Common Causes of Wrist Pain:

Anatomically the hand is designed for mobility not stability.  The 27 small bones, muscles and ligaments of the hand enable precision movement and dexterity so we can perform various daily activities requiring grasp & precision coordination.  It’s no surprise that the wrist is subject to strain when required to support intense pressure or body weight, resulting in pain and discomfort in this vulnerable joint.

The four primary causes of wrist pain include:

Overuse: Too much repetitive movement or joint impact

Injury: A sudden fall, wrist fractures, strains & sprains

Aging or Disease: Arthritic changes in the joints, inflammation, diabetes etc.

Posture / Conditioning:  weak muscles, poor range of motion/  form or misalignment

With all the time we spend keyboarding on our computers complaints of wrist pain from Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) have increased significantly over the last several years. We focus here on the common types overuse syndromes or RSI that cause wrist pain and how to treat them.

Overuse or Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI): This occurs when repetitive movements of the wrist are combined with physical stress such as impact or tension.  Common overuse syndromes affecting the wrist are Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Tendonitis.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS): CTS is caused by pressure to the median nerve that crosses the wrist joint through a narrow band of ligaments known as the carpel tunnel.  When the tunnel narrows or pressure placed on the tunnel and median nerve it can lead to pain, numbness, tingling, weakness, and eventually muscle damage in the hand and fingers.  Hand intensive occupations and hobbies have higher rates of CTS and include hairdressers, massage therapy, dental hygienists, artists, graphic designers and other computer intensive jobs.

Tendonitis: Tendonitis is caused by a series of small stresses that repeatedly aggravate the tendon.   Inflammation is a healing response to injury, so the tendons crossing the wrist become inflamed and painful.  Professional Athletes & musicians are susceptible to tendonitis due to rigorous practice and performance schedules.  Even an overly enthusiastic yoga practice with high frequency and repetition of sun salutations or arm balances can result in tendonitis!

What do you do about your wrist pain?

Not all wrist pain requires medical care. Some easy tips to keep in mind when nursing your wrists back to health:

- REST…REST…REST!  Continuing to do whatever has caused your overuse injury will only aggravate your wrists more.  To promote healing,

- Discontinue or modify the movement or activity that is the culprit.

- Ice, mild compression wraps and immobilizing wrist braces can help sprains and strains begin to heal by decreasing inflammation and stress on the tendons.

- Exercises that correct muscle imbalance & improve flexibility are useful once the pain has diminished.  Intermittent stretch breaks throughout the day such as our Computer Users Stretching Program can help thwart off or heal wrist pain.

- Reducing tension through muscle/body work, relaxation techniques, deep breathing as well as improving awareness of posture and holding patterns can help prevent repetitive strain injuries.

Whether you are dealing with wrist pain or another injury it is important to pay attention to pain -your body’s internal gage and warning signal.   With an Overuse Injury pushing through the pain or withholding the correct diagnosis or treatment can lead to a more severe injury, poor healing or long-term damage.  And remember always seek professional help if your pain continues or worsens.

Before you start with your trainer ask: “Is there anything I should worry about? … ”

First off, all clients should fill out some sort of health questionnaire and put you through a health  assessment.  Your trainer needs to know if there are any previous injuries to avoid future problems, especially with joints, like your knees and wrists, with weight-bearing exercises.

Your trainer should be asking you questions – you know they are listening and  will tailor your program for you.  If you tell your trainer that there are no health concerns, they should ask an additional follow up question related to your joints or muscles.  An example would be, “Any joint issues that may prevent you from doing anything?”  From there, your trainer should be able to adjust your program to fit your needs.

“What are your goals? … ”

Trainers should not assume your goal is to lose weight.  If your goal is to gain weight and build muscle, the focus of the workout shouldn’t be a cardio-kickboxing session. Goals also change over time and your trainer should be asking you – just as you ask yourself – what the next set of goals are once the initial goal is met.  Maybe you’ve lost the weight now the goal is to be fit, healthy and strong.  Or about building muscle and keeping it.  Make sure you are asking yourself and your trainer is asking you what the goals are for your sessions.

