Health
Ask a doctor: 'Why are my hands swelling and what should I do about it?'
If you notice your hands are swelling, it could be both uncomfortable and unsettling, but in most instances the cause could be situational — caused by factors such as temperature, exercise, diet, medications you’re taking or certain health conditions.
You may notice your rings aren’t fitting correctly, among other things.
To find out more about the condition, Fox News Digital asked two doctors what causes hand swelling and what can be done to treat it.
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Here’s what you need to know.
What causes hand swelling?
Most commonly, hand swelling is due to fluid buildup in the soft tissue.
“Soft tissue swelling, or edema, is not always a cause for concern, and can occur with weather changes or fluid shifts in the body,” said Amy Kehl, M.D., RhMSUS, a board-certified rheumatologist with Saint John’s Physician Partners in Santa Monica, California.
Fluid shifts can occur with too much salt intake — which can lead to increased hand or foot swelling, experts say. (Getty Images)
Most patients observe some degree of soft tissue swelling or edema with hot weather and with exercise, according to Kehl.
Fluid shifts can also occur with too much salt intake, she noted, which can lead to increased hand or foot swelling, she said.
“Certain medications can contribute to soft tissue swelling in the hands or feet.”
“Additionally, certain medications, such as blood pressure medications like amlodipine; steroids such as Prednisone or Medrol; or hormone treatments, can contribute to soft tissue swelling in the hands or feet,” Kehl added.
What are the more serious causes of hand swelling?
If a person notices an increase in hand or foot swelling that is not reversible or intermittent — or if the hand swelling is also accompanied by leg swelling with marked elevations in blood pressure or shortness of breath — medical attention should be sought, Kehl said.
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A person “should ensure they have had proper medical evaluation to assess both kidney and cardiac function, as hand or foot swelling can be an indicator of kidney dysfunction, protein loss in the urine, or cardiac dysfunction,” she cautioned.
“Soft tissue swelling or edema is not always a cause for concern, and can occur with weather changes or fluid shifts in the body,” said one medical professional. But in some cases, patients should consult with their doctors to get to the root of the issue. (iStock)
“Your doctor may order tests to assess your kidney function, urine studies or, in some cases, an echocardiogram.”
Diuretics may be needed to remove the excess fluid if it is related to cardiac dysfunction, she said.
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Another possible cause of fluid build-up is lymphedema, which can occur if the patient has had surgery, such as a lymph node resection for breast cancer treatment, according to Kehl.
“This may be treated with local lymphatic drainage treatments, arm elevation, compression sleeves and exercise,” the doctor said.
“Patients should seek medical attention right away if new and asymmetric swelling and pain develops.”
Individuals should also be cognizant of other symptoms.
“Certainly, if the hand swelling is associated with joint pains, this may indicate an underlying inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis,” Kehl told Fox News Digital. “Again, an examination may be warranted to distinguish soft tissue swelling from articular or joint swelling.”
If a patient notices hand swelling in association with face or lip swelling, this warrants immediate medical attention, said one health professional. (iStock)
Patients should also be aware if the swelling is asymmetric.
“This can be a sign of something more serious, such as a blood clot, and patients should seek medical attention right away if new and asymmetric swelling and pain develops,” Kehl warned.
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If a patient notices hand swelling in association with facial or lip swelling, this warrants immediate medical attention, she said.
What are some ways to reduce hand swelling?
If the hand swelling is deemed to be due to “benign causes,” this is typically reversible, Kehl noted.
“For instance, to reduce hand swelling after exercising, elevating the hands and performing arm circles may be helpful to increase the blood flow to the hands,” she said.
To help alleviate swelling, movement can help. “Stretch both arms up, move your hands and wrists, and make fists several times,” said one doctor. (iStock)
Similarly, it may be necessary to review your medication list with your medical provider to identify any pharmaceutical culprits.
“Typically, with discontinuation of the offending medication, the swelling should subside,” Kehl said.
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Diet should also be monitored.
“Staying well-hydrated can help keep fluids circulating.”
Maintaining the proper balance of salt and water is important, and reducing salt intake and following a low-sodium diet may be advisable for some patients, the expert noted.
Lifestyle changes, such as movement, can also be incorporated to help alleviate the swelling.
Maintaining a proper balance of salt and water is important, as is reducing salt intake and following a low-sodium diet. (iStock)
“Stretch both arms up, move your hands and wrists, and make fists several times,” Beth Oller, M.D., a family physician with Rooks County Health Center in Stockton, Kansas, told Fox News Digital.
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Running your hands under cool water may help, she said, and taking off jewelry or constricting clothes while exercising can also help prevent swelling due to temperature changes.
“Staying well-hydrated can also help keep fluids circulating,” Oller added.
Pregnancy is another common cause of swelling. In that case, Oller said that moving the extremities can help.
“If swelling in pregnancy occurs suddenly or is extreme, talk to your physician immediately, as this can be a symptom of elevated blood pressure,” she also said.
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A new report by the American Heart Association (AHA) included some troubling predictions for the future of women’s health.
