Sore wrists

Klorgnum

So mostly because of my job (lifting, raking, etc), I have sore wrists. I'm saying job and not computer or guitar since this happened last year too, but went away when I went back to school.

Is there anything I can do about them? It doesn't impact my life too much, but it's extremely irritating.

Thanks

EggyToast

If your job is making you use your wrist muscles more, that should imply that this is muscle related. Try taking some ibuprofen when they're sore -- say, 2 tablets with lunch and 2 tablets with dinner -- and see if that makes them feel any better. Ibuprofen is a good anti-inflammatory and if that's what the problem is, should help quite a bit.

Chanus

There's probably also something causing them to be sore. Lifting shouldn't be putting strain on your wrists. Raking could, but that should go away once they get stronger (are you new on the job?).

If it's just from the raking, the ibuprofen should help you get through that initial hurdle until they get stronger, but I'd also pay close attention to when they hurt and see if it's something posture-related.

Tinuz

Chanus wrote: »

There's probably also something causing them to be sore. Lifting shouldn't be putting strain on your wrists.

That depends. If he is new to the job, his ligament will not be as developed as they should and they do get stretched and strained when lifting.

If you are really afraid, there are these 'gloves' for lifting which take the strain of your wrists.

Klorgnum

I should've given more information in the original post. That's what I get for posting at 5 AM, sorry guys.

I've been at the job three months now this year (and about six last year).
It's not so much lifting as it is pushing down (lifting was a terrible choice of words). I work at a golf course, the mowers need someone to walk behind them and push down on the handles to raise the blade whenever they need to turn. I've tried to keep my wrists straight when I do that, but I usually forget, so my guess is that it's some kind of repetitive strain injury.
The raking comes from raking sand traps, and it's mostly a pushing motion with a hard plastic rake. I'm not really sure what I can do to improve things there.

It somehow never occurred to me to try taking Ibuprofen for this. I always think of that stuff as being for headaches. I'll give it a try.

Thanks

Chanus

Ibuprofen will definitely help the pain.

It sounds to me like you just need to figure out a "better way" to do what you're doing. With raking and pushing a mower you could be utilizing your upper arm strength more, rather than relying on your wrists.

Unfortunately, I don't have any real suggestions other than "try something else". =/

Noquar

Find a new job!

RSI - Repetitive Stress Injuries are pretty common - especially in manual labor fields.

When I was younger I worked at a car wash. My job was to pressure spray, and then broom scrub cars coming into the wash line. Every shift my forearms and hands would begin to cramp and ache. Every night I would often wake up with the lower half of my arms cramped into an awkward position and partially numb. It took about 4 days after I left that job for my arms to thank me for removing them from that situation.

Bottom line IMO: Find a different job, or different tasks in that job. Repetitive motions combined with vibrations = pain

JdNoa

Not sure if this is actually the case but it seems it would be a better idea to only take the ibuprofen at the end of the work day. If you take it mid-day and it masks the pain, maybe you would do more damage to your wrists than you would have if you'd noticed them hurting and changed your positioning etc.

Zombiemambo

EggyToast wrote: »

If your job is making you use your wrist muscles more, that should imply that this is muscle related. Try taking some ibuprofen when they're sore -- say, 2 tablets with lunch and 2 tablets with dinner -- and see if that makes them feel any better. Ibuprofen is a good anti-inflammatory and if that's what the problem is, should help quite a bit.

I wouldn't recommend any kind of dosages - Ibuprofen is made by a number of companies, and the dosages vary anywhere from 1 to 3 pills. It's not deadly to take a couple more pills than you should, but make sure you check the bottle first.

Avicus

or we can recommend a measured amount of ibuprofen. 400mg is the recommended dosage here in Australia.

pantsy

If you have to take Ibuprofen, don't take more than 800 mg three times a day. I have been seeing a doctor for a finger injury and she told me that was the most I could take. Also, if you are taking Ibuprofen in larger amounts, make sure you take it with food or you WILL get an upset stomach.


Edit: Although now that I think about it, Ibuprofen is mainly an anti-inflammatory drug, right? If you're not having any swelling, you might try a Tylenol-based painkiller like Aleve(sp?).

Black Ice

There's a lot of treatment options being discussed, but let's talk about some prevention techniques, as well!

It's important to strengthen the tendons/ligaments. One of the best ways to do this is dumb bell exercises. Get a light dumb bell - one that won't cause your wrists to crack or hurt (start with say, 8 lbs.).

3 sets, 20 reps.

<-- Wrist curls.
<-- Lateral wrist curls.

The man in the figures is using a resistance band, but as you can imagine, a dumb bell works as well. I learned these exercises from physical therapy with tendinitis - I developed it from competitive tennis, and it's important to have strong wrists when you do anything involving repetitive use of your wrists.

Chanus

pantsy wrote: »

Edit: Although now that I think about it, Ibuprofen is mainly an anti-inflammatory drug, right? If you're not having any swelling, you might try a Tylenol-based painkiller like Aleve(sp?).

Inflammation of the muscle may not produce visible swelling of the wrist. Just saying.

Klorgnum

I found some anti-RSI stretches on Lifehacker yesterday that I'm using, I'll give the dumbbells a try too. Thanks!