Does complex regional pain syndrome cause hand swelling?

Complex regional pain syndrome can affect pain processing and circulation in an arm or hand after an injury, procedure, or other trigger. The hand may look puffy, feel unusually warm or cool, change colour, or become stiff and sensitive to touch. Symptoms can vary during the day. Hand swelling also has many other possible explanations, so a clinician considers the timing, pain pattern, skin changes, movement, and medical history together.

Arrange an assessment if swelling persists, follows an injury, or occurs with disproportionate pain, stiffness, or sensitivity. Keep the hand gently moving within comfort, elevate it when resting, and avoid tight rings or forceful exercises. Do not use ice, heat, compression, or medicines as a substitute for an examination, especially if sensation or skin colour has changed.

Seek urgent medical care for rapidly increasing swelling, severe or escalating pain, a blue or very pale hand, marked warmth and redness with fever, new weakness, or numbness. Immediate assessment is also appropriate after a significant injury or when the hand becomes difficult to move.

Ask what findings support or argue against complex regional pain syndrome, whether another cause of swelling needs testing, which movements are safe, and how pain and hand function will be monitored.