Let's talk Wrist and forearm - Week 2

How to minimize strain on the wrist and forearm?

Wrist and forearm strain is common due to overuse. Overuse comes in various forms and often doesn’t feel like too much, until it turns into pain.

Common activities that cause overuse injuries of the wrist and forearm:

Keyboarding – common and well-known overuse injury, seems to be worse with the use of laptops as the keyboard is typically smaller and puts the wrists at an awkward angle.
Phone use – seems so minor and insignificant until the pain starts from texting or scrolling.
Wrench or tool use where the action is gripping and twisting – very common among mechanics, and carpenters
Tennis or Golf – where the action is gripping and swinging against force.
Repetitive strain on the job – repeatedly using the wrist and forearm to perform the same action.

Though these overuse injuries are common they are preventable.

Preventing injury from overuse:

Take frequent breaks – every 20 minutes is usually a good rule of thumb. Set an alarm on your phone to stretch.
Stretch forearms and hands – I will be doing a demo of some stretches for you on my Facebook Live, which is included below.
Strengthen- we often think of stretching but forget about strengthening. Tight muscles are often weak muscles. The muscles tighten up to support the joint which makes them shorter. The shorter a muscle is the less load it can withstand. That being said, we need to lengthen the muscle to strengthen it. Therefore stretching and strengthening go together. I will be demonstrating some strengthening exercises too.

What to do if you are in pain?

Ice first – The first line of defense is to ice. NO HEAT. Ice will help to decrease any
swelling allowing for more room in the joint to move.
If you pain is present daily it is time to get help. We can help with that. Book an assessment and we will take care of the rest.

Below Dyan talks about wrist and forearm pain and some of the things you can do to help with it!

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