The human hand can move with amazing precision and keep incredible strength at the same time. This is due to the very adaptive and flexible hand and wrist complex.
There are 8 bones in the wrist, connected to 19 bones in the hand and two long arm forearm bones. The wrist complex is vulnerable to joint sti
ffness because it is often injured in falls. When someone falls on their hand with arm outstretched, the wrist joints get compressed and often swell. This is usually uneventful and the mobility improves without any form of treatment. When the joint stiffness does not improve there is often resulting problems in the tendons and other tissues around the wrist (i.e. thumb tendonitis).
Manual therapy is the specific application of joint stretching (mobilization). A Physical Therapist can apply specific forces through the wrist joints to loosen them up, allowing you to begin the process of improved function.
A simple self-test to examine whether your wrist is excessively stiff:
Interlace fingers and press palms of each hand together. Slide hands down chest until wrists bend backward. Do your wrists bend equally or is one bending less than the other? If one is significantly more stiff and is painful then this could be the problem.
A thorough Physical Therapy evaluation can help determine if your wrist is the cause or if there is some other problem contributing.
Low back pain can be a slight annoyance in our lives or it can be a debilitating entity, robbing us of much joy and fulfillment. When low-back pain begins there are different beliefs that affect how we deal with that pain.
In some people, the first step they take is to avoid any pain they might feel. This might lead to very slight, small changes in their lifestyle or activities, but could gradually increase to become avoidance of all kinds of activities (social and physical) as well as personal hygiene tasks (i.e. bathing) just to avoid any pain.
“Fear-avoidance” is a concept that encompasses many different behaviors related to pain. According to research, if you alter your lifestyle to avoid the pain altogether, you are at a high risk of avoiding those activities permanently.
Education is the key to end fear-avoidance. Pain is a signal that our brain is giving us regarding a problem somewhere in our body. Pain in and of itself does not mean that there is a serious problem, it may be very minor, but needs some attention. We should not always avoid pain, but often that is the first thing we do.
Our perception of our pain can trigger other feelings to erupt, like fear or anxiety. These feelings fool us into thinking that our problem in our back is much worse than it really is. This line of thinking can lead to serious inactivity and deconditioning of our bodies.
Q: How do we rid ourselves of “fear-avoidance”?
A: Educate ourselves about chronic pain. Read books, talk to health care providers and others who understand the nature of living with chronic pain. Accept that the pain may never go away, but move forward towards goals of movement, physical fitness and activity.
Q: How do I help someone else who demonstrates “fear-avoidance”?
A: Educate yourself about the nature of chronic back pain and the multi-factorial causes. Read the book “Explain Pain” to truly understand how the mind plays a large role in maintaining our pain perceptions. Reach out to your loved one with compassion in explaining that pain is only a perception of our body and it is still safe to move and pursue physical activity.
Hurt v. Harm
“A physical activity or exercise might hurt you (YOU MIGHT FEEL SOME DISCOMFORT) but will not necessarily harm you (IT WONT CAUSE FURTHER TISSUE DAMAGE). “
To learn more about this topic see this link: www.noigroup.com - Neuro Orthopaedic Institute
Tips for Winter Indoor Exercise:
1) Focus on consistency in your workouts. Whether you are using different modes of exercise or the same routine, be consistent.
2) Weights and Bands: Resistance training will help burn calories, tone muscles and strengthen bones. Don’t go light though, use enough resistance to overload your muscles (if safe for your joints!).
3) Research has demonstrated that stretching does not really enhance sport performance, but it is still important to help prevent injury. Stretch a little before, but mostly after your workout,
4) Get a partner…...dancing is a great indoor activity that helps keep you moving
5) Walk the mall
6) Check out indoor leagues/clubs in town
7) Try something new: Hockey, soccer, bowling?
8) Jumprope: This exercise will really burn calories like running but you don’t need to go anywhere.
9) Make a 12 week plan. Use the winter to set a new goal for fitness or to rehab a lingering injury
10) Treadmill Running: Run at an 8% grade on the treadmill to best simulate the resistance of running over ground. This will best prepare you for running outdoors in the Spring.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter by sending an email to aipt@nwi.net with "subscribe" in the subject line.