Stiffness and swelling of hands after walking

[Rockchick26]

I have always gone on walks and for some reason I don't remember if this has ever happened before, maybe it has, but i'm really curious why this happens after I go walking, and it's worse the longer I walk. My hands swell up a little bit, especially my fingers. When i go to make a fist, it feels like there is so much blood in them that they might pop. And they are visibly bigger than usual. It goes down about 10 minutes after I finish walking. But it's just very wierd. And also, my body feels stiff after I walk, and I have a hell of a time stretching. I can't even touch my toes! But when I do other types of working out, like dancing or jumping on the trampoline, I am very flexible and can touch my toes just fine. But for some reason after walking for half an hour or so, I feel so stiff like I can't bend my legs or my body. Isn't all excersize supposed to make you more flexible?

[Angela]

The swollen hands thing used to happen to me, too, and it went away when I held my arms differently -- bend them at the elbow so that your forearms are parallel to the ground, moving back and forth as though you were holding ski poles. I also throw my arms in the air (like I just don't care) every once in awhile, mostly cuz it's fun, but also because it keeps everything all flowy.

[aggie]

that sound like good advice...it sound like fluid retention

[ginkgo]

Originally Posted by Rockchick26

I have always gone on walks and for some reason I don't remember if this has ever happened before, maybe it has, but i'm really curious why this happens after I go walking, and it's worse the longer I walk. My hands swell up a little bit, especially my fingers. When i go to make a fist, it feels like there is so much blood in them that they might pop. And they are visibly bigger than usual. It goes down about 10 minutes after I finish walking. But it's just very wierd. And also, my body feels stiff after I walk, and I have a hell of a time stretching. I can't even touch my toes! But when I do other types of working out, like dancing or jumping on the trampoline, I am very flexible and can touch my toes just fine. But for some reason after walking for half an hour or so, I feel so stiff like I can't bend my legs or my body. Isn't all excersize supposed to make you more flexible?

You can check out other things like getting checked by a good doctor. It is not a healthy thing. If it is fluid retention, that is not healthy but trying consuming less salt (FDA says sodium) and more potassium. Note that is the advice from the FDA for everyone. The sodium from the salt in a meal would require you to eat hundreds of pounds of food to get that sodium without salt added.

If you put 4 ounces of salt in water and drink it, it will kill you. Now people say that that is a massive amount of salt. But it is not a massive amount of burgers. It is one quarter pounder burger. It is about the amount of tuna in those little cans. So the point is that it is not a food. The AMA is trying to make salt a regulated substance since so many Americans are having heart attacks and strokes. Salt has no calories but can make you very fat from water retention.

Food companies have learned that putting salt in foods makes them more money (causes you to eat more) just like tobacco companies find that tobacco is more addictive if they add urine (urea) to it.

[Daffy Duck]

Originally Posted by Angela

I also throw my arms in the air (like I just don't care) every once in awhile, mostly cuz it's fun, but also because it keeps everything all flowy.

You reminded me of this: The One Where Phoebe Runs

[Angela]

Funny you should mention that -- I was just talking about that today. I love the moral of that story -- running should be fun!

[Rockchick26]

Originally Posted by ginkgo

You can check out other things like getting checked by a good doctor. It is not a healthy thing. If it is fluid retention, that is not healthy but trying consuming less salt (FDA says sodium) and more potassium. Note that is the advice from the FDA for everyone. The sodium from the salt in a meal would require you to eat hundreds of pounds of food to get that sodium without salt added.

If you put 4 ounces of salt in water and drink it, it will kill you. Now people say that that is a massive amount of salt. But it is not a massive amount of burgers. It is one quarter pounder burger. It is about the amount of tuna in those little cans. So the point is that it is not a food. The AMA is trying to make salt a regulated substance since so many Americans are having heart attacks and strokes. Salt has no calories but can make you very fat from water retention.

Food companies have learned that putting salt in foods makes them more money (causes you to eat more) just like tobacco companies find that tobacco is more addictive if they add urine (urea) to it.

I don't even own salt. I have never added salt to anything I eat. When I go someplace where they salt the food (such as french fries) I brush it off before eating it because I can't stand that much salt. But this isn't the problem because it only happens when I work out, and it's just my fingers.

Angela that is such a funny mental picture, throwing your arms in the air as you walk! I'll have to give that a shot tomorrow!

[Dreamline]

It's a combination of gravity and centrifugal force. It basically pulls blood and fluid into you limbs as you walk and swing your arms.

When I walk, I periodically step for a few yards with my arms above my head in sort of a limbering up, stretching motion. If your legs feel heavy, you can stop and do a few knee bends. Many people also walk with a more bent-arm pose which eliminated the centrifugal force aspect and some of the gravity problems.

Jennifer

[RagsToRiches]

Originally Posted by Rockchick26

<snip>

This has happened to me for years, I have no idea why. Tends to happen when it is HOT and DRY.

Doesn't bother me much any more and certainly is no practical hinderance.

[RobD]

Hey is it hot where you are walking? Or are you sweating often while walking. Often when I run and it is hot my hands swell too. My wife has swelling hands often just being out in the heat. Usually it is loss of fluids through sweating. I am not sure if you drink sports drinks or not but drinks like gatorade has enough soduim to prevent or stop the swelling. Usually the start of Summer I can feel my hands swell when I run. Usually after a while being use to the heat it does not happen as much. Just a thought.

[Dilman]

That has only happened to me on a couple occasions in my life, and they've all been when I walked large distances. I'm pretty sure it's just the blood going in to your hands. My mom has gone on 20+ mile walks, and she says her fingers look like little sausages afterward, haha. I'm pretty sure it's just a normal side effect from walking.

[Rockchick26]

Originally Posted by RobD

Hey is it hot where you are walking? Or are you sweating often while walking. Often when I run and it is hot my hands swell too. My wife has swelling hands often just being out in the heat. Usually it is loss of fluids through sweating. I am not sure if you drink sports drinks or not but drinks like gatorade has enough soduim to prevent or stop the swelling. Usually the start of Summer I can feel my hands swell when I run. Usually after a while being use to the heat it does not happen as much. Just a thought.

This is very interesting, today when I went walking it was the first day that it hasn't been 90 degrees...it was only about 65, and my hands didnt swell up nearly as bad as they were last week!

[RobD]

Well maybe it is the heat if a change in tempture stopped the swelling. I am no Doctor but I think you have nothing to fear from this just make sure you stay hydrated during your walks. If you can try a sports drink but make sure they are not those zero calorie sports drinks. You actually need those calories that most sports drinks have when you expercise. But sports drinks is a whole other story.

Enjoy