Hand Pain refers to pain experienced due to inflammation, injury to or irritation of the structures in the Hand and the Wrist. Hand Pain can be felt as pain in the wrist, the palm of the hand, the fingers, and even sometimes in the elbow of the affected arm. This is because the muscles that control the movement of the fingers and the position of the wrist have their origin at the elbow of the arm, and project to the wrist and fingers by means of their tendonous attachments. 

Hand Pain is most commonly caused by over-use of the hand or fingers, by injury, or by age-related changes to the joints of the hand and fingers. The wrist, hand, and fingers consist of more than thirty bones of various sizes, and more than forty muscles. All of these bones and muscles need to articulate in concert to make the hands move, and produce both powerful and fine movements depending on what we are doing. We write, work, exercise and play with our hands because they are designed to produce a nearly infinite combination of movements to help us interact with the world. During the course of this interaction, we may over-exert ourselves and cause ourselves injury, or we may cause irritation of the fine structures within the hand as a result of our doing the same movements over and over again without taking time to relax and soothe those working parts. 

Hand Pain can be localised to different parts of the hand, the wrist, the connecting muscles, and can also be distinguished by how long the pain has been present. An episode of Hand Pain that lasts for less than six weeks is called Acute Hand Pain. Pain that lasts longer than six weeks but less than twelve is called Sub-Acute Hand Pain, and pain that lasts longer than twelve weeks is called Chronic Hand Pain.

Management of Hand Pain is a process that involves addressing physical, occupational, personal, and lifestyle risk factors to minimise pain and maximise function. The treatment you receive will be tailored to address the specific cause of your Hand Pain, and will focus on minimising pain, maximising your ability to move pain free, and developing a plan to minimise the risk of a flare-up in the future. Management of Hand Pain is sometimes tricky because we need to use our hands and arms to live our lives comfortably. This is especially important when our dominant hand becomes injured. Managing hand pain is done by balancing rehabilitation and repair while still continuing to use our hands to work and life. 

At Atlas Physio, we will provide you with education, structured management, and ongoing monitoring of your pain both in and out of the clinic. Contact us to arrange an assessment, and to take the first step on a course of corrective care today.