“How’s your diet? …”

Workouts and fitness are great, but inches and weight may not budge from a “pretty good” diet.  Your trainers should ask additional questions to understand “What is good?”. Your version of “good” may be hindering the progress of your workout, either by overeating, under-eating or just eating the wrong types of food for your goals.  Trainers – while not dietitians – should have a basic understanding of nutrition as it relates to wellness.  At the end of the day what you eat is integral to achieving your goals.

“Going forward, is there anything that you would change? …”

Good or bad?  Is there anything you would change?  Be vocal; trainers want to know if you had a great experience or the experience didn’t meet your expectations.  An excellent trainer will remove workouts or moves that you don’t feel comfortable with or if you don’t feel the exercise is beneficial for your goals.  Maybe you need more rest between sets in the beginning or when taking your workout to the next level. Speak up and let your personal trainer know how the sessions are going for you and your goals.

“What would you like to work on? …”

With five to ten minutes left in the session, your trainer should ask you if there is anything YOU would like to work on.  Your trainer should cover your wants and needs in the workout, but sometimes things are left out.  You gave your trainer undivided attention for 40minutes. The least a trainer can do is give you five to ten minutes of their time at the end of the session. Maybe you aren’t comfortable expressing what you’d like to work on at first, but think about your goals and why you hired the trainer. If you aren’t prepared to answer the question the first time, think about it (but not too hard) and come back with your answer at the next training session.

During any session, your trainer should focus on you and only you.  They should give you great customer service, understand what you want and what you need but most importantly: Putting the word ‘Personal’ in personal training.  Tell us about your personal training experience and what you would recommend when choosing a trainer – join the discussion on Facebook or Twitter, or simply by leaving a comment below.

Many people with MS report benefits from yoga, including increased flexibility and decreased spasticity, and decreased fatigue. Swimming in a cool (not more than 85 degrees) pool is excellent exercise and provides an aerobic workout without someone becoming overheated. A pool also allows people with weak muscles to exercise those muscles in a gravity-free environment and perform motions they would not be able to do on land. Some who have MS also report that they derive benefit from Pilates-type workouts for core strength and flexibility.

Weight gain is often a problem for people with limited mobility, and may require a combination of dietary modification and exercise. If fatigue limits your endurance, try several short sessions of exercise rather than one longer one. It’s better to do a little every day and build up your endurance, than one or two exhausting session per week.

Balance problems due to MS may result from a variety of impairments, including weakness, poor coordination, or loss of sensation. Exercises that strengthen the core muscles can sometime help with balance. Also, specific gait training with a physical therapist can be very useful. Exercise and therapy won’t stop progressive symptoms, but they can improve safety.

Yoga is an exercise modality that anyone with MS can do. It has been shown to improve mood, fatigue, and flexibility. The National MS Society has special yoga programs tailored for people with MS.

Muscles can become weak in persons with MS, not because the muscles themselves are affected, but because the muscles do not get enough electrical signals from the nerves. Weight training ( resistance training) has been shown to produce some improvements in muscle strength in some studies in people with MS.

If you would like to read more from the conversations with Dr. Giesser, follow the link to the transcribed session or visit Yoga Journal’s discussion on the topic. Living with chronic pain and chronic conditions is not easy and we hope that this information will help you or someone you love. If you have concerns about pain forming or notice pains during your normal workouts, consult your physician or health care provider to determine if it is a mild or serious condition. Using therapuetic tools, like Wrist Assured Gloves, can help keep you moving when you additional support or stability in your exercise of choice.

We’re winding down on the month celebrating the occupation and the spirit behind Wrist Assured Gloves – National Occupational Therapy month. WAGs creator and CEO, Paula, would love to answer your questions about occupational therapy, what to do with a great idea, questions about WAGs and more via Facebook and Twitter (hashtag #WAGsChat). The event is our first and we’d like to continue once a month!

