Surely, on more than one occasion, we have felt how the fingers of our hands swell or throb when we go running. Runners with circulatory problems will be more prone to suffer this type of episodes and, on the contrary, in athletes who do not present this type of pathologies it is a transitory and easily reversible situation. Why do my fingers swell when running? Here, runneante, one of the things that can happen to you when you go running and you didn't know why?
We turn -once again- to the expert advice of Iker Muñoz, our Sports Director, who will try to shed light on this uncomfortable feeling of swelling when running. While it is true that it will be something related to the person and atmospheric situation, more common in hot weather, "one of the possible causes of this swelling situation is the decrease in venous return capacity," warns Iker Muñoz.
If there is no muscular contraction that allows a correct return of blood flow, it will tend to accumulate in the hands or phalanges and cause the swelling sensation.
Sometimes when we run, we notice how our fingers swell or throb. This sensation is more common in hot weather, one of the possible causes of this situation is the decrease in venous return capacity.
Especially in summer, in hot weather, or during long runs, venous return is momentarily worsened in the parts of our body that are not directly involved in exercise. This is because there is no major muscle contraction to help the blood return. In this way, it will tend to accumulate in the hands or phalanges and cause us that swelling sensation.
One of the easiest ways is to mobilize the fingers. Flexing the fingers, generating a small contraction in the forearms, raising the hands, are all easy and effective ways to reduce this sensation.
A reflex action is to raise the arms, thus favoring the return of this blood.
This will be relative to the person and the atmospheric situation. Those of us who have circulatory problems are more likely to suffer from this. However, unless we suffer from a pathology and have real circulation problems, this situation is transitory and easily reversible.
Therefore, no, it is not normal for my fingers to always swell when I go running. However, when we are in hot and humid climates, this sensation is relatively normal to occur as a result of a difficulty of venous return.
Does temperature change or thermoregulation play a role?
Yes, as I said, the increase in humidity and temperature will cause us to increase our sweating rate and electrolyte loss. Therefore, if we do not hydrate properly, circulation and venous return will be hindered and therefore we will be more likely to suffer these symptoms.
Swelling in the fingers does not have to be indicative of poor or good circulation. It is the product of various factors that do not necessarily have to be linked to a pathology. It is not possible to make such a categorical statement with a test like this one.
Proper hydration is essential, but sometimes we can not prevent it because the weather has a great impact on this. Also, to try to alleviate the stiffness and swelling in the fingers, we must try to prevent the blood flow is concentrated; through a continuous bending of the phalanges or a contraction of the forearms.
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