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1. Arm Motion
When you walk, run, or perform other physical activities, your arms tend to swing as you move naturally. One study hypothesizes that this repetitive arm swinging may create a centrifugal force that pushes fluid into your hands and fingers.
As the exercise ends and your arms stop swinging, the force dissipates, and your body’s blood vessels can gradually move the swelling out of the arms. It should be noted that this explanation is still very theoretical, and more research is needed on the topic.
2. Fluid Imbalance
Dehydration can also cause swelling in these areas as your body retains water to counter the fluid imbalance.
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3. Hyponatremia
In rare instances, postexercise hand or finger swelling may be due to unusually low levels of sodium in the body.
This condition, also known ashyponatremia, is most prevalent in endurance athletes like ultramarathon runners and triathletes. It occurs when someone consumes excessive amounts of water (or other hypotonic liquids that do not contain sodium) prior to working out.
Seek Emergency CareHyponatremia is considered to be a medical emergency and requires urgent treatment if it is suspected.
Seek Emergency Care
Hyponatremia is considered to be a medical emergency and requires urgent treatment if it is suspected.
4. Metabolic Changes
When you exercise, certain metabolic changes occur to meet the higher energy demands on your body.
To counter this change, the blood vessels in these areas get wider(called vasodilation), which in turn can cause localized swelling. This is another theorized reason that postexercise fluid buildup may occur in the hands.
Ways to Reduce Exercise-Related Swelling
The evidence for reducing postexercise finger swelling is currently very limited. That said, the following tactics may be able to help:
A Word From Verywell
—KATRINA CARTER, DPT, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
Summary
Postexercise hand and finger swelling is a relatively common condition that is not completely understood.
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Ravaglia FFA, Leite MG, Bracellos TF, Cliquet A.Postambulatory hand swelling (Bighand syndrome): prevalence, demographics, and association with dog walking.SRN Rheumatology. 2011;2011:1-4. doi:10.5402/2011/659695Beacon Health System.Hand swelling during exercise: a concern.Rosner MH.Exercise-associatedhyponatremia.Trans Am Clin Climatol Assoc. 2019;130:76-87.National Kidney Foundation.Hyponatremia(low sodium level in the blood).
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Ravaglia FFA, Leite MG, Bracellos TF, Cliquet A.Postambulatory hand swelling (Bighand syndrome): prevalence, demographics, and association with dog walking.SRN Rheumatology. 2011;2011:1-4. doi:10.5402/2011/659695Beacon Health System.Hand swelling during exercise: a concern.Rosner MH.Exercise-associatedhyponatremia.Trans Am Clin Climatol Assoc. 2019;130:76-87.National Kidney Foundation.Hyponatremia(low sodium level in the blood).
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Ravaglia FFA, Leite MG, Bracellos TF, Cliquet A.Postambulatory hand swelling (Bighand syndrome): prevalence, demographics, and association with dog walking.SRN Rheumatology. 2011;2011:1-4. doi:10.5402/2011/659695Beacon Health System.Hand swelling during exercise: a concern.Rosner MH.Exercise-associatedhyponatremia.Trans Am Clin Climatol Assoc. 2019;130:76-87.National Kidney Foundation.Hyponatremia(low sodium level in the blood).
Ravaglia FFA, Leite MG, Bracellos TF, Cliquet A.Postambulatory hand swelling (Bighand syndrome): prevalence, demographics, and association with dog walking.SRN Rheumatology. 2011;2011:1-4. doi:10.5402/2011/659695
Beacon Health System.Hand swelling during exercise: a concern.
Rosner MH.Exercise-associatedhyponatremia.Trans Am Clin Climatol Assoc. 2019;130:76-87.
National Kidney Foundation.Hyponatremia(low sodium level in the blood).
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