Paula’s experiences as an OT and an entrepreneur are diverse, to say the least. She’s used her knowledge and background to solve problems she encountered professionally and personally, building a successful business along the way. Her areas of expertise as an OT include the following:

• Child Development
• Sensory Integration
• Learning Styles / Learning Disabilities
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Low Vision & Visual Disorders
• Ergonomics / Work Station
• Adapting Environments

As a business woman in the yoga and Pilates accessory market, Paula is also be happy to answer questions about moving an idea from the starting stages to the market. Of course questions on WAGs are always welcomed! And if you’re still wondering “what the heck is an occupational therapist?”, read on from Flexible Fitness:

Occupational therapists work with people of all ages and in almost any environment you can think of including hospitals, homes, schools, outpatient centers, prisons, community centers and homeless shelters. They customize their treatments to fit the unique needs of each individual. They do this by looking at the person needing the treatment, their environment and the activities that the person needs to accomplish. Some examples of occupational therapy practices include providing adaptive equipment recommendations and a home exercise program for a person with arthritis who wants to continue gardening and cooking; providing strategies to a person with schizophrenia for managing their symptoms and an apartment; helping a student with attention deficit disorder find ways to tolerate sitting in a busy class room and concentrate during a test; and teaching the family of a person with a stroke how to help with self care and arm exercises.

Occupational therapy is used to help people of all ages live life to its fullest by helping them promote health, prevent — or live better with — injury, illness or disability.

If you or someone you know might benefit from Occupational Therapy services, consult with your doctor. For more information on Occupational Therapy, visit the American Occupational Therapy Association website at www.aota.org.

In the spirit of the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Ten Things You Can Do To Celebrate Occupational Therapy Month, we’re sharing 7 ways to celebrate yourself and your business. These recommendations apply to multiple sectors – yoga, Pilates, personal training, marketing and many more!

1. Use Social Media

Describe how your profession or business will help people live life to its fullest. Create accounts on Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and other social media forums that are relevant to your profession. Include a links to important videos related to your profession, or better yet – custom make one using your camera or recording device. This brief video is being aired in Times Square via YouTube this month.

2. Move Beyond the Screen and Into Your Community

Prepare a 10-30 minute presentation about your business or profession that you can easily customize based on your audience. Share how your business can help people live life to the fullest. Think about the variety of ages and sectors of the community you can reach out to, from schools to independent living facilities. Provide an educational basis with your unique twist! Create checklists or other handouts participants can walk away with and remember you and your presentation. Getting out in your community is sometimes the best way to share your knowledge and ideas with potential customers.

3. Share Your Activities

Find relevant forums and share your activities on their calendar. Connect with local media or your city hall to find a community calendar.

4. Provide a Public Service

Pick a project and commit to helping make your community better. This could be local or global in nature. Make sure it comes from the heart and is something you are passionate about. Want to include everyone in on yoga? Offer a community class or broadcast it via the internet and invite people from all over the world to join in.

5. Throw a Party!

Invite former clients for a celebration of their achievements and how they are living life to its fullest. Ask them to bring friends and family. Invite local government or community leaders. Serve refreshments, offer a tour, and take lots of pictures. Get a PR kit together and be ready to share media blasts across all of your social media platforms!

6. Hold a Contest

Make a compelling offer, something that is branded to your business. Having your customers create the buzz about your business or service is an authentic way to generate word-of-mouth enthusiasm about your product, business or service.  Take photos of the winners and share them across your social media networks. If it is a big prize, send them with a story to your facility’s newsletter, or even the local media.

7. Highlight a Product or Service of the Month; Offer Specials

Have you recently introduced a new line of products or a class? Have a new teacher you’re excited about having as an addition to your club or studio? Feature them with a special, letting people get to know the new person or product. For OTs, we have to close out on this note and let you know all about the places to grab your “Occupational Therapy: Living Life To Its Fullest™” items. Visit www.promoteot.com/ for more information!

While you’re at it, don’t forget we have a promo code this month! SPRING0430 for 10% off your entire order through the end of April!

We have been patiently, patiently waiting for Spring to arrive! It officially came on March 21st, but with the layers of snow that blanketed our region of the country, we could hardly get excited about the official start date. It’s finally starting to warm, and we’re dusting off our mats, rounding up our favorite Pilates and yoga accessories and heading outdoors (or at the very least opening the windows!).

We want share one of our favorite accessories for spring – our Wrist Assured Gloves tee! Perfect for showing off  those arms after a long winter of sweaters and coats. We’re going to be giving away one tee each week, asking the question on our Facebook page and posing it via Twitter account. Click on either of the buttons in the image above to link out to the sites. Our tees are super-soft, cut for women (sorry guys!) and perfect to, from or during your workout.

