Lisa Robarts, a Ballito-based occupational therapist, specialises in the rehabilitation of hand injuries, as well as neurological rehabilitation. We asked her how to avoid overuse injuries to our hands.
At some point in our lives, we are all likely to experience achy thumbs or shooting pains up our forearms, or funny sensations in our fingers. These are sometime due to a once-off injury like trying to catch a cricket ball one-handed at the T20, or from falling over a loose brick on a promenade run. Sometimes, however, these little injuries are caused by small, repetitive movements that are perfectly harmless on their own, but when done over and over again they can cause damage to our hands.
Common symptoms of over-use injuries may include:
- Pain, usually in the joints of our hands, often where our thumb joins the wrist
- Sensations such a shooting pains, numbness or pins and needles
- Weakness when trying to grip or pinch items
- Swelling in the hand or fingers
- Unusual clicking or locking of fingers or thumbs when bending
Common conditions these symptoms may be due to include:
- De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis: swelling of the tendons that move our thumbs. Usually caused by repetitive thumb movements such as texting or picking up a child.
- Osteoarthritis: This is most commonly found where our thumbs join the wrist and is caused by wear and tear or a muscle imbalance resulting in the bones rubbing together at an unusual angle.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome: this causes numbness, tingling and weakness, particularly in the thumb, index and middle finger. Usually caused by repetitive opening and closing of the fingers doing activities like gardening, or spending long periods typing on a computer.
- Trigger finger or thumb: This is when the tendons that bend our digits get inflamed and a small lump develops on the tendon. This lump gets stuck in the little tunnels that hold the tendons against the bones, causing a clicking or “triggering” of the digit as it bends and straightens.
The above conditions can affect people of all ages, male or female, however, they tend to me more common in women, especially those who are very active with their hands. If you are a new mum or are pregnant, you might find yourself at a greater risk for these conditions. When you’re pregnant, your ligaments relax due to a hormone called relaxin, therefore putting more strain on your muscles, bones and tendons.
The little joints in our digits and wrist are very strong but not very big, especially when compared to the large ligaments securing our elbow or shoulder joints.
To protect the joints in our digits and wrists:
- Use larger joints as often as possible. We all know what an achievement it is to carry 17 shopping bags at once from the car, a bag on every finger. However, that’s a huge amount of weight through a small joint. Rather, take bags along that will fit over your shoulder, or at least the forearm, so your elbow is taking the weight.
- Use tools with larger grips. Trying to grip a pencil tightly is much harder than trying to grip a toilet roll – make things easier for your joints to avoid wear and tear.
- Try to keep your joints in alignment (straight) – take a look at how you hold your steering wheel, type on a computer or hold a small child. You might notice your wrist is bent at an awkward angle for extended periods of time.
- Avoid repetitive movements, especially ones that involve opening and closing your hand against resistance, and take regular breaks to rest your hands if you feel pain.
If you are concerned about hand or wrist pain, chat to your GP, orthopaedic surgeon or an occupational therapist who specialises in hand therapy.
Details: www.lisarobarts.co.za, IG: @lisarobarts_ot
