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Month: June 2022

Categories
Hands

Yard Work and Gardening Shouldn’t Be Painful. Here’s What’s Happening if You’re Doing Them Wrong.

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There are two types of people in this world: those that look forward to spring and summer yard upkeep and those who dread it like the plague. It probably goes without saying why it’s dreaded by some; the activity itself can be draining and sometimes even leave you in pain. Yard work and gardening shouldn’t be painful, though. Aside from investing into helpful tools such as garden kneeling pads and wireless weedwhackers, here are some other ways to avoid pain during yard work and gardening.

 

The gardening and yard work actions that are causing pain.

When you’re working in the yard and garden, the aches and pains are exacerbated by the bending, crouching, grasping, and repetitive one-handed tasks. The problem with these actions is that you begin doing them incorrectly because the incorrect way feels “easier” – at least, it does in the beginning. Some examples of incorrect ways of movement are:

 

  • Exclusively twisting to the left if you’re right-handed (and vice versa)
  • Raking or digging with only the dominant hand
  • The ever-popular action of lifting heavy weight with the back instead of the legs

 

Ways to prevent gardening and yard work pain.

The trick to completing a weekend’s worth of outdoor upkeep and only feeling the satisfying dull ache of a hard day’s work without the pain is to learn the proper way to use your body and to know your limits. Our very own Dr. Avery Arora, a hand surgeon in the Detroit, Michigan area, says, “Your body will feel so much better when you fix the way you’re working. We encourage you to train the mind to do it correctly, and then you’ll find the body will follow suit.”

Yard Work and Gardening Shouldn’t Be Painful. Here’s What’s Happening if You’re Doing Them Wrong.

 

It’s all about examining the cause of the problem and then stopping it. Some tips that may help reduce future pain include:

 

  • Replace crouching and kneeling with the “armchair” position, pictured above.
  • Take breaks regularly. During your break, walk around and stretch your whole body, including your hands.
  • Engage all muscles by rotating arm and leg work. If you favor working one side of your body, slowly try completing the work with the other side. The non-dominant side may work a little slower, but that’s okay.

 

Gardening and yard work is, without a doubt, a workout. If you consider a three-to-four-hour workout pretty extensive, remember to apply that same thought to your outdoor tasks as well. Work your body’s limit just the way you would in a gym, and then start again another day.

 

Here at Arora Hand Surgery, we care about your health. If you feel as if you’ve suffered a hand, wrist, or elbow injury due to gardening or yard work, visit Dr. Avery Arora at one of his southeast Michigan offices located in West Bloomfield, Warren, Macomb Township, or Howell.

 

 

Categories
Conditions

3 Home Remedies to Ease Discomfort from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

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Are you feeling as if there is something “off” with your wrists? It’s not necessarily sharp pain yet, but there’s discomfort and perhaps a slight weakness or numbness when your wrists are in use? While it’s impossible to diagnose you in this blog, and we encourage you to see a hand specialist as soon as this persists over several weeks, there may be some home remedies to ease your pain. Here are 3 home remedies to ease discomfort from carpal tunnel syndrome.

 

What is carpal tunnel syndrome?

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), also called median nerve compression, can occur when a nerve in your wrist is pinched, and the condition persists when the activity that is causing that pinched nerve is repeated daily. Here at Arora Hand Surgery, a hand, wrist, and elbow medical practice in southeast Michigan, we meet patients who have the onslaught of CTS due to activities such as gardening, bartending, and of course, excessive computer usage.

 

Some patients describe the beginning stages of carpal tunnel syndrome as feeling like tingling “pins and needles” are present in the fingers (usually the thumb and index fingers, the pinky is rarely affected), hands, wrists, and/or forearms. The tricky thing about CTS, though, is that it is frequently misdiagnosed because it shares symptoms with other conditions such as arthritis, wrist tendonitis, and repetitive strain injury (RSI).

 

If you do in fact have a mild case of carpal tunnel syndrome and want to try some home remedies before going to the doctor, some of your discomfort can be eased with lifestyle changes.

 

Here are a few home remedies that may ease carpal tunnel syndrome discomfort:

  1. Use wrist splints to help keep your hands aligned. This means at nighttime too, as we also tend to flex and overextend wrists during slumber. A wrist splint provides support to the wrist and/or thumb while you carry out your usual day-to-day activities. They make daily task easier by increasing grip strength and reducing overall pain.

 

  1. Alternating between applying ice and warm water dipping. Cold and heat remedies have been known to ease CTS discomfort. We recommend soaking your hands/wrists in an ice bath for 10 to 15 minutes up to twice daily. Alternately, for warm water treatment, you can dip your hands in water between 92 degrees and 100 degrees Fahrenheit up to four times daily. Be sure to break between cold and heat remedies for at least an hour.

 

  1. Make changes to your work style. As mentioned before, repetitive hand movements can worsen the pain. Think about the adjustments you can make in your day-to-day activities that would help ease discomfort. Some examples include adjusting your chair height so that there’s less strain on your wrists during typing, avoiding squeezing pliers aggressively, keeping wrist twists to a minimum, etc.

 

It’s important to point out that these 3 home remedies may ease discomfort from carpal tunnel syndrome but not cure the condition completely. If pain persists, the diagnosis and proper treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome is imperative for your quality of life and health. If you believe you may have carpal tunnel syndrome and you live in southeast Michigan, visit Dr. Avery Arora at one of his offices located in West Bloomfield, Warren, Macomb Township, or Howell. He is a hand surgeon that can and will help you.

 

 

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Dr. Aroras office from my first call to schedule my appointment was friendly. Walking in the first day, I felt like I was in a nice atmosphere. Dr. Arora was EXCELLENT in taking great care of my hand injury. He was gentle and very understanding to the concerns I had about my hand. His expertise was admirable and I would recommend anyone with an injury to their hand to his office to be under his care. Because of him, I have healed faster than expected and will make an 100% recovery! Thank you Dr.

Jackie S.

I first thought I was going to have to have painful injections or surgery, but Dr. Arora suggested physical therapy may do the trick. I was doubtful, but I agreed to do it. Now, my pain is gone, and with the help of an ergonomic keyboard at work to keep my hands in the correct position, I am virtually pain free. The therapy strengthened my wrists and shoulders, and built more flexibility into my wrists.

Jerry T.

My experience with this doctor was positive from the outset. Dr. Arora was kind and spent a great deal of time with me. Staff was friendly. The office was nice and bright.

Ariel G.

Very friendly and helpful Great staff!!! Doctor Arora was very professional and did great work. I was very happy with everything!

L B.