Tell us – what is your favorite way to dust-off and get ready for spring? We went to some of our favorite sites and found great resources to prepare your mind, body and home for the changing seasons:

• Spring Cleaning, Yogi Style – Wai Lana Yoga’s Blog (includes recipes!)
• 3 Ways to Spring Clean Your Brain – Huffington Post
• Spring Cleaning Shortcuts – Real Simple

SHARE: What’s your favorite way to celebrate the changing seasons?

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[ Photo Courtesy YogaDork

When it comes to rolling out your mat at home, it’s a different story. We’ve shared some of our favorite resources on how to get your yoga on at home, via Yoga Journal, YogaHub and Pilates Anytime for the non-yoga days. Search for yoga on YouTube, or go to more exercise specific channels, like those found on Livestrong or ExerciseTV.

The web opens doors to trying new forms and types, but it falls flat in one BIG way. No corrective cues, no feedback and no one to ensure your practice is preventing injury. Unless you are the yoga instructor, most of us long for that feedback. Secretly (okay, not so secretly!) it’s one of the main reasons I’m willing to go to a studio or class at a gym. I want that interactive feedback and someone to push me just a little more.

Enter Yoga 3.0, the era of the interactive and internet-connected yoga teacher!

One yogi believes its time for the ancient meditative practice to meet modern video conferencing technology. Shall we set up your Skype date now? Yoga teacher Sarah Hamilton thinks so. She holds free classes from her home and uses the high-powered web conferencing technology that gets her through her day job to stream live video to your computer or phone, so you can practice along with her. Since it’s live, she’s able to ask students to give her feedback throughout the class, and if they have a video camera they can aim it to their mat so she can see them too.

[ Photo: Seattle Met

TRX is a weight bearing activity – using your own body weight to build strength, power, balance, coordination, flexibility, core and joint stability. It can also be great when it comes to preventing injuries and increasing bone density. Sounds good, right? Here are a few more things we’ve learned about TRX!

• Regardless of your training goals the TRX can help! For starters, you can minimize your training time by working your entire body switching from one exercise to the next in just seconds. The best part is every exercise engages your core. You may think that your core is just your abdominals, however, it is more than that! Your core includes the pelvis, abs, glutes, back, and chest muscles.

• It is your core that provides your body with stability, balance and flexibility. Everything you do in your life starts with your core, whether it is bending over to pick up the pen you dropped on the floor, washing your car, playing basketball with your kids, or participating in an Ironman. A strong and stable core is important to help prevent injuries.

• Another advantage to TRX is that you use your own body weight to adjust your personal fitness level simply by walking closer or further away from the anchor point. This keeps you constantly challenging your body through every exercise, minimizing wasted time switching weights.

• TRX also helps in the fight against bone loss. The exercises on the TRX can be low impact while having the benefits of weight bearing exercises. You can add in a weight vest to make it even more challenging. The TRX helps you get in some ranges of motion you may not have been able to achieve before offering support while recruiting more muscles.

• Are you looking for a cardio workout to lose weight and build muscle endurance? The TRX will fire multiple muscles, which increases the heart rate, burning more calories than sitting or standing through a “traditional” exercise. TRX can keep you constantly moving from one exercise to the next in a circuit-like manner. This strengthens your heart as well as increases muscular endurance.

Tell us if you’ve tried TRX! We love the added no-slip grip and confidence our gloves add to this challenging and fun workout!

SNOWGA: SNOW + YOGA!

Wintertime activities provide opportunities to add variability to your workout and a chance to escape boredom from doing the same indoor routine all winter long (although hot yoga or Pilates feels pretty great after coming in from the cold!). What awaits you in the great outdoors? Skiing, Snowboarding, Snowshoeing, Sledding and SNOWGA!

The Incredible Digit

The thumb is a small, but incredibly important joint.  We may not realize just how essential the thumb is to our daily activities until a painful thumb interferes with our routines.  This is especially true when thumb pain is in our dominant hand.  About 50% of our hand use relies upon the thumb with its’ flexibility, multi-directional movement, delicate pinch and powerful grasp.

Pilates Anytime, Anywhere

We know it’s a bone-chilling-BRRRRR sort of cold across most of the country. What if we told you that you could have one less stop in your day AND participate in studio-quality Pilates classes? Unlimited Pilates streaming into your home – with master instructors like Basi-trained Kristi Cooper White – all for the price of one class at a boutique studio? Roll out your mat and cue Pilates Anytime.

