Pain, discomfort, and swelling in the fingers and hands is a common issue that patients seek out acupuncture for. There may be hardening and thickening of the tissue of the palm (such as in Dupuytren’s Contracture), nodules, hardening or swelling of the joints, tightness and pulling of the tendons, and the inability to fully bend the fingers.
What causes pain and swelling in the fingers and joints?
Everyday wear and tear, genetics, temperature changes, infection, exercise, allergic reactions, reactions to medications, degeneration of the joints and chronic, low-grade inflammation.
If you are experiencing pain and swelling in your fingers and joints, it’s important to get evaluated by your physician to rule out an underlying medical condition.
Importantly, researchers are coming to discover that degenerative joint issues may be caused by chronic, low-grade inflammation.
From a recent New York Times article published on May 4, 2024:
“Research has started to show that osteoarthritis is not caused solely by everyday wear and tear on joints, like the deterioration of rubber treads on a tire over time. In some patients, persistent, low-grade inflammation might accelerate the progression of the disease or even cause it. And scientists now believe the damage can start long before symptoms appear. In a new study published last week, researchers from Duke University identified molecules circulating in the blood of women that might serve as markers of the disease up to eight years before an X-ray picked up changes in their bones.”
Can acupuncture effectively treat pain and swelling in the fingers and hands?
In many cases, yes.
Treatment is more likely to be effective if it is administered early and at the onset of symptoms. If your hands are starting to hurt, your body is sending you a message. Research has shown that one of the main ways acupuncture is understood to work physiologically is that it has an anti-inflammatory effect on the body (to read more about this, visit the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs Evidence Map of Acupuncture).
Acupuncture, herbal medicine, dietary and lifestyle guidance, and targeted supplementation can help to address the persistent, low-grade inflammation that can sneak up on patients and cause increasing aches, pain, and swelling as the years go by.
Once the condition has become chronic, with thickening of the tissues, nodules, and hardening of the joints, in many cases acupuncture and herbal medicine can help to decrease the severity of pain and improve quality of life. In East Asian medicine we call this “Bi Syndrome”, which translates to “Chronic Obstructive Syndrome.”
How many treatments will I need to effectively treat pain and swelling in my fingers and hands?
I work with many patients who experience occasional pain and swelling in their fingers and hands and preventative wellness treatments once per month help keep these symptoms at bay.
For patients who have been dealing with this issue for some time, are experiencing an increase in the severity of their symptoms, and are exploring their treatment options (including surgery), I recommend 4 treatments to gauge if this treatment route is going to be effective. Very often it can be.
