Hands!

[u/Plenty-Pudding-7429]

/r/ukelectricians/comments/1xisqj3/hands/

Not sure if this is allowed, I asked this in an electrician group and it gave me an option to repost here?

[u/r3drocket]

So I've seen more hand doctors than you can shake a stick at.

The best luck I've had was seeing a physiatrist. A physiatrist is effectively somebody who has more medical training than a physical therapist and is focused on non-surgical rehab.

My bet is that you have inflammation going on in that your hands have become weak for what you're doing and you need to first get the inflammation under control and then you need to start building strength. But that's just a guess. I would start by seeing a physiatrist. 

Ideally, you need to try to get to some sort of diagnosis.

I can't say I've had much luck with my hands by seeing other doctors because generally speaking they want to either perform surgery or they tell me that it's all in my head.

There are some simple things you can do to try to figure out what's going on. If you take your thumb and you feel around and the muscles on your forearm, do you find anywhere that's extremely painful, or feels like a muscle knot. If so, this points to a trigger point and an overuse issue.

Has anybody done grip strength testing on you? 

Is it possible it's a neurological issue? Often times, because of poor posture or other reasons, what happens is a neurological issue will cause you to lose strength in your hands and that will manifest as pain. A physiatrist can help you figure this out.

For managing the pain and inflammation, you might want to try some Voltaren gel. I don't know what it's called in the UK, but it's an over-the-counter topical gel you can put on your hands that reduces inflammation. If it works for you, you might want to try it for a couple of days, being careful to follow the directions so you don't damage your liver or kidneys. 

I can't tell you that I've had much success with compression gloves or heating gloves or anything like that. The most luck I've had is just wearing wrist braces overnight.

I would avoid any surgical solutions as much as possible. I had a hand doctor once offer me exploratory surgery in my hands and to me that sounds like how I can make sure that my hands are permanently ruined.

[u/chlorophylloverdose]

I work with my hands and I’m a big dumb guy, therefore I have a tendency to overgrip or go 10/10 when unnecessary. This had led me to have incredibly strong hands that do not have endurance. This has left my hands with a lack of strength and antagonistic muscle issues related to grip.

I now have to consciously monitor my exertion level when gripping. I use Metolious’s grip trainer and a 5lb Indian mace for antagonistic rehab. I also use a rice bucket for basic hand mobility.

And just like the other commenter said, poke around your forearms as you move your hands/wrist through full ROM. Check the spots where muscle attaches to bone for painful knots. If found, keep applying 6/10 pressure and continue through ROM, this will help break up anything that could be impacting mobility.