Hand pain and body aches/pain

[VolvoT5]

For the last few weeks my hands keep looking a bit red and slightly puffy and they feel stiff and a bit sore and like a burning/pricking sensation. This happens in the evenings and I wake in the middle of the night with them hurting. My feet are doing the same thing to a lesser extent.

Otherwise I generally feel quite achy and stiff, especially in the hips, lower back and neck/shoulders, like I have done a really heavy workout even though I haven't. Getting moving and stretching seems to help a little but even so the feeling lasts for 1.5 hr in the mornings, eases off during the day and then comes back in the evenings.

I've had similar bouts of this in the past and never really got to the bottom of it despite blood tests and so on. I feel like going back to the quacks is a bit of a waste of time but I'm in my 30s and fed up with feeling and moving like a pensioner.

I take paracetamol, iburprofen and codeine for the pain... it is getting a bit ridiculous now, still waking up 2/3 times a night.

Has anyone experienced similar? And doctors or wanna be doctors here care to have a guess?

[Lynx516]

No sensible guesses to what exactly it is but you probably need to see a rheumatologist. Your symptoms sound like an arthropathy of some description and the distribution and timing, stiff in the morning e.t.c is typical of rheumatic conditions. Its not normal for a 30 year old to be getting those symptoms and you should get it checked out as some rheumatic conditions affect more than just your joints.

[VolvoT5]

Lynx516 said:

No sensible guesses to what exactly it is but you probably need to see a rheumatologist. Your symptoms sound like an arthropathy of some description and the distribution and timing, stiff in the morning e.t.c is typical of rheumatic conditions. Its not normal for a 30 year old to be getting those symptoms and you should get it checked out as some rheumatic conditions affect more than just your joints.

Yes I just dread going to the GP really as they couldn't find anything a couple of years ago when I last had a flare up of these symptoms and you start to feel like a time waster. But these symptoms do seem to come and go for no apparent reason, believe me I've tried vitamins, fish oil, diet changes and so on. The morning stiffness is a PITA, takes a good hour or more before I can move around without wincing.

Probably by the time I can get an appointment it will be settling down again.

[Tony Angelino]

VolvoT5 said:

For the last few weeks my hands keep looking a bit red and slightly puffy and they feel stiff and a bit sore and like a burning/pricking sensation. This happens in the evenings and I wake in the middle of the night with them hurting. My feet are doing the same thing to a lesser extent.

Otherwise I generally feel quite achy and stiff, especially in the hips, lower back and neck/shoulders, like I have done a really heavy workout even though I haven't. Getting moving and stretching seems to help a little but even so the feeling lasts for 1.5 hr in the mornings, eases off during the day and then comes back in the evenings.

I've had similar bouts of this in the past and never really got to the bottom of it despite blood tests and so on. I feel like going back to the quacks is a bit of a waste of time but I'm in my 30s and fed up with feeling and moving like a pensioner.

I take paracetamol, iburprofen and codeine for the pain... it is getting a bit ridiculous now, still waking up 2/3 times a night.

Has anyone experienced similar? And doctors or wanna be doctors here care to have a guess?

Sounds very similar to me. Since 15 years old ish, on and off, I had a shooting sort of pain right in the buttocks/hip - really inconvenienced me and affected my rugby playing. Sort of went away during my 20's apart from the odd episode so forgot all about it.

Into my 30's and had dull aches at the top of the spine and bottom of neck - no obvious reason why. Got gradually worse, still on and off but more on than off and also got a sharpish pain in my chest (sternum) when doing Karate. Went to osteopath who gave me the usual massage, cracked spine etc. and told me to rest it. More I rested it, worse it got. Eventually went to my doctors 3 years ago who by chance specialised in Ankylosing Spondylitis and tested me for the gene that 'carriers' have, and it was positive. Went to the hospital and had an X-ray that showed it up (fused vertebrae at bottom of spine), and now have prescribed anti inflammatories and pain killers and annual check ups. Exercise is the key, resting it was making it worse. Karate helps me hugely. Get the odd 'flare up' in the knee or wrist or ankle but it's well under control at the moment.

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Ankylosing-spondyliti...

Have a read of this and see what you think.

[Darry87]

You should try deep tissue massage focusing on your hand for about 5 sessions. One of my friend had this same situation and massage therapy helped him a lot.