Preventing Hand Pain in Repetitive Activities: Tips for Injury Prevention
Does your work require you to perform small, repetitive hand movements? Maybe you’re a programmer who spends all day typing–or a gardener who has to use a string trimmer, gardening shears, and other hand tools to get the job done. No matter where you clock in, hand pain from repetitive activities can be an issue for many.
Repetitive stress injuries are a type of injury that results from several microtrauma over time. Rather than a major trauma (like a car accident) that causes immediate and obvious damage, repetitive stress injuries build up slowly. You generally won’t notice a problem until you start experiencing symptoms, such as pain or limited range of motion.
Our hands and wrists are especially susceptible to repetitive stress injuries. The small, simple movements we perform every day–from brushing our teeth to turning on our TV–all require the fine motor skills of our hands and wrists. For most of us, these aren’t challenging activities, so we don’t think twice about them.
But that can also lead to problems. Take using your phone, for instance. How often do you scroll through social media or text with friends? Every time you do, you’re moving your thumb and fingers in a particular way, stressing those small, delicate joints. This leads to the microtraumas that can eventually cause a repetitive stress injury.
Fortunately, the hand therapists at Libra Occupational Therapy are skilled in addressing repetitive stress injuries, especially in the hand and wrist. You can find hand pain relief through a blend of hands-on therapy techniques, exercises, and simple lifestyle modifications.
Keep reading to learn more about hand therapists’ role in helping you manage hand pain. Or schedule an initial consultation at our TX clinic to get started on your pain relief journey!
Some Common Types of Repetitive Injuries of the Hands
Repetitive stress injuries generally affect the soft tissue in our hands: our tendons, muscles, ligaments, and nerves. Repetitive movements actually bring on several common hand complaints.
Perhaps the most well-known is carpal tunnel syndrome. This condition occurs when the median nerve, which runs from the wrist and into the hand, becomes irritated or compressed. A similar condition is cubital tunnel syndrome, which affects the ulnar nerve.
Both conditions cause similar symptoms: namely, pain, tingling, or numbness in the hand and fingers, along with weakened grip strength. In carpal tunnel syndrome, sometimes that pain will extend into the forearm. In cubital tunnel syndrome, you may feel pain inside your elbow, as that’s the point where the ulnar nerve becomes compressed.
Your tendons–the tissue that connects your muscles to your bones–are also a common source of hand pain. Repetitive movements can cause tendinitis, an inflammation of the tendons that leads to pain and swelling. De Quervain’s syndrome is another common problem, occurring when the tendons at the base of your thumb become irritated, leading to pain and swelling in the area.
Finally, strains can also result from repetitive movements. A strain occurs when either a muscle or tendon becomes overstretched, leading to pain and swelling.
Ways We Can Address Hand Pain Brought on by Repetitive Activities
The hand experts at Libra Occupational Therapy have a keen understanding of the complexities of your hands and wrists. Not only can we help you understand what specific condition is causing your hand pain, we can help you find a way to resolve it!
We have several techniques at our disposal to help you address repetitive use-type hand injuries. Furthermore, we can show you techniques to help avoid them in the future. Although every treatment program is different, here are a few techniques we might include:
- Manual Therapy: These hands-on techniques allow us to provide acute pain relief and help you restore your limited range of motion. Joint mobilizations, soft tissue manipulation, and nerve gliding can all help you find relief. By using our hands to treat your hands, we can help prepare you for more intense treatment.
- Exercise Programs: Targeted hand exercises are crucial in addressing hand pain from repetitive activities! These conditioning programs help you stretch and strengthen the many muscles, tendons, and ligaments in your hands, helping to correct imbalances and reduce pressure on the affected areas.
- Ergonomics strategies: Ergonomics focuses on improving the spaces and tools we need for work so that we can be comfortable and productive. Because so many repetitive use hand injuries are work-related, optimizing your workspace can provide comfort now–and reduce your risk of reinjury later.
- Splinting: This technique involves using a splint, brace, or other orthoses to immobilize the affected area to maximize rehabilitation. We’ll fit you for a custom device and instruct you in its use.
Say Goodbye to Hand Pain from Repetitive Activities
Repetitive stress hand injuries may be common, but that doesn’t mean you have to live with them! A personalized treatment plan at Libra Occupational Therapy will help you address your pain now–and in many cases, can even resolve the condition entirely. It’ll also ensure you’re protecting your hands from future injuries with personalized ergonomics adjustments and other movement strategies.
Ready to see what hand therapy can do for you? Schedule an appointment with us today to get started!