Off the Mat: Kettlebells

From “chopping trees” to “around the world” using legs, glutes, hips and core, this class was a definite challenge. However, unlike the other people taking class for the first time we had an advantage using our gloves – which was especially noticeable when one of our fellow participants lost his grip and a Kettlebell sailed through the air! The non-slip design of WAGs was a big confidence bolster for the maneuvers that required a firm grip moving through multiple planes of motion.

Where in the World…?

Paula, WAGs creator  and occupational therapist,  is presenting at the conference this year and we thought we’d give you a preview of her presentation, which will be posted in full to the WAGs YouTube account by the end of the month. The sessions and presentations will be hosted on the YogaHub site archives. Cozy up with that cup of hot tea or coffee and join in when you can!

Read more from February by using the “Archives Section” of the site! We have a number of great “Top 5″ articles – abs, yoga & super foods, to name a few! Plus, one of our favorite WAGs customers, Erin, gives her account of how she discovered WAGs and uses them with her Senior clients and clients with wrist pain/injuries in central Michigan.

We welcome March and Spring! Bring on the sunshine, the green and the flowers! We’re packing up our WAGs and moving outside as soon as we possibly can!

1. Saving Time: Forget watching the clock! The pace of group fitness classes makes the time fun and the energy level of the instructor makes you forget you’re working hard (okay, sometimes!). Looking at the clock or the time on your exercise or cardio machine is a thing of the past.

2. Saving Money: Personal training, which we also like, is roughly three times the cost of a single group fitness class. Many studios offer discounted rates when you buy in bulk, or you can negotiate a rate. The benefits you gain with a workout also save you money on health care, as people who workout are far less likely to get sick and also recover from illness and injury quicker than non-exercisers.

Keep the Benefits Coming…

3. Make it Social: Group fitness is a great way to meet like-minded and like-motivated individuals. You’ll find you share common goals and interest which can be a great motivator to work hard in class and create accountability for coming back week after week.

4. Set the Tone: Group fitness is no longer confined to big-box gyms or health clubs (“Full-Service Gyms Feel Flabby” from The New York Times). Small studios and fitness centers are on the rise with their personalized and detailed attention to your needs as a client. If being inside is not your thing, you can try websites like Meetup.com to find groups that exercise outdoors. We love taking our Wrist Assured Fitness Gloves and going outside for a boot camp style class (helps with those planks and dips, no matter the surface!).

5. MOTIVATION!: Having someone telling you to work harder and encouraging you to take your fitness to the next level will get you there. The instructor sets the tone, while having others in class offers another level of motivation through a tiny bit of competition and camaraderie.

6. Challenge: Our #5 benefit of motivation ties into the benefit of being challenged to work harder. You want to keep pace, meaning you will be challenged to work harder. Studies have proven that working out with a group results in a bigger calorie burn.

7. The NO-BOREDOM FACTOR: Is there anything you CAN’T find with group fitness? Pilates, yoga, bootcamp, spinning, boxing, circuits, TRX, Kettlebells, running clubs and hiking groups. Whatever your flavor or need, chances are you can find a class or encourages someone to start one. Many of the group fitness classes are developed in larger cities and provide hybrids of popular favorites, such as Pilates, cardio, and boxing, resulting in workouts like Piloxing. Or try a class that combines cardio and strength training, such as an indoor cycling class combined with TRX or yoga.

8. Learn Something New: A good class and a great instructor will show you how to work your body and muscles  properly. Trying something different challenges both your mind and body, two things that ward off the effects of aging.

9. Safety: When beginning a new or different fitness routine, feeling safe and being safe are key. Since Paula, the creator of WAGs is an occupational therapist and created WAGs to prevent joint injuries, we are especially mindful of alignment and safety, no matter what you’re doing. Instructors will be able to help explain and model what you’re doing, how to do it, and what you should be feeling. Never hesitate to ask questions or as for alternative exercises if you need additional assistance.

10. Join the Group, or Go Your Own Way: An experienced group fitness instructor will offer modifications that allow for different fitness levels among the participants. Most classes will offer beginner, intermediate, and advanced exercise options. Make sure to come at least 5 minutes early when you’re taking a new class and introduce yourself to the instructor. Developing a relationship with your instructor is key to finding the workout that will challenge you in a safe manner.