Last updated on March 6th, 2025 at 11:30 am
How to reduce swelling in the hand?
Swollen hands can be uncomfortable and can interfere with daily activities. While there are several causes of hand swelling, including injury and medical conditions, several home remedies can also help reduce swelling and relieve discomfort.
This article will explore some practical and easy-to-implement home remedies for hand swelling.
How to reduce swelling in hands
Swelling in the hand, also known as hand oedema, can significantly impact joint range of motion, soft tissue mobility, quality of scar tissue formation, function, strength, and esthetics of the hand1.
While massage, elevation, and compression commonly manage such swelling, another technique can be equally beneficial and have long-term effects.
This technique is known as contrast bath or hot and cold therapy. Following this tip and other traditional massage techniques, elevation, exercises, and compression can provide even more benefits. It is easy to follow, and anyone can do it at home.
Steps contrast bath for hand swelling.
A contrast bath is also termed a hot and cold bath because this technique involves the process of dipping swollen hands one by one in hot and cold water.
So, let’s jump straight to the procedure. All you need are two bowls of water, with enough depth to submerge your hand completely.
- Start by filling one of the bowls with hot water at a temperature of around 40 degrees Celsius.
- The other bowl should be filled with cold water, and you can add ice cubes to bring the temperature down to between 7 and 20 degrees Celsius.
- Now, dip your swollen hand into the cold water for about 4 minutes. This will help to reduce the inflammation by constricting the blood vessels.
- After 4 minutes, switch to the hot water and keep your hand submerged for around a minute. This will increase blood flow to the affected area, which can help to reduce inflammation.
- Repeat this process, alternating between hot and cold water, until the water reaches average temperature.
- Always end with cold water. This will help to promote circulation and reduce swelling.
- For best results, you should repeat this procedure once or twice daily.
Other home remedies for swelling in hand
As I mentioned before, you can get a hand massage, use a hand exercise gel ball, and wear compression gloves. I highly recommend using silicone gel balls for hand exercise.
You need to squeeze the ball as many times as you can. Movements of fingers and other small joints of the hand are significant for reducing swelling.
Other tips include
- Elevate your hand above heart level to reduce swelling
- Apply a cold compress to the affected area for 15-20 minutes at a time, several times a day
- Avoid using the swollen hand as much as possible
- Wear a compression bandage or glove to help reduce swelling
- Take over-the-counter pain medication, such as ibuprofen, to help relieve any discomfort associated with the swelling.
- Drink plenty of water to help flush out excess fluids from your body
- Try gentle hand exercises to improve blood flow and reduce swelling.
Keep reading: How do you Reduce Swelling in the Feet? Use hot or Cold
The author is a physiotherapist who has been practising for the last 17 years. He holds a Bachelor's in Physiotherapy (BPT) from SVNIRTAR (Swami Vivekananda National Institute of Rehabilitation and Research), one of the prestigious physiotherapy schools in India.
Whatever he learns dealing with his patient, he shares it with the world through blogs and e-books. He also owns a YouTube channel, "Sunit Physiotherapist" with over 8 lakh active subscribers. Here, he shares everything he gets to learn serving the patient.
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