Health Facts: Hand and Wrist Pain
Not just an eye strain or back pain that you could experience on spending too much time using a computer or laptop. Hand and wrist pain is very likely too. Pain, numbness, or tingling in your hands or wrists can affect all areas of your life and sometimes may be a symptom of a larger problem, like carpal tunnel.
I have to admit that I spent more than 10 hours a day of surfing the net, clicking and writing within the past 3 months while I am on leave at work. Even when I am at the office, I spent 8 hours in front of my desktop. And I always ignore the pain on my right hand and wrist although when the pain is too much, I massage it gently. So far, luckily, I got no trouble yet. But I know I need to do something before its too late.
I would like to share to you something about the hand and wrist pain, since some of the bloggers were too busy on how to earn online and how to gain more friends in blogosphere thus disregarded their health, unknowingly.
You know that its time to see your doctor if you have hand and wrist pain or numbness and;
– Tingling or numbness in your hands and feet
– Seizures
– Muscle cramps or weakness
(These symptoms, along with an irregular heart-beat, may signal that you have too little calcium in your blood. This is an medical emergency, and you should get help immediately.)
– Morning joint stiffness
– Limited movement and dexterity
(This could mean osteoarthritis, a condition where the cartilage in your joints gradually breaks down. Usually, you will feel an aching pain when you move or put weight on your joints.)
– Tight, thick, shiny skin (especially on fingers and face)
– Raynaud’s phenomenon (hands and feet become red, white, and blue when exposed to cold
– Difficulty swallowing
– Heartburn
(These are symptoms of a rare but potentially fatal disease called scleroderma. It is a condition where your immune system attacks your own tissues.In mild cases , it affects only your skin, but severe cases may involved your heart, lungs, kidneys, gastrointestinal track, and joints.)
– Knots in your palm, usually at the base of your fingers
(These types of knots could signify dupuytren’s disease, which occurs mostly, in older people. In this condition, nodules develop in your palm, often causing your fingers to bend voluntarily inward.)
– Swelling
– Warmth in affected area
– Muscle pain or tenderness that increase with motion
(If you have these symptoms, you may have tendinitis, an inflammation of your tendons. The problem often is caused by an injury or by repeating the same motion over and over.)
– Pain is located mainly in your thumb, index, and middle fingers
– Pain is worse at night
– Weakness in your thumbs
– Numbness or loss of feeling in fingers
(These symptoms could result from a condition known as carpal tunnel syndrome.)
However, you could still protect your hands from painful, numbing condition:
1. Sit correctly. Sitting incorrectly can lead to carpal tunnel and other problems, especially if you’re in front of a keyboard all day long.
2. Straighten your wrists. Don’t rest your wrists on your desk. If you have a problem holding your wrists straight, buy specially made wrist rests for your keyboard.
3. Brace yourself. Wearing a wrist brace may help your wrists straight so they don’t put constant pressure on your median nerve.
4. Take a break. Do it every hour or so.
5. Shake it out. Some people find temporarily relief by shaking or rubbing their hands.
6. Beware of B6. Some health professional believe a vitamin B6 deficiency may cause carpal tunnel. However, a recent study found no connection, and large doses of B6 can cause permanent nerve damage.
7. Lighten up. If you are overweight, you are at greater risk for carpal tunnel. Losing weight will help your hands, your heart, and your overall health.
(source: health information almanac)
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