Sunday, July 3, 2016

Wrist Pain Prevention

Are you spending more time on your computer?  Of course you are!


  Please try my favorite tips to prevent wrist pain. 
 
1)    Be cool.  Literally.  Tie a cool freezer pack to your wrist for 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off.  Use a rubber band or two to secure it, and be sure it is not too tight.  Solid ice packs should be lined with a thin cloth or paper towel to prevent frost bite.  No freezer packs on hand?  A bag of frozen vegetables stands in fine.  My favorite pack for gentle cooling is this one, the Thera Pearl Wrist Wrap with a handy wrist strap:





2)   Stop moving.  Wear a wrist brace to prevent your wrist from twisting.  You can wear this all day and night, and look rather stylish, too.  My favorite is Futuro brand.


Or, for copper-infused arthritis-fighting bliss, these are slim, high tech wonders!


3)   Straight ahead.  Place a wrist cushion under your wrist to insure your wrist is on a straight line.  A low cost alternative is to fold one or two plush velour socks under your wrist. 


4)   Teamwork, guys.  Use two hands to work your mouse; push, pull and click using left and right hands; and try to use your non-dominant hand more.

5)   Let go.  Take your hand off that mouse often, and twist ‘n squeeze it, preferably to some rock ‘n roll music.  Tell me this doesn't look like fun!


6)   Massage therapy.  Rub slowly and gently from your fingertips to the shoulder, following the contours of your muscles and bone, with your favorite lotion or oil if you’d like.  I like to use organic oils because they feel more healing.  I use this one all the time.



7)   Take a shortcut.  This is a biggie. I’m not just talking about the workhorse keyboard shortcuts like:

 
Print and highlight your most-used shortcut from the keyboard shortcut list.  This is a game-changer, and not so hard once you get used to it.

       
Easier said than done, I know, but please cut down on salt which can swell the joints, and do see a doctor if your wrist pain is severe.

Make it easier for your computer...to be a pure joy!

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