What Conditions Cause Foot and Hand Pain?

Foot and hand pain can be experienced independently from each other, or they may be experienced at the same time due to the same conditions or separate conditions. The most common causes of pain in the feet and hands include arthritis, fibromyalgia, nerve pain, injuries and trauma, and soreness from overuse. Arthritis occurs when the ligaments in a joint begin to degrade, causing painful inflammation and other painful joint issues. Arthritis is common in both the hands and feet as well as other parts of the body. Fibromyalgia is a condition in which a person becomes sensitive to pain and pressure throughout the body.

As humans age, the tissues in the joints begin to wear out. This wearing is called arthritis, and it can be a very painful condition for which there is no cure. The cartilage padding between the bones in the joints starts to wear down, the ligaments start to stretch, and the bones grind together, which can lead to nerve aggravation or compression, bone degradation, joint stiffness, soreness, and other types of pain. Foot and hand pain often result from arthritis, since both parts of the body contain many small joints in which arthritis can develop. Treatment for arthritis usually involves medications such as anti-inflammatory pills or topical ointments, as well as painkillers. Regular exercise and stretching can also help alleviate some of the pain associated with arthritis, though in some very severe cases, surgery may be necessary; joint replacement surgeries are sometimes a response to severe or debilitating arthritis.

Fibromyalgia can cause pain throughout the body, including in the hands and feet, though diagnosing this condition can be difficult because medical professionals are not entirely sure what it is or what causes it. It is thought that elevated stress levels are a contributing factor to this condition. In addition to pain, the individual may have an increased sensitivity to pressure. People who have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, or who suspect that they may have it, often need to change their daily activities to help reduce the symptoms and lower their stress levels.

Nerve damage can also cause foot and hand pain, depending on which nerves have been damaged. When a nerve becomes compressed, it may cause pain in any area of the body that is serviced by that nerve. Pain can be caused by compression of more than one nerve, since the hands and feet are serviced by several different ones. Compression can occur anywhere along that nerve's length, and many nerves originate or run near the spine. Problems with nerves in the spine, therefore, can lead to pain in different parts of the body.