Hand pains can make everyday tasks feel difficult, slow, and more painful than they actually are. Besides being inconvenient and even embarrassing, chronic hand pain can also cause anxiety and reduce your quality of living by disrupting your daily (and nightly) routine.
Chronic pain is devastating and can result in loss of independence. With so many things to do in life, hand pain can limit what you can do. It also leads to frustration, embarrassment, and isolation. Chronic hand pain can make simple everyday activities. As a result, you may feel alone and like you're in uncharted waters with no one to help you find a way out.
This blog is dedicated to showing that you don't have to stop everything in life because of hand pains. This will also show you when to see a Manhattan pain management specialist, so you can continue your normal activities and not give in to the temptation to stop doing what you love. So here's some advice for dealing with chronic hand pain.
Know When to Get Help
If you have chronic hand pain, you may have noticed that it's hard to keep your hands moving. When you do make a fist or pick up a glass of water, the pain can be excruciating.
The first step in managing chronic hand pain is identifying the cause of the problem — whether it's arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, or another condition causing inflammation or nerve damage in your hands. Once the cause is diagnosed and treated, many people find relief from their symptoms and are able to continue working or exercising without experiencing pain every day.
Chronic hand pain affects millions of people every year. If you're having trouble with your hands and it is severe and limiting, talk with a pain specialist about treatment options such as physical therapy or using splints or braces to keep the joints in place while they heal. They can help you manage your pain symptoms and help identify any underlying causes so that they can recommend appropriate treatments.
It's important to know when it's time to get help. Here are some signs that you might need medical attention:
• Pain that gets worse over time
• Pain that wakes you up at night
• Pain that occurs in both hands at the same time
• Difficulty doing daily activities like writing and typing
• Tingling or numbness in one or both hands
Keep Hands Warm
Cold temperatures can increase discomfort and limit mobility in the joints and muscles of your hands and fingers. When you're experiencing chronic hand pain, it's important to keep your hands moving. This helps to prevent stiffness and reduce your risk of injury. Here are some tips on how you can keep your hands warm:
Wear gloves or mittens at all times if possible. When it's cold outside, the blood vessels in your hands constrict; wear gloves or mittens that keep your hands warm and dry, so they don't lose heat as quickly. This can make it easier for you to get frostbite or develop painful swelling in your fingers. Also, try avoiding activities that could cause your hands to get cold, such as swimming in cold water or skiing on snow-filled slopes if you have poor circulation in your extremities.
Stretch Your Hands Gently
One of the best ways to keep your hands moving is to do gentle stretches after using them for a while. Tension in the muscles of the hand can cause pain and stiffness, especially if they are held in one position for a long time. So when you feel pain or stiffness in your hands, use gentle stretching exercises to help relieve tension in the muscles of your hands and arms.
If you have arthritis, stretch your hands gently for five minutes each day. This will help loosen up tight muscles in your wrists and fingers, improving circulation and relieving pressure on nerves in your hands and arms.
Choose the Right Hand Motions
Your joints have to move through many different ranges of motion to perform everyday tasks. However, some motions are better than others for people with joint pain. For example, it's better to use fewer twisting movements than twisting movements when you're opening jars or doing other chores around the house.
When you're in pain, it's tempting to stop doing everything with your hands. But that's not the best way to cope with chronic pain. Instead, choose one or two activities that are easiest for you and stick with them until the pain goes away or gets better. You'll be more likely to continue these activities if they're ones that bring you pleasure or help you feel productive.
For example, when you take out something from a cupboard or drawer, keep your elbow bent and use your forearm instead of your wrist (keep your hand flat on whatever is being opened). If possible, avoid reaching across the body with your arms; instead, turn toward the object, keeping one arm behind your back if necessary (this works better than keeping both arms straight out in front).
Exercise Regularly
When you have chronic hand pain that keeps you from doing the things you love, it can be tough to stay motivated and positive. But staying active is crucial to managing your pain. Exercise is one of the best ways to improve your mood, increase energy levels and manage stress — all factors that can help keep you from getting depressed or anxious about your condition.
Exercise also helps keep joints moving and improves flexibility in the muscles and tendons around your joints. This helps maintain healthy tissue and reduces stiffness. Exercise can also help strengthen weakened muscles caused by disuse atrophy or injury, which may contribute to chronic hand pain.
Consistency is the most important thing about exercise for people with chronic hand pain. If you're not used to being active, start slow — even just five minutes per day at first — and gradually build up over time. You'll want to choose activities that don't strain the injured areas too much or cause more pain than they relieve, if possible; walking, swimming, or yoga is good options for beginners who aren't used to exercising regularly.
Those who are physically active tend to have lower levels of chronic pain than those who aren't, according to a study. Any type of exercise is beneficial, but swimming, biking, and walking were found to be particularly helpful for people with chronic hand pain. Exercise helps keep your blood flowing and reduces stress, both of which can help you feel less pain.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
Chronic hand pain can make it difficult to perform daily activities, including cooking and cleaning. In addition, people with chronic hand pain often experience depression and a loss of self-esteem as they become more and more dependent on others for help with daily tasks.
It's not uncommon for people with chronic hand pain to become overweight or obese because they have difficulty exercising and eating properly. But being overweight puts extra stress on your joints, which makes it harder to use them. Losing weight can help relieve some of your chronic hand pain if you're overweight.
See a Specialist
Above all, don't let hand pain prevent you from getting up and doing things. But stop waiting around—don't let your condition hold you back from living the life you want to live. There are lots of things you can do to manage this condition, but there is no cure.
Chronic hand pain is not normal and isn't something anyone should live with. The important thing is to see a Manhattan pain management specialist to find a treatment that works for you. In addition, they can help you understand more about your condition and how to ease it. So give our experts a call today, and let us help you get your life back on track!