In diabetes there are a number of different disorders that cause hand pain which are linked to diabetes. Diabetes and hand conditions usually occur together because of circulation problems. Luckily, hand conditions in diabetes are generally less serious than most of the complications of diabetes.
According to Diabetes.co.uk, one condition involving diabetes and hand pain is diabetic hand syndrome. This is also sometimes called stiff hand syndrome. It is characterized by an inability to straighten the joints in the hand. To diagnose this, a patient is asked to hold their hands together, palm to palm, as if they were praying. If the patient cannot touch the joints of each hand together with those of the other hand, then they may have diabetic hand syndrome. This condition can be treated by stretching the hand or practicing hand strengthening exercises. Other conditions concerning diabetes and hand pain include:
Duyputren’sconctracture – this condition prevents the finger(s) from being fully extended. Most often it affects the fourth and fifth fingers. It is the result of small nodules on the connective tissue of the palm. This causes the tissue to gradually shorten. Treatment normally involves surgery.
Trigger finger – Tenosynovitis, or trigger finger, mostly affects the tendons of the hand and wrist. Tendons normally move through a tunnel of tissue, but when they get inflamed they catch on the inside of this tunnel. This causes parts of the hand or wrist to lock up. This normally can be treated with pain killers such as ibuprofen, physiotherapy, steroid injections, or heat and ice compression.
Carpal tunnel syndrome – The carpal tunnel is a tunnel of tissue that runs from the wrist to the palm. This ‘tunnel’ houses several tendons of the hand. In carpal tunnel a particular nerve, called the median nerve, becomes compressed. You may experience pain, numbing, or a burning feeling in the hands. This condition is sometimes mistaken for diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
Neuropathy, Diabetes, and Hand Pain
Diabetic neuropathy, or nerve damage, may occur in the hands as well as the feet. Fortunately, it is usually less severe than when the condition occurs in the feet. This is because the hands are closer to the heart, and more active, so they have better blood circulation than the feet. Plus, when neuropathy occurs in the hands wounds, that can cause infections, are noticed more easily.
Many times conditions concerning diabetes and hand pain are mistaken for diabetic neuropathy. This because the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy, such as tingling, burning, and numbness are present in this condition as well as in many others. In diabetic neuropathy, the pain normally manifests itself as a sharp jabbing pain that increases at night. Overtime, a deformity called ‘claw hand’ can form from nerve damage in the hand. This condition causes curved or bent fingers.
