Felt a pain in the palm of hand. Noticed swollen and blue vein from wrist to palm. What to do?

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Dr. Piyush Ostwal
Neurologist

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I suddenly felt a pain in the palm of my hand. The major blue vein there had swollen from the wrist to the mid point of my palm. It hurt. I removed my watch which was a bit tight. The vein remains larger than normal and a bit sensitive but the initial bit of pain is gone. Could this be a blood clot? or was my watch just too tight? How do I tell the difference? Really don't want to go to the emergency room if this is just a compressed vein.

Posted Mon, 5 Nov 2012 in Head Injuries

Answered by Dr. Piyush Ostwal 1 hour later

Hello,
Thanks for writing to us.
Since the vein has remained of the same size probably that was not the cause of pain. Along with the vein, nerves also pass through the wrist and compression over the nerve can cause such pain.
It is unlikely to be a blood clot. A blood clot will produce many other symptoms and will not subside so soon after removing the compression. I dont think we need to worry here
However, we can definitely conclude after evaluation by a doctor and some tests in case of any doubt. You may not be able to tell the difference yourself.
I hope I have answered your query. if you have any more queries, I will be happy to answer.
Good luck.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by

Dr. Aparna Kohli

Follow-up: Felt a pain in the palm of hand. Noticed swollen and blue vein from wrist to palm. What to do? 3 hours later

Thank you for the quick response.
best
XXXXXXX

Answered by Dr. Piyush Ostwal 31 hours later

You are welcome.

If all your queries are answered, please close this discussion.

Good luck!!!

Above answer was peer-reviewed by

Dr. Prasad