Swollen Hands: Exercise, Other Causes, And Treatment - Healthline

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HealthlineSubscribeWhat Causes Hand Swelling?

Medically reviewed by Darragh O'Carroll, MD — Written by Corinne O'Keefe Osborn — Updated on November 8, 2024

Weather
Salt
Exercise
Pregnancy
Lymphedema
Psoriatic arthritis
Angioedema
FAQ
Takeaway

Exercise, pregnancy, heat, and certain dietary and lifestyle habits may cause hand swelling. Treatment may include home remedies and over-the-counter and prescription medications.

Edema is the medical term for swelling. It happens when extra fluid is trapped in the body’s tissues.

It most commonly occurs in the hands and feet but may also affect your legs, ankles, and arms.

Sometimes, the causes of hand swelling may be more obvious. For instance, receiving an injury to a hand may cause it to swell.

However, hand swelling may be a symptom of an underlying medical condition that could require medical attention.

Read on to learn more about why your hands can swell and when to talk with a doctor.

Hot weather

Heat edema may occur when you’re suddenly exposed to unusually hot temperatures. Your body may struggle to cool itself down due to vasodilation. Vasodilation is when your blood vessels open up to help promote blood flow.

Other symptoms of extreme heat exposure may include:

heat rash
cramps
exhaustion
dizziness

Treatment

It may take your body a few days to acclimate to hot weather. Once it does, the swelling should go away on its own.

You can try elevating your arms or using compression wraps to help reduce hand swelling caused by heat edema.

Consuming too much salt

Your body maintains a delicate balance of salt and water that’s easy to disrupt. Your kidneys filter your blood to remove toxins and unwanted fluid and send them to your bladder, where they’re excreted.

Eating too much salt could make it harder for your kidneys to remove unwanted fluid. This allows fluid to build up in your system, where it may collect in certain areas, including your hands.

Treatment

The best way to treat swollen hands caused by eating too much salt may be to follow a low sodium diet. Taking diuretics may also help. However, these medications are not recommended for people with liver or kidney damage.

Exercise

Some people report experiencing finger and hand swelling after exercising.

Limited research has examined how exercise may cause hand swelling and edema, but the effects may be caused by vasodilation.

Exercising increases blood flow to the heart, lungs, and muscles. Sometimes, it may reduce blood flow to peripheral extremities like your hands, making them cooler. Your blood vessels may respond to this by opening up.

In some cases, hand swelling during or after exercise may be a sign of low sodium (hyponatremia), which is more common in endurance athletes. If you have hyponatremia, you’ll likely experience nausea and confusion as well.

Treatment

Hand swelling during or after exercise usually resolves on its own, but if it’s bothering you, consider speaking with a healthcare professional. They could help develop a management plan for you.

Pregnancy

It’s common to experience swelling during pregnancy, especially in your hands and feet. However, swelling associated with pregnancy may lead to conditions that could require medical attention.

Preeclampsia is a condition where your blood pressure rises and may cause organ dysfunction. It’s most common after 20 weeks of pregnancy but can sometimes occur postpartum.

Preeclampsia is a serious condition that could be life threatening. Get immediate medical attention if you’re pregnant and experience any of the following symptoms:

abdominal pain
severe headaches
seeing spots
vomiting
blood in the urine

Treatment

Treatment for preeclampsia most likely takes place in the hospital. The only cure is to deliver the baby, but a doctor may prescribe medications to help reduce your blood pressure.

Lymphedema

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Lymphedema is swelling caused by a buildup of lymph fluid.

There are two types of lymphedema:

Primary: This is caused by genetics and is much rarer.
Secondary: This is more common and is acquired, which means it’s caused by trauma to the lymphatic system. Some examples include lymph node removal or damage during cancer treatment.

Other symptoms of lymphedema may include:

swelling and aching in the arm or hand
a heavy feeling in the arm
numbness in the arm or hand
skin feels tight or taut on the arm
jewelry seems to be too tight
decreased ability to flex or move your arm, hand, or wrist

Treatment

There’s no cure for lymphedema, but several treatment options may help reduce swelling and prevent fluid buildup. These may include:

lymphedema therapy
using compression wraps
regularly exercising
eating a well-balanced diet

Psoriatic arthritis

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Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a type of arthritis that affects people with psoriasis, a skin condition marked by raised, scaly plaques.

PsA affects your joints, most commonly those in your fingers, hands, and knees. You may experience the following symptoms in your joints:

swelling
stiffness
pain
tenderness
warmth
sausage-like fingers (dactylitis)

Treatment

There’s no cure for PsA, but treatment could help relieve swelling and pain, improve mobility, and increase quality of life. Treatment options for PsA may include:

topical medications
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
corticosteroid injections
disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs)
biologics

Angioedema

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Angioedema is very similar to hives, but swelling occurs just beneath your skin’s surface. It’s usually caused by an allergic reaction to something you come in contact with, such as an insect bite or a certain medication.

Angioedema typically affects your lips and eyes, hands, feet, and genitals. It’s often accompanied by redness, which may be more difficult to see on darker skin tones.

Treatment

Angioedema usually goes away on its own. Oral antihistamines can also treat symptoms.

Frequently asked questions

What is puffy hand syndrome?

Puffy hand syndrome is a very rare type of edema that happens after chronic use of intravenous fluids.

Can high blood pressure cause swollen hands?

Limited research has examined the effects of high blood pressure (hypertension) on hand swelling. However, some research suggests that venous hypertension may cause edema, which could affect the hands.

Does swollen hands mean heart failure?

Swelling of the legs and feet may be a symptom of heart failure. Sometimes, edema may affect your hands, but there are many other causes of hand swelling. Speak with a healthcare professional if you’re concerned about swelling in your hands, legs, or feet.

Learn more about edema and heart failure.

The bottom line

Swollen hands can be uncomfortable, but they’re usually nothing to worry about.

Try making some lifestyle changes like exercising and reducing your sodium intake to see whether that helps.

If these methods don’t help, consider speaking with a healthcare professional. They could provide a diagnosis for the underlying cause and develop an appropriate treatment plan.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Goyal A, et al. (2023). Peripheral edema.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554452/
Heart failure signs and symptoms. (2023).https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-failure/warning-signs-of-heart-failure
Janardan A, et al. (2022). Mysteriously puffy extremities: An unintended consequence of intravenous drug abuse.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9239525/
Leiva DF, et al. (2023). Heat illness.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK553117/
Lent-Schochet D, et al. (2023). Physiology, edema.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537065/
Overview: Pre-eclampsia. (2021).https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pre-eclampsia/
Sleigh BC, et al. (2023). Lymphedema.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537239

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Medically reviewed by Darragh O'Carroll, MD — Written by Corinne O'Keefe Osborn — Updated on November 8, 2024

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Consuming too much salt

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Exercise

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Pregnancy

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Lymphedema

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Psoriatic arthritis

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Angioedema

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Frequently asked questions

What is puffy hand syndrome?

Can high blood pressure cause swollen hands?

Does swollen hands mean heart failure?

The bottom line

How we reviewed this article:

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