For a part of our body that works as hard as our hands do, many of us are guilty of not really paying too much attention to them outside of their aesthetic appeal. 

But here’s the thing: while our hands might not seem very complex, they can tell us a lot about the state of our health if we spend some time looking closely at them.

Indeed, our hands’ appearance, form and function can offer an insight into both our mental and physical states, and certain characteristics could be a valuable warning system when it comes to disease prevention and overall health. 

“Issues with our hands can sometimes, unfortunately, be indicative of larger systemic problems in the body,” explains Dr Lawrence Cunningham, contributing medical editor at UK Care Guide. “In my practice, I always recommended patients seek further medical opinion if they experience unusual or persistent symptoms in their hands, even if it’s just for peace of mind.”

From sweaty palms to varying finger lengths, here are six hand-related signs that can tell you vital information about your health.

We’re all familiar with the sensation of pins and needles when we’ve slept in an awkward position or sat on our hands for too long – but if you’re experiencing regular pins and needles that doesn’t go away as expected, it could be a sign of carpal tunnel syndrome.

According to the NHS, carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when a vital nerve (known as the median nerve) in your wrist is compressed, leading to tingling, numbness and pain in your fingers. The likelihood is that this will sort itself out, but some people may end up requiring surgery.

“Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition that affects the hand and arm, causing numbness, tingling and other symptoms,” says Dr Cunningham. “It happens when the ‘median nerve’ which runs from the forearm into the palm becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist. In my clinical experience, I’ve seen this condition commonly in people who perform repetitive motions with their hands, such as typing, and it’s something that has become more of an issue over the years.”

Do you need to worry about pins and needles? 

It’s important to note that most of us will get pins and needles from time to time – usually, it’s absolutely nothing to worry about, but occasionally, pins and needles can also be a sign of other, more serious diseases.

“If you’re suffering more severe symptoms such as weakness in the hand that makes it difficult to grasp small objects or perform other tasks, this can also be caused by other issues,” says Dr Cunningham.

Diabetes

Dr Adam Taylor, director of the Clinical Anatomy Learning Centre at Lancaster University, explains in The Conversation that “pins and needles in the hand can be a sign of diabetes. Raised blood sugar in diabetes causes nerve damage that manifests as tingling or numbness in the extremities, such as the hands. This condition is called “diabetic neuropathy”.

Rheumatoid arthritis

While we might all experience some stiffness in our hands at times, especially as we age, it’s advisable to see your GP if it occurs frequently.

“Stiffness and swelling in the hands can sometimes be a sign of rheumatoid arthritis, which affects multiple joints throughout the body,” says Dr Cunningham. Research shows that the disease often begins in the hands, so any stiffness could be an early warning sign.

MS and stroke 

“Numbness or weakness in the hands might be an early sign of neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis or even of a stroke,” says Dr Cunningham. Again, if you’re concerned, get checked by your GP. 

If you’re noticing that the skin on your hands is constantly dry, with cracked or bleeding knuckles, it might be a sign that you need to drink more water. 

“Dry, itchy and dull skin on the hands can be an indication that your body is dehydrated. This can happen when we sweat more than usual, such as during a heatwave, or when we don’t drink enough water,” says Dr Sebastian Bejma, advanced aesthetic doctor and MD of Dr Bejma Medical Clinic. 

“Another way in which the hands indicate that our body is dehydrated is reduced elasticity,” he says. “If you pinch the skin on the back of the hand and it returns to normal more slowly than usual, it’s a sign your body needs more fluids. Dry, itchy skin might be a sign of a thyroid problem as well, so it’s worth speaking to your doctor if you’re concerned about this.”

If you’re anything like us and you roll from one gel manicure to the next, you might want to take a break occasionally to check the state of your natural nails (not to mention saving yourself some money).

White spots on the nail are usually a sign of trauma to the nail bed, such as shutting your fingers in a door or whacking your nails by mistake. As it can take a few weeks for the injury to make itself known, you might not even remember what you did to cause it.

But if you’re noticing more obvious changes to the colour of your nails – if they’re half white and half brown, for example – this could be a sign of kidney disease, cirrhosis or type 2 diabetes, so it’s best to get this checked out by your GP. 

It’s well known that grip strength is an important indicator of overall health – and good grip might even help you to live longer, as a study in medical journal The Lancet found that grip strength was “a stronger predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality than blood pressure”.

So if you’re struggling to get those pesky jar lids off, it could be time to do some grip strengthening exercises. 

If your palms don’t sweat when you’re anxious, who even are you? Clammy hands are a totally normal bodily response to nerves, exercise or even low blood sugar, but if you find that your palms are damp more frequently, you might want to dig a little deeper into what’s going on.

“If you find your palms are becoming sweaty in the absence of nervousness, hot temperatures or exercise, it could be down to faulty nerve signals causing the sweat glands to become active,” Dr Taylor says. “This can be benign, in which case it is called primary hyperhidrosis. But unexplained sweaty palms – and face, neck and armpits – can be a sign of thyroid problems.”

According to Dr Taylor, our finger lengths say more about us than you’d expect. While there’s nothing we can do about the length (or otherwise) of our digits, you might be interested to know that it can give us an insight into our risk of developing certain diseases later on.

“The length of the index versus ring finger varies in men and women. In women, they are fairly equal in length, but in men, the ring finger is typically longer than the index finger,” Dr Taylor explains.

“This longer ring than index finger relationship is associated with better performance in a number of sports in men and women, but also a risk of developing knee and hip osteoarthritis in women.”

Who knew?

Images: Getty