Hand Pain Explanation?

[Gravitation]

Three weeks ago, I began noticing slight pain in my left hand, which of course, I ignored thinking it would go away. The pain I experienced in my left hand(the hand I play tennis with) originally began very mild and light, however, it has grown to become extremely painful and unbearable. I have illustrated the pain I am experiencing in my left hand below:
1. Sharp pain on the first three bones (pinky to middle finger area) upon contact of tennis ball
2. Sharp pain on the tendons of all five fingers upon contact of tennis ball
3. Noticeable hand swelling in comparison to right hand
4. Awkward feeling (but bearable) pain slightly above the wrist

I would like to get some feedback and advice if this is common. If general consensus is that it is uncommon, I will pay a visit to my doctor. Thanks a lot in advance!

 

[Ross K]

What frame do you play with? How is the grip size for you?

 

[Gravitation]

In addition:
5. I attempted to play tennis today, but could not grip the racket because of pain in the first three bones.

(I apologize as I cannot find the edit button!)

 

[Gravitation]

I have always played with a 4 3/8 with an overgrip and that has been fine for me. I play with the KBlade Tour and have not experienced any problems in the previous few months with the racquet.

 

[scotus]

Go see an orthopaedic surgeon or a hand specialist.

And most importantly stop using your left hand. No tennis. I would start icing and resting it immediately.

 

[Ross K]

Sorry, I'm not familiar with your racket. Certain frames though (I'm sure you know this), have a rep for causing such issues (especially if strung up at certain tensions). I had problems with the 6.1 series Wilsons, some Prince TT frames years ago, and some Babs. Also, using grips too big/small for you can also cause strains and pulls etc.

Sounds like you might need a professional opinion.

Hope it clears (and btw, I'm just getting over my own sore arm!)

R.

 

[princemidplus]

i got a similar pain in both my hands while playing in cold conditions althouhg only my pinky and ring finger were affected. the pain was sharp when gripping hard and especially on single handed backhands. carried over into other activities at home. i could not work out the problem (i'm a physio) and colleagues at work were also clueless. fiigured it may have been a minor strain to the tendon due to impact in cold weather (less flexible tendon). cleared after two weeks and relaxing my grip. needed to keep my hand warm as it was worse in the cold.

 

[Slicendicer]

Three weeks ago, I began noticing slight pain in my left hand, which of course, I ignored thinking it would go away. The pain I experienced in my left hand(the hand I play tennis with) originally began very mild and light, however, it has grown to become extremely painful and unbearable. I have illustrated the pain I am experiencing in my left hand below:
1. Sharp pain on the first three bones (pinky to middle finger area) upon contact of tennis ball
2. Sharp pain on the tendons of all five fingers upon contact of tennis ball
3. Noticeable hand swelling in comparison to right hand
4. Awkward feeling (but bearable) pain slightly above the wrist

I would like to get some feedback and advice if this is common. If general consensus is that it is uncommon, I will pay a visit to my doctor. Thanks a lot in advance!

See an Orthopedic hand specialist. Try wearing a copper bracelet w/ magnets... yes, it worked for me.

http://cnb-host2.clickandbuild.com/cnb/shop/magnets4health?op=catalogue-products-null&prodCategoryID=18

 

[scotus]

i got a similar pain in both my hands while playing in cold conditions althouhg only my pinky and ring finger were affected. the pain was sharp when gripping hard and especially on single handed backhands. carried over into other activities at home. i could not work out the problem (i'm a physio) and colleagues at work were also clueless. fiigured it may have been a minor strain to the tendon due to impact in cold weather (less flexible tendon). cleared after two weeks and relaxing my grip. needed to keep my hand warm as it was worse in the cold.

Probably the beginning stage of a chronic condition called "trigger finger". Hope it does not develop into one.

 

[Gravitation]

Sorry, I'm not familiar with your racket. Certain frames though (I'm sure you know this), have a rep for causing such issues (especially if strung up at certain tensions). I had problems with the 6.1 series Wilsons, some Prince TT frames years ago, and some Babs. Also, using grips too big/small for you can also cause strains and pulls etc.

Sounds like you might need a professional opinion.

Hope it clears (and btw, I'm just getting over my own sore arm!)

R.

I have my KBlade Tour strung with Technifibre X-1 Biphase at 64lbs (though it really is quite still soft and plush). Perhaps I will try out different grip sizes after I see an orthopaedic hand specialist. Thank you very much for all the help and advice!

i got a similar pain in both my hands while playing in cold conditions althouhg only my pinky and ring finger were affected. the pain was sharp when gripping hard and especially on single handed backhands. carried over into other activities at home. i could not work out the problem (i'm a physio) and colleagues at work were also clueless. fiigured it may have been a minor strain to the tendon due to impact in cold weather (less flexible tendon). cleared after two weeks and relaxing my grip. needed to keep my hand warm as it was worse in the cold.

This sounds very similar to what I experienced. The pain was indeed especially harsh when gripping hard. Like you, I also use a one-handed backhand. I do not think it is a coincidence either that I also played in cold weather yesterday (and experienced the pain). I will definitely be seeing an orthopaedic hand specialist now as I even have trouble holding a water bottle firmly.

Thanks to everyone for the help and advice!