Has anyone with RSD in the hand have the feeling when making a fist of gear like or a band in fingers ? This is new in the last week.

My problems in my right hand have only started in the last two weeks, and I'm still getting my head around it all. My hand feels vey stiff, and it's exactly as though I'm grinding some creaky and poorly-oiled gears in my big hand joints when I'm trying to straighten it out or make a fist. It doesn't feel like my hand anymore. It's swollen mainly around my middle finger knuckle, which is hit and red, and the skin on my palm underneath that joint is sensitive and sore. When I make a fist, I really feel it tighten across my fingers, I thought maybe because of the swelling? Very odd and unpleasant. I'm seeing my doc to try and rule out some other things, but as he knows very little about CRPS I'm not hopeful.

Sorry you're having problems with your hand, have you found anything that helps? I've been massaging it with some oil I have, and trying to keep using it as much as I can, but it's very stiff and sore and I'm struggling with several normal activities...

Take care and I hope you have a better day tomorrow.

Bram.

Yes you described it so well. Actually I feel like I need to oil the bones!!!! I am gonna ask my neuro doctor next week. Mine feels exactly like yours. Mine also started 2 weeks ago. Hope this gets better soon. Hope it is the weather. I am also using mine as much as possible. Mine gets better and I think great its going into remission, the color is better ect. ...then its back to a purplish color and feels swollen. Keep me informed and I will do the same. Mine is very stiff when I wake each morning. I go to PT tomorrow. I will ask her. I have already mentioned it to her but She can't give medical advice so I really don't think I will learn anything tomorrow.

How weird that we started this at the same time? I'll definitely be really glad to know how you get on... I'm seeing my pain doc today and am going to see what she thinks - she's pretty good with CRPS and does seem to understand it (it's my GP that seems lost ). I wondered initially if it was arthritis, with the morning stiffness, etc, but this redness, heat and sensitivity and the sharp pains at times seems more and more like the CRPS itself. I'm really hoping its not. I mean neither is fun, but my left arm and hand are already affected and weaker, and I'm finding stuff like picking up kettle and saucepan etc tricky at the moment - don't know which hand to use!

Hope yours is a bit better today, I'll let you know what my doc thinks...

Bram.

I just woke up on the couch and OMG my right hand was stiffer than ever. So glad I am going to PT today. I see what some post mean now. No matter how much it hurts keep moving it or it will get to not being able to at all and then will hurt worse. So glad you understand. I just hope I will be able to keep being able to unstiffening it. I don't have the weakness yet but I just had this disease 2 1/2 months total from my surgery. So very scary. Looks like a long bumpy road for us. I too like playing games too. I will ask if playing something like a Nintendo hand held game would make it better or worse. Can't imagine not being able to use my right hand at all. I am right handed!!! So scary with me just having this 2 1/2 months total.

Hi again,

Well I saw my pain doc. There's a good chance it is the CRPS on my right hand. If the pain and stiffness was just mornings, or was only brought on by certain activities, it might be a type of arthritis, but with the stiffness and pain so random/frequent, and the heat, swelling and sensitivity, odd pains etc it's more CRPS-like.

I play the piano, do a lot of cooking, write short plans and reports, etc., and I think exercising that hand has kept it strong as long as it has. I'll be keeping going until I can't press the keys down anymore. I think physio is vital to keep things moving, but for me it's my own hobbies and activities that have kept me busy and moving. Physio stuff got boring and repetitive, and although we have to do it and I agree with the principle, I think finding something you enjoy that uses that limb is far more enjoyable and you are far more likely to do it!!

I like games too, but the only issue for me with hand held games is that the movements tend to be very small but repetitive, and can cause cramping and exacerbate the pain in one area. Fine for short periods, but I can't do it for long. A variety of different things works better for me. If you do play a lot of computer games etc., make sure you stretch your hand out frequently and rotate your wrists to keep your blood flow high.

It's sometimes a bit depressing seeing my pain doc these days, because she has tried many of the meds and they don't work. The next move in meds is opiates, and if I do those I won't be able to do the work I do. On the other hand, it looks like she's got me into an IvIg research study, so that's a big deal and something to plan for...

Take care today. Best leave this now, my hands are getting tight!!

Bram.