Swelling Hands

[martincr70]

I would also add that most hiking food is high in sodium and that doesn't help either.

The swelling for me isn't bad but it does make my metal wedding ring tight so I wear a QALO silicone wedding ring while hiking. Love those things.

[shelb]

I have this same problem the first 3 days. Using tekking poles helps...

[Mudsock]

Hands swelling due to blood pooling in them is a sign of valve problems in the veins. One in two people 50 or over have valve issues in the legs and/or arms. Blood flows upward toward the heart in the veins, going against gravity. There is a series of check valves in the veins which keep the blood from flowing downward when the pressure drops at the low pressure point during the heart beat. When the valves fail, the blood flows back down due to gravity and does not return to the heart as efficiently. There is no treatment to repair the valves.

An older man I was taking to medical appointments had the problem. I listened to the doctor explain it to him. It was so bad in his legs that he was developing wounds due to the circulation problem.

My hands swell, too. My RN wife correctly identified the problem in me while we were walking in town.

[C-Stepper]

Hands swelling due to blood pooling in them is a sign of valve problems in the veins. One in two people 50 or over have valve issues in the legs and/or arms. Blood flows upward toward the heart in the veins, going against gravity. There is a series of check valves in the veins which keep the blood from flowing downward when the pressure drops at the low pressure point during the heart beat. When the valves fail, the blood flows back down due to gravity and does not return to the heart as efficiently. There is no treatment to repair the valves.

An older man I was taking to medical appointments had the problem. I listened to the doctor explain it to him. It was so bad in his legs that he was developing wounds due to the circulation problem.

My hands swell, too. My RN wife correctly identified the problem in me while we were walking in town.

Don't scare me, Mudsock!

[Mudsock]

While there is no way to repair the check valves once they begin leaking, there are ways to cope. Support hose are available. The pair prescribed for my friend were very expensive ($75 per pair) and very difficult to get on. He flat out couldn't do it at 78 years of age. He had home health care aids who put them on him. Sitting with legs elevated, as in a recliner, would help with swelling.

Hiking poles are a way to cope with the valve issue in the arms. That is a win-win for most of us. It gives us better balance and potentially reduces falls. Simply holding the lower arms horizontal while stopped, or raising the hands above our heads will counteract gravity to a degree.

We all go down hill.

[ralph23]

Mudsock, you are way off base. Way, way, way off base. You are hereby banned from giving further medical advice for the remainder of the day.
-Swelling (i.e. edema) may be due to poor vien valves (i.e. venous insufficiency) but that is far more common in the legs and usually associated with several other factors.
-Edema in the hands can be from a variety of causes, some serious, some not so much. The most likely cause of hand swelling while out hiking is normal hand swelling during/after strenuous exercise in hot temps. Some level of over hydration may lead to this situation as well. It is not a problem in this situation and is a normal body/cellular response to exercise. There is no need for a correction or treatment.

[remington79]

I've had it happen while hiking in hot weather too. I've always heard it has to do with being dehydrated but I make sure to drink plenty of water. I have had it happen when I'm hydrated and also when I've waited to drink. the common factor is that the weather is hot and my arms are down by my side while hiking. I found swinging my arms helps remedy the situation. It just confirms some basic principles of first aid. If you have an injury you raise the wound above the heart to keep the blood flow down so it will clot. Here your hands are not being bent much and as a result more fluids are in your hands.

[PAFranklin]

This happens to me as well when I walk for exercise on non-challenging terrain. My hands will swell, usually in warmer weather, when I do not have a pack to hook my thumbs in the straps keeping my hands above the elbows or have poles that keep my forearms at 90* to my body.

I have to admit I liked the old age at 45 reference. The creaks and rattles that are on their way for your enjoyment will provide endless hours of entertainment, so enjoy the portal of old age and the new normal!

I was complaining to my doctor about this (hoping for some consolation) and he said just wait it gets worse in a few more years.

[amythestylist]

I agree with poles. Also, my husband finds when he eats "hiker food", prepackaged etc..., the swelling is much worse.