Do you love to garden but find that persistent pain in your wrists or hands is keeping you from doing all that needs to be done? Although gardening is a great way to spend time out in the warm spring weather while staying active, it can strain your upper extremities. Hands for Living offers several solutions to ensure you don’t get stuck inside.
SPECIALTY EXPERTISE For Shoulders, Arms, and Hands
NEWSLETTER
Don’t Let Tendonitis Keep You From Enjoying Your Garden
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NEWSLETTER
Do you love to garden but find that persistent pain in your wrists or hands is keeping you from doing all that needs to be done? Although gardening is a great way to spend time out in the warm spring weather while staying active, it can strain your upper extremities. Hands for Living offers several solutions to ensure you don’t get stuck inside. Tendonitis occurs when the tendons — the thick tissue that connects your muscles to your bones — become inflamed, causing pain or tenderness in the joint. Tendinopathy is another common cause of joint pain, occurring when the tendon is repeatedly strained or torn. As a gardener, you’re at risk for both conditions, particularly in the tendons of your hands, wrists, elbows, and shoulders. Gardening requires several small, repetitive motions, such as bending over a flowerbed or squeezing pruning shears, that can lead to upper extremity pain. One way to prevent overuse injuries in your hands and wrists is by using ergonomic gardening tools designed to minimize tendon damage from everyday gardening activities. However, if you’re already struggling with pain, the hand and occupational therapists at Hands for Living can provide Don’t Let Tendonitis Keep You From Enjoying Your Garden Ergonomic Gardening Tools, Wrist Splinting, and More Will Keep You Out Among the Flowers!
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several solutions, from splinting to manual therapy.
To learn more about protecting yourself from injuries in the garden, call us to request an appointment today! Choosing the Right Ergonomic Gardening Tools Several ergonomic tools can help protect you from injury while you tend to your plants, flowers, and shrubbery. Some of the most beneficial ones include: • Ergonomic digging tools. Digging can cause abnormal bending, twisting, and stretching of your wrists, leading to pain or injury. You can avoid that strain while scooping out soil or planting flowers by using a curved-handle tool (whether a shovel, scooper, or cultivator) instead of a straight-handled one. • Ergonomic pruning tools. The awkward angle and movement of pruning can strain your arms and shoulders. Companies such as Fiskars use patented PowerGear mechanisms to ease the stress of pruning and increase consumer usability. In fact, many of their tools are included in the Arthritis Foundation’s Ease of Use Commendation Program.
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• Ergonomic watering tools. Dragging a watering hose through the garden and coiling it back up afterward can cause aches and pains in the arms and hands. Lightweight garden hoses, soakers, and drip hoses can be more easily snaked throughout the garden, and hose chests with automatic rewinding features help you avoid the strain of manually coiling your watering equipment. • Container gardening. Find it difficult or painful to hunch over a ground bed? Container gardening, such as raised garden beds and trellises, can help. With container gardening, the garden is brought to you, eliminating the need to reach down to work on it– which, in turn, eases stress on the arm and shoulder muscles. Treating Hand and Wrist Pain at Hands for Living While ergonomic gardening tools are excellent for lowering the risk of pain and injury, you might still struggle with tendonitis or tendinopathy in your hands and wrists. That’s when it’s time to visit our team of Certified Hand Therapists. When you come in for your appointment, one of our hand experts will thoroughly evaluate your symptoms, range of motion, and more to help us determine what exactly is causing your difficulties. With that information, we’ll create an individualized treatment plan to relieve pain and improve overall function–so you can get back to your garden as quickly as possible.
While the exact nature of your treatment will vary, we may incorporate one or more of the following approaches, depending on your needs: • Manual therapy, including joint mobilizations and soft tissue manipulations, to help reduce pain • Guided exercises to help keep the affected joint moving and improve your range of motion
• At-home strengthening and stretching exercises to help you rehabilitate faster • Customized orthotics, such as a forearm- based thumb spica, to reduce pain and improve your hand’s functional ability as it heals Schedule an Appointment to Get Started! Whether you want to learn more about ergonomics in the garden or need treatment for lingering hand and wrist pain, the experts at Hands for Living are here to help! We’ll trim your pains so you can return to tending your garden without injury or limitations. Request your initial consultation today!
Sources: https://www.arthritis.org/partnership/ease-of-use-products/fiskars-powergear-bypass-pruner https://www.physio-pedia.com/Tendinopathy_Rehabilitation
Staff Spotlight
Kari Ketner, Certified Hand Therapist
As a Certified Hand Therapist, Kari is an occupational therapist specializing in hand and upper extremity conditions. Her professional interests include fractures, cumulative trauma injuries, post-surgical management, and
creates an individualized treatment plan drawing from a variety of skills. Her skills include: manual therapy, Bowenwork, L.I.F.T., ergonomics, postural re-education, stretching/ROM exercises, Astym, and customized home exercise programs. Kari believes that patient education regarding their condition and how to manage their health is essential to recovery. “I love working with my patients and am dedicated to providing them
fabrication of custom splints. Although she focuses on the upper extremity, her clinical practice has evolved to be more holistic. Through education, she has come to realize the importance of assessing posture and creating balance within the system. She assesses each client and
compassionate care that helps them return to full activity in their daily lives. “
Name Change!
Hand Therapy Northwest has changed its name to Hands for Living – Redmond. Same great therapists, same great location, and same great results! Give us a call to schedule your next appointment.
Cilantro Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa
Service Spotlight
Custom Forearm-Based Thumb Spica
• 1.5 lb. boneless chicken breast • 1/4 cup lime juice • 2 tbsp olive oil
Custom forearm-based thumb spica splints are designed for thumb injuries, inflammation, and/or pain. These devices can be custom tailored to address each patient’s specific requirements.
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro • 1/2 tsp ground cumin • 1/4 tsp salt Avocado Salsa: • 4 avocados, diced • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro • 3 tbsp lime juice • 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes • 1 garlic clove, minced
Forearm thumb splints help to keep the thumb immobilized while still allowing the fingers to move. These splints will support joints that are painful due to arthritis or a soft tissue injury. Wearing this splint for day-to-day activities will protect the joint, help to relieve pain and improve the function of the hand. Call Hands For Living today to see how our custom forearm-based thumb spica splint can help provide you relief.
Add 1/4 cup of lime juice, olive oil, 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro, ground cumin, and 1/4 tsp of salt to a small bowl. Whisk until mixed. Add chicken and marinade to a large ziplock bag. Let chicken marinate for at least 15 minutes. Preheat grill to medium-high heat (about 400°F). Place chicken on grill and grill each side for 4-6 min, until chicken is no longer pink. Remove and let sit. For avocado salsa: add avocado, 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, 3 tbsp lime juice, red wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, garlic clove, and salt to a small bowl. Gently toss to mix. Top the cilantro lime chicken with the avocado salsa and serve.
Home Exercise FINGER TENDON GLIDING
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1. Place the elbow of the affected side on a firm surface. Begin with your fingers extended and your hand slightly angled back. 2. Then, gently bend all fingers but your thumb forward and repeat 10 times. 3. Then, bend all fingers but your thumb into a hook position and extend back straight. Repeat 10 times. 4. Lastly, touch the tips of your fingers, except your thumb, to the palm of your hand to form a light fist. Repeat 10 times.
https://www.joyfulhealthyeats.com/cilantro-lime-chicken-with-avocado-salsa/
Get Back To Living!
LYNNWOOD Hands for Living – Lynnwood (425) 368-7943 REDMOND Hands for Living – Redmond (formerly Hand Therapy Northwest) (425) 881-1921
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