A veritable myriad of conditions can cause right hand pain, ranging from minor acute injuries such as overuse to chronic and more serious conditions such as arthritis. Common causes of pain in the right hand are maladies that afflict a large segment of the population — people who commonly experience temporary or constant soreness or pain. Most people are right-handed and use their right hands for common tasks, so this hand suffers more injury than the left hand. Most of the common causes of a painful hand are minor and result from sudden strain or repetitive injury. Other common but more serious causes of pain result from degenerative diseases such as arthritis.
Aside from an immediate injury such as a fall or wound, a sore right hand is usually indicative of overuse of the hand. Temporary right hand pain might result from overworking one of the many small muscles or joints in the hand. The right hand might be sprained; in such a case, pain results when the hand is moved. Tendinitis occurs when the tendons of the hand, the fibrous bands connecting muscles to bones, become inflamed or torn. With tendinitis, repetitive movements, such as typing, writing or grasping can cause right hand pain.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a chronically painful hand affliction accompanied by numbness, tingling and weakness in the thumb. The hand pain results when the median nerve at the base of the hand is pressed by swollen ligaments or tendons in the wrist and base of the thumb. Carpal tunnel syndrome commonly affects the right hand, because it is the dominant hand for most people. This condition is more a nuisance than a serious condition, but extreme pain or chronic numbness might indicate an underlying and more serious medical condition.
Arthritis is one of the most common causes of chronic right hand pain, affecting millions of people around the world. Infectious arthritis is caused by a virus or bacteria that has entered the body and becomes lodged in one of the joints of the hand. Rheumatoid arthritis is an immunological disease; the body’s immune system attacks the joints of the body, causing pain and stiffness. Hands and wrists are usually the first to be affected by rheumatoid arthritis. Along with pain and stiffness, the right hand might be swollen or red with small, hard bumps below the skin.