Symptoms of Hand and Wrist Disorders
You may have a problem if you have any of these symptoms:
- tingling
- swelling in the joints
- decreased ability to move
- decreased grip strength
- pain from movement, pressure, or exposure to cold or vibration
- continual muscle fatigue
- sore muscles
- numbness
- change in the skin color of your hands or fingertips
These symptoms may not appear immediately because they develop over weeks, months or years. By then, the damage may be serious. Take action when you notice any discomfort. (Source: CAL-OSHA)
Overuse Problems
- Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by pressure on a nerve (median nerve) in the wrist. The symptoms include tingling, numbness, weakness, or pain of the fingers and hand.
- Tendon pain is actually a symptom of tendinosis, a series of very small tears (microtears) in the tissue in or around the tendon. In addition to pain and tenderness, common symptoms of tendon injury include decreased strength and movement in the affected area.
- De Quervain’s disease can occur in the hand and wrist when tendons and the tendon covering (sheath) on the thumb side of the wrist swell and become inflamed. See a picture of de Quervain’s disease.
- Repetitive motion syndrome is a term used to describe symptoms such as pain, swelling, or tenderness that occur from repeating the same motion over and over.
- Writer’s cramps develop with repeated hand or finger motion, such as writing or typing.
- Trigger finger or trigger thumb occurs when the flexor tendon and its sheath in a finger or thumb thicken or swell.
Bone, muscle, or joint problems
- Dupuytren’s disease is an abnormal thickening of tissue beneath the skin in the palm of the hand or hands and occasionally the soles of the feet. The thickened skin and tendons (palmar fascia) may eventually limit movement or cause the fingers to bend so that they can’t be straightened. See a picture of Dupuytren’s contracture.
- Ganglion cysts are small sacs (cysts) filled with clear, jellylike fluid that often appear as bumps on the hands and wrists but can also develop on feet, ankles, knees, or shoulders. See a picture of a ganglion.
