At our hand therapy clinic, we often see patients experiencing cold, discolored fingers and discomfort during colder months or stressful situations. 

Raynaud’s Disease is a condition where the small blood vessels in the fingers (and sometimes toes) overreact to cold temperatures or emotional stress, causing them to narrow and temporarily reduce blood flow. This leads to colour changes in the skin — typically white, then blue, followed by red as circulation returns — often accompanied by numbness, tingling, or discomfort.

For many people, Raynaud’s is more of an inconvenience than a serious problem, but for others, it can significantly impact daily function, especially in colder months or in air-conditioned environments. Tasks that require fine motor skills, like typing, writing, or opening jars, can become frustrating when your hands suddenly lose circulation.

​Symptoms usually affect the fingers and may include:

• Coldness or numbness
• Skin color changes (white, then blue, then red)
• Tingling, throbbing, or pain upon warming or stress relief
• In severe cases, sores or ulcers
  
• Episodes can last from minutes to hours and vary in frequency and severity.

​While there’s no cure for Raynaud’s, as a hand therapist, I often work with people experiencing Raynaud’s to help manage symptoms and maintain hand function. Key strategies include:

1. Thermal protection – Keeping hands warm is essential. Layering, using heated gloves or hand warmers, and insulating drink bottles or steering wheels can help reduce the frequency of attacks.
2. Stress management – Emotional stress can trigger Raynaud’s, so learning calming techniques like paced breathing or gentle stretching can reduce the severity and frequency of episodes.
3. Exercise and hand therapy – Regular movement improves circulation. Hand therapy may include guided exercises to encourage blood flow, gentle desensitisation techniques, and education on avoiding prolonged exposure to cold.
4. Medical input – In more severe or persistent cases, a GP or specialist may recommend medications to assist with blood flow or investigate if there’s an underlying autoimmune condition.

​Raynaud’s is manageable with the right supports in place. Early recognition and a tailored plan from your hand therapist can make a significant difference — helping you stay active, independent, and comfortable in your daily life.

Golf may seem like a low-impact sport, but for an amateur enthusiast that I met this week, her love of swinginghas led to an overuse injury—in her case an ulna stress fracture

​The ulna is one of the two long bones in your forearm, running from the elbow to the wrist. A stress fracture is the development of microtrauma to the bone from the cycle of repetitive overload and insuufficient recovery. The bone can develops fractures from repetitive impact and rotation, such as the torque and strain of repeated golf swings—players with suboptimal technique or poor conditioning can be at higher risk, as well as those with poor nutrition, osteopaedia and those allowing for insufficient recovery or sudden changes in training loads.

​Amateur golfers may not have the same training, technique, or muscle conditioning as professionals. This can lead to increased strain on the non-dominant arm, particularly during impact with the ground (a common cause of trauma in mishits or “fat shots”).