization
Physical Therapy for Hand Pain
You may be referred to physical therapy for conservative care of acute or chronic symptoms. People are also referred for pre-operative (pre-surgical) therapy and/or post-operative (post-surgical) therapy to aid in recovery and the return of function before and after surgery.
If you are referred for therapy, remember that you can choose where you get your care, even if the referring physician refers you to another therapy practice. Choose us for your hand therapy needs.