The forecast, published in the journal Circulation on Wednesday, projected increases in various comorbidities in American females by 2050.
More than 59% of women were predicted to have high blood pressure, up from less than 49% currently.
The review also projected that more than 25% of women will have diabetes, compared to about 15% today, and more than 61% will have obesity, compared to 44% currently.
As a result of these risk factors, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7%.
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke in women is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7% by 2050. (iStock)
Not all trends were negative, as unhealthy cholesterol prevalence is expected to drop to about 22% from more than 42% today, the report stated.
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Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods in Minnesota, commented on these “jarring findings.”
“The fact that on our current trajectory, cardiometabolic disease is projected to explode in women within one generation should be a huge wake-up call,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“Hypertension, diabetes, obesity — these are all major risk factors for heart disease, and we are already seeing what those risks are driving. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, eclipsing all other causes of death, including breast cancer.”
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. and around the world. (iStock)
Klodas warned that heart disease starts early, progresses “stealthily,” and can present “out of the blue in devastating ways.”
The AHA published another study on Thursday revealing one million hospitalizations, showing that heart attack deaths are climbing among adults below the age of 55.
The more alarming finding, according to Klodas, is that young women were found more likely to die after their first heart attack than men of the same age.
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“This is all especially tragic since heart disease is almost entirely preventable,” she said. “The earlier you start, the better.”
Children can show early evidence of plaque deposition in their arteries, which can be reversed through lifestyle changes if “undertaken early enough and aggressively enough,” according to the expert.
Moving more is one part of protecting a healthy heart, according to experts. (iStock)
Klodas suggested that rising heart conditions are associated with traditional risk factors, like smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
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Doctors are also seeing higher rates of preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy, as well as gestational diabetes. Klodas noted that these are sex-specific risk factors that don’t typically contribute to complications until after menopause.
The best way to protect a healthy heart is to “do the basics,” Klodas recommended, including the following lifestyle habits.
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Klodas especially emphasized making improvements to diet, as the food people eat affects “every single risk factor that the AHA’s report highlights.”
“High blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, excess weight – these are all conditions that are driven in part or in whole by food,” she said. “We eat multiple times every single day, which means what we eat has profound cumulative effects over time.”
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health,” a doctor said. (iStock)
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health.”
The doctor also recommends changing out a few snacks per day for healthier choices, which has been proven to “yield medication-level cholesterol reductions” in a month.
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“Keep up that small change and, over the course of a year, you could also lose 20 pounds and reduce your sodium intake enough to avoid blood pressure-lowering medications,” Klodas added.
“Women should not view the AHA report as inevitable. We have power over our health destinies. We just need to use it.”
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Nearsightedness (myopia) is skyrocketing globally, with nearly half of the world’s population expected to be myopic by 2050, according to the World Health Organization.
Heavy use of smartphones and other devices is associated with an 80% higher risk of myopia when combined with excessive computer use, but a new study suggests that dim indoor lighting could also be a factor.
For years, scientists have been puzzled by the different ways myopia is triggered. In lab settings, it can be induced by blurring vision or using different lenses. Conversely, it can be slowed by something as simple as spending time outdoors, research suggests.
Nearsightedness occurs when the eyeball grows too long from front to back, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA). This physical elongation causes light to focus in front of the retina rather than directly on it, making distant objects appear blurry.
The study suggests that myopia isn’t caused by the digital devices themselves, but by the low-light environments where they are typically used. (iStock)
Researchers at the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry identified a potential specific trigger for this growth. When someone looks at a phone or a book up close, the pupil naturally constricts.
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“In bright outdoor light, the pupil constricts to protect the eye while still allowing ample light to reach the retina,” Urusha Maharjan, a SUNY Optometry doctoral student who conducted the study, said in a press release.
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“When people focus on close objects indoors, such as phones, tablets or books, the pupil can also constrict — not because of brightness, but to sharpen the image,” she went on. “In dim lighting, this combination may significantly reduce retinal illumination.”
High-intensity natural light prevents myopia because it provides enough retinal stimulation to override the “stop growing” signal, even when pupils are constricted. (iStock)
The hypothesis suggests that when the retina is deprived of light during extended close-up work, it sends a signal for the eye to grow.
In a dim environment, the narrowed pupil allows so little light through that the retinal activity isn’t strong enough to signal the eye to stop growing, the researchers found.
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In contrast, being outdoors provides light levels much brighter than indoors. This ensures that even when the pupil narrows to focus on a nearby object, the retina still receives a strong signal, maintaining healthy eye development.
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The team noted some limitations of the study, including the small subject group and the inability to directly measure internal lens changes, as the bright backgrounds used to mimic the outdoors made pupils too small for standard equipment.
Researchers believe that increasing indoor brightness during close-up work could be a simple, testable way to slow the global nearsightedness epidemic. (iStock)
“This is not a final answer,” Jose-Manuel Alonso, MD, PhD, SUNY distinguished professor and senior author of the study, said in the release.
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“But the study offers a testable hypothesis that reframes how visual habits, lighting and eye focusing interact.”
The study was published in the journal Cell Reports.
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