Clinically reviewed by What is hand pain
Your hand has more than twenty joints and dozens of tendons packed into a small space, so hand pain is usually quite specific. In Urdu it is haath mein dard, and patients usually point straight to the spot.
Three problems account for most hand pain we see. Arthritis at the base of the thumb, where the thumb meets the wrist. Trigger finger, where a finger catches or locks as it bends. And general stiffness, after an injury, after a cast, or from arthritis.
If the main complaint is numbness or tingling rather than pain, think nerve instead. Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common of those and has its own page.
Symptoms you might have
- Pain at the base of the thumb on pinching, turning a key, opening a jar or wringing cloth, which is thumb base arthritis
- The base of the thumb looking squarer than before, with a weak pinch
- A finger that catches, clicks or locks in a bent position and has to be straightened with the other hand, which is trigger finger
- Stiff, swollen fingers in the morning that loosen as you use them
- A firm band in the palm slowly pulling a finger towards the palm, which is a different problem and needs a hand surgeon
Why it happens
- Years of pinching and gripping: cooking, kneading dough, hand washing clothes, sewing, salon work, writing
- Thumb base arthritis, most common in women over 45 and often in both hands
- Diabetes, which clearly raises the risk of trigger finger and of general hand stiffness
- A previous fracture, dislocation or crush injury to the hand
- Any period in a cast or splint, since hand joints stiffen within a couple of weeks
- Inflammatory arthritis, where both hands swell with morning stiffness over an hour
When you should see a physiotherapist
Come in early with hand problems. Hands stiffen quickly and regain movement slowly, so two weeks of delay costs more here than at any other joint.
Physiotherapy helps most with thumb base arthritis, with early trigger finger, and with stiffness after injury or immobilisation.
Go to a hospital the same day if the hand or a finger is hot, red, swollen and throbbing, especially after a cut, thorn, bite or injection, or if there is a red line spreading up the arm or you have a fever. Hand infections spread along tendon sheaths and need urgent treatment.
Go to a hospital now if the hand is pale, cold or numb, or if a finger will not straighten at all after an injury.
Al-Shama Physiotherapy Clinic
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اپائنٹمنٹ کے بارے میں پوچھیںAppointment ke liye poochein
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یہ فارم پُر کریں؛ واٹس ایپ پر آپ کی تفصیلات کے ساتھ پیغام تیار ہو جائے گا۔Yeh form bharein, WhatsApp aap ki tafseel ke saath khul jaye ga.
How it is treated
Treatment is about protecting painful joints while keeping the hand working, because a hand that stops being used stiffens and weakens fast.
- Splinting, a thumb splint for base of thumb arthritis worn during gripping tasks, or a night splint to rest a trigger finger
- Exercise therapy, tendon gliding, joint range of movement and carefully graded pinch and grip strengthening
- Joint protection training, practical changes to how you hold, lift and twist, which is the part that keeps working for years
- Manual therapy, gentle mobilisation of stiff finger and thumb joints, with soft tissue work in the palm and forearm
- TENS and electrotherapy for pain relief, which makes the exercises possible
Be clear about limits. A finger that is already locking regularly often needs a steroid injection or a small release operation, and that is a doctor's decision. A band in the palm that bends a finger in does not respond to therapy at all and needs a hand surgeon. Thumb base arthritis is managed well without surgery in most people.
Exercises, and what to avoid
What helps
- Tendon gliding: full fist, hook fist, straight fingers, ten of each, several times a day
- Thumb movement in a wide circle and touching the thumb tip to each fingertip
- A gentle fist and finger spread in warm water in the morning
- Pinch and grip strengthening with putty or a soft ball, comfortable rather than maximum effort
What to avoid
- Pinch grips on heavy objects. Hold a cup with the whole hand, not between thumb and finger
- Wringing out clothes, opening tight lids and turning stiff keys with a painful thumb. Use a jar opener and a wider key grip
- Carrying shopping bags hooked over the fingers, which pulls small joints out of line over years
- Forcing a locked finger straight with the other hand repeatedly, which irritates the tendon further
What you can do at home
Start the day with warmth. Five minutes with the hands in warm water, then gentle movement, makes the first hour far easier than painkillers do.
