Hand swelling during exercise: A concern?

What causes hand swelling during exercise? I walk several times a week, and my fingers get puffy to the point that I can't get my rings off.

- Cathy / Kansas

Mayo Clinic physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist Edward Laskowski, M.D., and colleagues answer select questions from readers.

Answer

Hand swelling during exercise is a fairly common problem. Unfortunately, the cause usually isn't clear. It may be due to an exaggerated response by the circulatory system of your hands and fingers. Hand swelling during exercise is unlikely to be due to drinking excess water, electrolyte imbalance or weather.

Usually, when you exercise other parts of your body, your heart redirects blood from your hands to exercising muscles. This cools the skin and local tissues of the hand. The blood vessels in your hand try to maintain circulation but may overreact, leading to a local increase in blood and possibly swelling.

There is no proven method for preventing or reducing hand swelling during exercise. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that the following tips may help some people:

Before you exercise, remove your rings and loosen your watchband.
During exercise, do occasional forward and backward arm circles.
Occasionally stretch your fingers out and then make a fist. Repeat this several times during exercise.