A Harvard Medical School doctor answers a question about hand cramps

In this issue: A Harvard Medical School doctor answers a question about hand cramps. Get your copy of Hands: Strategies for strong, pain-free hands. View this email as a Web page » To ensure delivery of our emails, add healthbeat@mail.health.harvard.edu to your address book. Please note this is for outgoing mail only. If you need help, please contact healthbeat@health.harvard.edu. Share with a friend » | Unsubscribe »

August 31, 2013

A Harvard Medical School doctor answers a question about hand cramps More information Get your copy of Hands: Strategies for strong, pain-free hands Beneath the skin, your hands are an intricate architecture of tendons, joints, ligaments, nerves, and bones. Each of these structures is vulnerable to damage from illness or injury. If your hands hurt, even simple tasks can become a painful ordeal. This report describes the causes and treatments for many conditions that can cause hand pain. It also features information on hand exercises, as well as handy tools and other gadgets that take strain off your hands. Click here to read more » Q: I have strong muscle cramps that curl my fingers into a claw shape. I can only straighten them by using my other hand. What can I do to keep this from happening? A: What you describe sounds like carpal spasm. Spasms, or cramps, are involuntary muscle contractions. The most common causes of spasms are overused muscles (in the hands that might be due to writing or typing) and dehydration. Other causes of muscle cramping include low levels of calcium and magnesium. Another possibility is that you have carpal tunnel syndrome, which occurs when the nerves in the wrist are compressed. Typical symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include pain in the wrist and tingling and numbness in the fingers, but hand spasms may also occur. Spasms in other areas of your body, such as the upper arm, neck or face, suggest an underlying neurological problem. A third possibility is writer’s cramp, also called musician’s cramp. It is a spasmodic contraction of the muscles of the hand and forearm. The fingers may suddenly freeze up, dramatically affecting the ability to write or play an instrument. Some golfers experience muscle contractions in the hand while putting, a phenomenon that’s been nicknamed “the yips.” Talk to your doctor if the cramps occur often. If he or she can’t find a specific cause, focus on drinking enough water and stretching your fingers periodically. — Dr. William Kormos, editor-in-chief of Harvard Men's Health Watch and a primary care physician at Massachusetts General Hospital. For more on the causes and treatment of hand pain buy Hands: Strategies for strong, pain-free hands, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School. Share this story: Digg Facebook Twitter

Featured in this issue Hands: Strategies for strong, pain-free hands Featured content: • The healthy hand • Arthritis of the hand • Special bonus section: Advances in artificial joints for the hand • Exercise for the hand   ... and more! Click here to read more »

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