This is a great article on how our new lifestyle of using technology has given rise to problems in our hands.. reprinted from What Doctors Dont Tell You.
Computers and smartphones have given rise to a host of chronic pain in the hands. Here’s how to avoid repetitive strain injury and more, says Charlotte Watts
How we use our hands has shaped how we work, express ourselves and play, but the recent rise in the use of keyboards and smartphones has led to a rise in hand, wrist and finger issues. In fact, the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome has been shown to increase with using a keyboard for just over 20 hours per week.1
But even if you use more traditional tools for crafts, woodwork and gardening, you may also find yourself prey to finger, hand and wrist problems if you’re doing similar actions over and over again. Indeed, the repetitive strain injury (RSI) that arises as a result of a constantly repeated motion is a risk factor for arthritis in the finger and wrist joints.
As soon as you feel yourself stiffening, stop immediately and move your hands in a different way. Tingling is a common first sign, telling us we need to increase mobility throughout the hand wherever nerves have become compressed and blood flow compromised. Any signs like aches, numbness, cramps, weakness and tenderness need to be listened to and, if they don’t abate when we change movement, warrant investigation by an osteopath or physiotherapist.
To read the rest of this article go to https://www.wddty.com/magazine/2017/august/ten-finger-exercise.html.
And we publish the exercises here with thanks to What Doctors Don’t Tell You.