Use cold for ten minutes on a joint that is hot and swollen after a busy day.
Change your tools. Lever taps, a jar opener, wide handled knives, a lighter pot, a thicker pen and a wider key holder protect your thumb joints every day for years.
If you have diabetes, keep your sugar controlled. Hand stiffness and trigger finger are both much more common and more stubborn when it is not, and treatment works more slowly.
How long it takes
Thumb base arthritis usually feels clearly better within six to eight weeks of splinting, joint protection and strengthening, and is then managed long term. The joint damage stays, the pain and function improve.
Early trigger finger, where the finger catches but does not lock, often settles over six to twelve weeks. A finger that locks regularly usually needs a doctor, and no amount of therapy changes that.
Stiffness after an injury or a cast improves most in the first three months and continues more slowly up to six months. After that, gains are small.
What slows hand recovery most is swelling that is not controlled, uncontrolled diabetes, and stopping the exercises once the pain eases.
Urdu / Roman Urdu
Choose your reading script / اپنی پسند کا رسم الخط منتخب کریں
اردوUrdu script
ہاتھ کے درد کی تین عام وجوہات ہیں: انگوٹھے کی جڑ کا گٹھیا، انگلی کا اٹک جانا (ٹرگر انگلی), اور ہاتھ کی اکڑن۔
انگوٹھے کی جڑ کا درد چابی گھمانے، ڈھکن کھولنے اور کپڑے نچوڑنے سے بڑھتا ہے۔ اس کا علاج اسپلنٹ، ہاتھ بچانے کے طریقے، اور آرام سے بڑھتی ورزش ہے۔
اگر انگلی بالکل اٹک جائے اور دوسرے ہاتھ سے کھولنی پڑے، تو اکثر ڈاکٹر کا انجیکشن یا چھوٹا آپریشن درکار ہوتا ہے۔ یہ تھراپی سے ٹھیک نہیں ہوتا۔
صبح ہاتھ گرم پانی میں پانچ منٹ رکھ کر نرم ورزش کریں۔ جوڑ گرم اور سوجا ہو تو ٹھنڈی سیک دس منٹ۔
ہاتھ یا انگلی گرم، لال، سوجی ہوئی ہو اور بخار ہو، یا بازو پر لال لکیر چڑھ رہی ہو، تو اسی دن ہسپتال جائیں۔
Roman Urdu
Haath ke dard ki teen aam wajuhat hain: angoothe ki jar ka gathiya, ungli ka atak jana (trigger finger), aur haath ki akarhan.
Angoothe ki jar ka dard chabi ghumane, dakkan kholne aur kapre nichorne se barhta hai. Is ka ilaj splint, haath bachane ke tareeqe, aur aram se barhti warzish hai.
Agar ungli bilkul atak jaye aur doosre haath se kholni pare, to aksar doctor ka injection ya chhota operation darkar hota hai. Ye therapy se theek nahi hota.
Subah haath garam pani mein paanch minute rakh kar narm warzish karen. Jor garam aur sooja ho to thandi sek das minute.
Haath ya ungli garam, laal, sooji hui ho aur bukhar ho, ya baazu par laal lakeer charh rahi ho, to usi din hospital jayen.
Treatment at the clinic, and online
INFORMATION → INDIVIDUAL CARE
A plan built around you.
Talk with Dr. Zahra Fatima, DPT. Understand your next steps, with guidance for your own symptoms and daily routine.
Talk it through
Discuss your symptoms, what you find difficult and what you want to get back to.
Understand your next steps
Use the consultation to discuss which care and exercises fit your situation.
Take your plan with you
Your online consultation includes a written plan you can refer to afterwards.
Questions people ask
Why does the base of my thumb hurt when I open jars?
Can physiotherapy fix a trigger finger?
Why are my fingers stiff every morning?
Does diabetes cause hand problems?
Is hand exercise safe if my joints hurt?
Related conditions
- Plantar fasciitis and heel pain treatment
- Knee osteoarthritis and knee joint pain
- Ankle sprain treatment
- Ankle pain treatment
- Arthritis treatment