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Chronic hand pain is excruciating, making it hard to do what you need to without suffering. You go about your daily routine, and suddenly, your hands start hurting in ways that you never experienced before. There are good days when you can work with your hands, and then you're in a lot of pain the next day. It makes it very difficult to manage your condition.
An important part of the treatment plan at our Englewood Cliffs pain management center is to identify and treat the triggers that make your symptoms worse. So, what are the triggers of your chronic hand pain, why are they important, and why should you care? Keep reading below.
Identify the Triggers
One of the most important things to do when dealing with chronic hand pain is to identify the triggers for your symptoms. Once you know what's causing your pain, you can take steps to eliminate those triggers from your life.
Hand pain can come from many sources, including inflammation and overuse. If you have been told that the root cause of your hand pain was repetitive stress injury or tendonitis, then you understand that it can happen for a number of reasons, seemingly out of the blue.
The key is identifying the specific trigger that causes your chronic hand pain and addressing it directly. Here are some common triggers for chronic hand pain:
Repetitive Movement
Repetitive movements can cause overuse injuries and lead to chronic hand pain. If you work in an office job and use a computer mouse all day long, this could be one of the triggers for your symptoms.
Contact Sports
Contact sports like boxing or tennis can cause injuries that lead to chronic hand pain over time. This type of activity increases the risk of experiencing contact-related injuries like sprains and strains, which can result in long-term discomfort if they aren't treated properly.
Weather Exposure
Exposure to extreme weather conditions can trigger chronic hand pain in some people. In addition, extreme temperature changes can cause nerve damage, leading to chronic hand pain. This is especially true for people who spend time at the beach or working outside during the cold weather season.
Poor Posture
Poor posture and ergonomics at work or home environments may also cause chronic hand pain triggers if they're not addressed properly by adjusting how things are done in order to avoid overexertion of muscles in your hands and wrists over time.
Stress
Stress is another common trigger for chronic hand pain. When stress levels are high, they can trigger inflammation in the body, making it harder for joints and muscles to function properly without causing pain or stiffness during normal daily activities.
Arthritis
Arthritis is a catch-all term for many different kinds of conditions that cause joint inflammation and damage over time. However, it's usually related to wear and tear on a joint caused by aging and other factors like genetics or previous injury that made you more vulnerable to developing arthritis in that joint.
If you have chronic hand pain, it could be due to arthritis in one or more fingers, thumb, or wrist joints. It is important to seek help from a health professional. They will be able to determine the cause of the pain and advise you on how to treat it.
Seek Professional Help
Chronic pain is often caused by an underlying medical issue. However, it is not uncommon for chronic hand pain to be caused by repetitive strain or injury. These injuries can result in long-term pain and major discomfort.
If you have been dealing with chronic hand pain for months or years, then it may be time to seek professional help. Here's why:
• It's important to seek professional help if your hand pain interferes with daily activities or causes other problems such as sleep disturbances or depression.
• A pain specialist will be able to diagnose your condition and prescribe treatments based on your specific needs.
• A pain specialist can help identify the underlying cause of your symptoms by performing tests and asking questions about your medical history and lifestyle. This can help them decide whether further treatment is required.
• A pain specialist has specialized knowledge about how pain affects the body and how to treat it.
• Physical therapists can provide hands-on treatment, including massage therapy, joint mobilization, and strengthening exercises that will strengthen the muscles around the joints and tendons in your hands.
• A pain specialist received advanced training in helping patients improve their quality of life through exercise therapy and improving strength, flexibility and endurance.
• The sooner you see a pain specialist after developing chronic hand pain, the better off you'll be in terms of managing your condition and getting back on track with your daily life activities.
Deal with the Pain Triggers
If you have chronic hand pain, it can be very difficult to live your life normally. You may find it difficult to do simple tasks like opening a jar or picking up your child. Hand pain can also make you feel anxious and depressed, which can lead to further health problems.
Luckily there are many ways to manage your symptoms and make them less debilitating. Here are tips for managing your chronic hand pain:
Avoid triggers that make your pain worse
If certain activities or circumstances make your pain worse, then try to avoid them as much as possible. For example, if lifting weights makes your hands hurt more than usual, then don't lift weights if at all possible. If writing is uncomfortable for you, then use a keyboard instead of pen and paper for schoolwork and emails.
Get regular exercise
Get regular exercise that doesn't aggravate your condition — such as walking, swimming, or yoga — but stop if it hurts your hands too much or makes them worse over time (this could mean changing routines). Look into alternative therapies such as acupuncture or medical massage therapy that may also provide relief from chronic hand pain symptoms.
Take breaks from activities
Another way to reduce chronic hand pain is by taking breaks from activities throughout the day. For example, if you're doing something that requires gripping objects, such as cooking or washing dishes, take frequent breaks so that your hands have a chance to rest after holding something for a few minutes at a time.
Find a Treatment Plan that Works for You
Finding a treatment plan that works for you is an important step in the recovery process. But it can be hard to know what type of treatment will be best for you. There are many different treatment options available depending on what type of chronic hand pain you have, so it's important to find one that works for you.
If you're experiencing chronic hand pain, talk to a pain specialist about the best treatments for your condition. Treatment options may include injections, physical therapy, or occupational therapy.
Chronic hand pain is a common problem for many people. While there are a variety of treatments available, it's important to understand how chronic hand pain works and how to find a treatment plan that works for you. So, we've put together a few tips to help you find the right treatment for your chronic hand pain.
Be honest with yourself
It's easy to get frustrated when something doesn't work, but it's important not to give up. Be honest with yourself about what is and isn't helping, and don't beat yourself up if something doesn't work out. If you have a treatment plan that works for you, stick with it. If not, try something new.
Find the best fit for your lifestyle
A treatment plan that works for you is one that fits into your life. It may be hard to imagine how a treatment plan can do this, but it's true. If you have a full-time job, a family, and other responsibilities, you need to look for a program that will allow you to continue living as normally as possible.
Understand that each person is unique
The important thing to remember is that no one treatment plan works for everyone when it comes to chronic hand pain. There are many treatment options to choose from, and each person will have different needs depending on their situation, personality, and goals.
Each person is different, and each person will have different reasons why they have pain in their hands. You might even have more than one trigger at once! That's why finding a treatment plan that works for you is so important—it will help prevent flare-ups and keep you from feeling miserable all day long.
Manage Your Chronic Hand Pain
Realistically, there will likely never be a cure or even a guaranteed "fix" for chronic hand pain. But that doesn't mean the pain has to be permanent, either. It can be managed with enough time and diligence and without succumbing to the pain or taking any harmful medications.
So don't accept this as just another way station on your journey through life—it's better than that. It's your opportunity to reclaim your life as an active participant in whatever you choose to do instead of being confined by the limitations of these nagging symptoms.
We hope this blog has helped you mitigate some of your pain triggers and made dealing with chronic hand pain a little less daunting. Remember that it may take some trial and error, but if you're patient and persistent, you can find workarounds for all these triggers. The goal is to have your pain reduced so you can focus on more important things in life.
Start taking action towards reducing those chronic hand pain triggers while also seeking advice from a highly qualified Englewood Cliffs pain management specialist, and you should be able to manage your chronic pain disorder and live your life again.