Home Treatment for Repetitive Stress Injury

One of the key issues in ergonomics is that one size never fits all. The petite, five foot tall woman (that’s me) has vastly different needs than the broad-shouldered 6’5″ man. We have different sizes, weights, different abilities to grasp, different shapes and spaces between our fingers and our shoulders. But most product manufacturers don’t [...]

I’ll never forget the day my Workers’ Comp doctor gave me a packet of Vioxx pain killer to try, after the drug had been pulled from the market. I told him, “I want to heal my arms, not just numb the pain.” Although he admitted that I could hurt myself more by numbing the pain [...]

In previous posts, I’ve written how many types of activities beyond computer use can cause repetitive stress injuries like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or Golfer’s Elbow or Epicondylitis… anyone from pizza makers to archaeologists to musicians can be at risk of this kind of injury. However, it’s not just your usual motions that put you at [...]

Some time ago, I wrote about the benefits of using Chinese medicine balls as therapy, particularly for hand pain such as carpal tunnel or deQuervain’s syndrome/tenosynovitis of the thumb. The practice of twisting the balls around one another, using the fingers, helps to build dexterity and restore range of motion. Also, the weight of the [...]

I spent Saturday at the Maker Faire in San Mateo, and found some cool related tutorials for modifying your own computer input devices like mice and scroll wheels. Some of them don’t require much electronics savvy, while others are serious mods that need a few tools and some background. Either way, they’re fun to browse [...]

If you have a hand injury and seek treatment, you may end up in a physical or occupational health center being treated by a hand therapist. While you sit there receiving treatments, you might wonder what training they’ve received before working on you. Hand therapists have to demonstrate the following experience to receive certification: A [...]

What exercises can be done with Chinese Medicine Balls? This is a question posed by Bethany in the comments, and I thought the answer deserved its own post. Chinese Medicine Balls, or other similar-sized balls, can be used to help increase flexibility or range of motion in the hands. The general idea is to hold [...]

A cloth tote bag with a shoulder strap is a good alternative to those plastic grocery bags, because it can help relieve the tension and stress on your arms. Using a tote with a shoulder will shift the weight of your purchases from the small muscles of your hands, to the larger muscles of your [...]

If your thumb is sore and swollen, there are several things you can do to loosen up and relieve the ache. Hopefully, even if your thumb is sore, your tongue is still agile, because you might have to get it around the word Tenosynovitis. Tenosynovitis, often called Trigger finger or DeQuervain’s syndrome, is actually a [...]

Most doctors and therapists will recommend that after working your body too hard or after an acute injury, that you ice the affected area. Use a cold pack or ice cubes wrapped in a towel, and apply it for twenty minutes, they say. It’s meant to flush the inflammation and resulting stiffness away. If you [...]