The USA Weekend Supplement featured a short article (January 27-20) on repetitive stress injuries. This is always a timely topic especially if you are a senior. By now many of you are quite familiar with the aches and pains associated with this type of affliction.
Repetitive stress isn’t all about sports and it isn’t all about people using computers for work. Repetitive stress injuries can happen to anyone. Repeating the same movements over and over again puts a strain on the body parts. Aches, pains, swelling, and stiffness are the ultimate reward for years of fun or of faithful service. Women working the checkout stands at the supermarket are the most visible victims of repetitive stress. I have seen many of these ladies wearing splints as they scan our groceries by using a sweeping/twisting movement that involves the hand and wrist.
Repetitive stress can occur at any age, but at our age we can honestly say we didn’t know that this was happening. I worked in health care for more years than I would like to admit to. One of our tasks was medication administration. In the beginning it just meant unscrewing bottle caps and pouring pills into a little ruffled cup. As time went by someone decided that it was more cost effective to put pills into a bubble pack for ease of handing. What happened is that when the pushing and twisting motion needed to get the pills out of the cards was multiplied by several hundred every day, a severe repetitive injury occurred. In my case it was carpal tunnel, trigger finger and/or degenerative joint problem of both thumbs. I have also had tendonitis from sports injuries and I know my mother had bursitis of her shoulder, so repetitive stress injuries have been around for a long time.
Can you imagine not being able to swing a golf club, open a jar, or even hold a pencil? It could happen if you suffer from a repetitive stress injury. Prevention is the best treatment. The next generation of gamesters and workers will be privy to information that should help them out. I do worry about kid’s texting and playing video games, but hopefully they will wise up before they have crippled fingers and other joints related problems when they reach our age.
Researchers recommend that you stop working every 15-20 minutes to give your body a break. Of course if you are working on a time frame or have a dozen customers standing in line, that isn’t going to happen. At the very least you might be able to do some stretches and exercises for your wrist and hands. Learn other ways to relax your grip or change the motion that is troubling you. Physical and Occupational Therapists can teach stress relieving techniques and introduce gadgets that can alter the motion. Otherwise judicious use of anti-inflammatory drugs, heat, ice and yes, yoga movements can strengthen your joints and improve your grip. Please don’t ignore the pain. Find a treatment that will work for you.
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