Tips and tricks from a RMT
As we all know, spending hours at a time typing on a computer can be tough on our hands. A recent study found that 59% of office workers reported hand pain. To help prevent hand pain, we’ve compiled some tips and tricks from an RMT to save your hand. Keep reading for helpfuladvice on how to avoid common hand issues!
Postural Recommendations
Good posture is important for overall musculoskeletal health, and this includes the hands and wrists. Poor posture can lead to joint pain, tendonitis, and even carpal tunnel syndrome. To help prevent these conditions, it is important to maintain good alignment of the hands and wrists. When typing or using a mouse, the wrists should be in a neutral position, not bent up or down. The elbows should be at a 90-degree angle, and the shoulders should be relaxed. It may also help to use a wrist support when working at a desk. If you start to experience any pain or discomfort in the hands or wrists, be sure to see an RMT for an assessment. With proper care, you can avoid hand and wrist injuries and enjoy healthy, pain-free joints for years to come.
Recommended Exercises
If you’ve ever talked with an RMT about their exercise routine, they will most likely mention strength training for the forearms, hands, and wrists. Although hand and wrist injuries are common, there are several exercises that can help to prevent these types of injuries. For example, wrist curls and extensions help to strengthen the muscles and tendons around the wrist, while grip exercises improve the grip strength and dexterity. In addition, forearm exercises can help to increase the range of motion in the joints and improve protection against overuse injuries. By including these exercises in your training regimen, you can help to reduce their risk of sustaining a hand or wrist injury.
RMT Recommended Hydrotherapy
Another RMT recommendation to help reduce hand and wrist pain is hydrotherapy. It can help reduce pain and swelling and I can tell you from experience, it works! My go to form of hydrotherapy is the forearm contrast bath. It’s simple, effective and requires very little prep. First, fill a sink (or bucket or whatever you have) with cold water and another sink with hot water. You simply put your forearms, wrists, and hands into the warm water (I usually do 30 – 60 sec) and then switch by putting your arms into the cold water for 10-20 sec. Repeat this back and forth 6-8 times. Your arms and hands will feel amazing when you’re done! A word of caution, make sure the hot water is not too hot, as you don’t want to damage your skin. It should quite warm, but bearable. I also recommend putting a few ice cubes in the cold water as it can warm quickly. Hand wrist injuries are common in the workplace.
By taking some simple precautions, you can prevent these injuries from happening. We’ve outlined a few of our best RMT recommended tips for you above. How do you take care of your hands and wrists? Let us know in the comments! You can also check out some of our other blog articles here. Visit our team page by clicking here to find an RMT that is right for you!
