Hand Aid

Even aerobics can cause hand injuries.

There's nothing like a finger-snapping, hand-clapping aerobics workout to turn the day around. Unless, of course, your enthusiasm causes you a hand injury.

Exercise induced hand pain may be more common than you think; at a recent fitness convention, several instructors said it's a common complaint among their students - and themselves - and asked us what to do about it.

Of course, aerobics aficionados aren't the likeliest athletes to injure their hands. Basketball, volleyball and softball players, soccer goalies, bowlers, karate enthusiasts and tennis players can end up in the same league as aging NFL receivers - with arthritic finger joints better able to predict the weather than pick up a morning cup of coffee.

For some aerobics enthusiasts, however, vigorous hand clapping results in pain and soreness in the palms and finger joints.

While "aerobics hand" hasn't yet been described in sports-medicine literature, perhaps it should, because it seems to be quite common. (We would welcome hearing from readers who have suffered a clapping injury.)

Simply applauding at a concert or sporting event can bruise the delicate tissues of the hand. The impact of clapping can break small blood vessels, causing them to leak fluid and blood. Even a small amount of leakage in the hand or finger can be painful because there is not much room for swelling to occur. Any swelling at all irritates the very sensitive nerve endings in the hands. Leaked blood may result in a bruise.

The pain from a bruised hand will last three to five days and will fade gradually. Continually injuring your finger joints,. however, can lead to permanent pain and traumatic osteoarthritis -wear-and-tear arthritis - that can seem to come from nowhere many years later.

Frequent injuries to the finger joints causes loss of cartilage, thickening of the joint capsule from scars and sometimes bone spurs at the sides of the joint. As a result, the finger joints may appear enlarged.

What does this lack of cartilage mean?

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Foreword: Billie Jean King

Comments by Barb Harris
Editor in Chief,
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