Hand is tender; should I be concerned?

May 19, 2021 6:29 AM

A week ago today, I noticed that the back of my non-dominant hand is sensitive to pressure. It is still sensitive, although the sensitive area has shrunk and is pretty small. The tender area is closer to the wrist than to the knuckles. I had been tearing down boxes that afternoon, and I don't know whether that is related. The tenderness is not impeding me from doing anything.

Is this something I should be concerned about? Wait and see some more? I am 58 and fairly sendentary, in case that matters.

posted by NotLost to Health & Fitness (6 answers total)

Could you have given it a hard knock during the tearing down, then immediately got distracted by something else and forgotten? I'm 59 and that kind of thing certainly happens to me.
posted by flabdablet at 6:33 AM on May 19, 2021 [2 favorites]

You could have just "overdone" it and irritated the nerves. I'm 47 - it happens to me quite frequently now ;)
posted by heathrowga at 7:14 AM on May 19, 2021

Best answer: I'd give it another week. Hands are complex; strains from uncommon overwork are easy to get and almost always clear up on their own with rest. Maybe use some Ben-Gay or similar to increase blood flow and aid healing.
posted by SaltySalticid at 7:24 AM on May 19, 2021

Best answer: As long as it continues to improve I would not be concerned about it.
posted by SLC Mom at 11:51 AM on May 19, 2021

Best answer: Maybe inflammation from overdoing it with the tearing motions needed to tear down boxes. If it's inflammation and it's not contra-indicated by other medical things, an Aleve or other NSAID might help.
posted by TimHare at 8:01 PM on May 19, 2021

Response by poster: I guess I will give it some more time, then. Thank you all.
posted by NotLost at 8:17 PM on May 21, 2021