Post Ambulatory Swollen Hands (POTASH): An Autobiographical Case Report

Post ambulatory swollen hands (POTASH) is a rarely described etiology for hand swelling; to the best of my knowledge, it has only been reported in the medical literature a decade ago in a prospective study evaluating its development in walkers who were either dog owners (who walked or did not walk their dogs) in comparison to non-dog owners. In addition to swelling after initiating ambulation by participating in an activity such as hiking, running, or walking, there are also several other causes of swollen hands; a positive fist sign has only been described in a limited number of conditions observed in individuals with hand swelling. A fist is created when there is clenching of the fingers and the fingertips are in direct contact with the palm of the hand with the thumb lying on top of the fingers between the proximal and distal interphalangeal joints. A positive fist sign is demonstrated by the inability to clench the fingers tightly into a fist; indeed, it is a common--yet not frequently reported--manifestation observed in individuals with a swollen hand. In contrast, a negative fist sign occurs when the patient can form a fist of tightly clenched fingers. The author, a 62-year-old physician and long-distance runner since high school, developed recurrent episodes of POTASH beginning five years ago. He noticed asymptomatic, bilateral, and symmetric swelling of his dorsal and palmar hands--with a positive fist sign--beginning after approximately one hour of running; the degree of swelling was proportional to the duration of time he ran. His hand swelling would completely resolve spontaneously--and his fist sign would be negative--within two hours after he stopped running. Recommendations for hikers and walkers to potentially eliminate or limit the degree of POTASH have been suggested; for dog owners who walked their dog, POTASH was less likely to occur if they regularly walked the dog. Several etiologies for POTASH have been proposed; however, the definitive pathogenesis for hand swelling related to either hiking, running, or walking remains to be determined. Therefore, research to gain additional insight and possibly establish the cause of ambulatory-associated swollen hands is warranted.