If it flares up again;
- ice massage (to decrease inflammation)
- overhead finger pumping (make a fist then relax alternately) every few
hrs (to help decrease swelling by getting fingers moving)
Then just some general any-time exercises you can do;
- 10-20mins active range of motion - so flexion/extension of your wrist and
fingers, moving them in circles etc
- strengthening;
- grasping and releasing small objects or squeezing putty/blue
tack
- towel gathering and releasing i.e. lay a towel on a table and
crumple it up using just your affected hand, then spread it out again by
repeatedly flattening/splaying your hand and fingers.
- put an elastic band around all your fingers, then try and move
your thumb away from the other fingers, both in the same plane as
your fingers as well as at 90 degrees to them
Basically the whole idea is to get those tendons that are getting
irritated really used to sliding back and forth as well as
strengthening so that they build up their endurance and can be used
for the long periods of time that you need to use them. For the
strengthening i'd suggest deein each o the 3 main exercises 10 times
at least once a day ti start wi, twice if you hae time and they're nae
giein ye ony trouble.
***************
hey poof. I definitely wouldna call me the expert. Especially since I can't
see the wrist and say for sure that it's RSI of the wrist flexors, but
that's what it sounds like. Just to make sure...if Ben were to stand with
his palms up to the ceiling, the pain would be on that side of his wrist (
i.e. up to the ceiling), correct? In that same position, is there pain when
the wrist is flexed so that the palm bends up towards the shoulder? Is there
pain at rest or only when the wrist is moving? Does moving the elbow or the
fingers increase or decrease the pain?
The biggest thing with any kind of overuse injury is to try and lay off the
activity which causes the problems. Obviously laying off the computer is not
wholly an option, but only use it as much as you absolutely have to (no
world of warcarft or any such nonsense, for example). But you can try and
lay off the racquet sports and instruments for a while, just to calm down
the inflammation and pain. Once it calms down more, you can really work on
strengthening those muscles so that they can cope better with your normal
activities so you can start adding back in your squash etc.
Some basic range of motion exercises are always helpful, like you were
doing, Anna. Just moving the wrist around back and forth and in circles
helps move the tendons back and forth a little bit and gets more lubrication
around the wrist, which helps the tendons to slide past each other a little
easier and help with pain. It also gets more blood to the area which will
help get the inflamed tissues healing better.
You can start with a really easy strengthening exercise too. All you have to
do is, with your palm up to the ceiling, slide your wrist off a table so
your forearm is still supported and hold that position for around 20-30s,
then slide your wrist back onto the table to give it a break. Basically
you're making your wrist flexor muscles work but without doing the
activities that aggrivate them. If that is super easy, try holding a really
light weight (one or two pounds, like a can of soup, say) in your hand and
repeat.
If that is really easy, or once it does get really easy and doesn't hurt,
change the movement by, in the same position, lowering your hand towards
the floor, but then using your other hand to bring your wrist back into a
neutral position. This challenges the muscles in only half of its normal
workload and it's this part of the muscle contraction we want to improve
first before moving on to the full movement.
(if you're interested, http://www.eas.com/glossary/glossary.asp?glos_pk=280
)
Again, you can hold a weight while you're doing this lowering movement to
challenge it a bit more.
THese exercises may hurt a bit at the time - that's fairly normal. But we
don't want to kill your wrist. If it's really painful, then don't do as many
reps or do a smaller movement - basically try to stay within your painfree
limits as much as possible. But like i said, a bit of pain is ok. And it
shouldn't hurt for a long time afterwards. An ache for up to an hour or two
afterwards is ok. anything longer and we've pushed it too far so we need to
back off a bit. If it does flare up, try icing or a couple of ibuprofens or
some such antiinflammatories to settle it down.
The range of motion exercises you cna do maybe 20 reps eveyr hour or two.
Strengthening stick to twice per day (2 sets of 10 reps, with each rep held
for 20-30s). If it's easy or really painful, let me know and we'll change
things up a bit.
**************
In this edition:
- Call for GU Bar Staff
- Grand Opening of the GU Cafe: 25th September
- Clare MCR Bop
- In the Blood: Actors Sought
- Urban Underworld: Conference and Evening Event
- Churchill College Guest Night
To view or list events, see
*********************
Call for GU Bar Staff
*********************
Fancy (making) a drink? The GU is seeking volunteer bar staff to work at our
after-hour events throughout the term. No previous experience is required;
however, we would prefer for you to be friendly, sociable and interested to
work at either large parties or smaller society meetings when available.
Training will be offered. For further information or to express your
interest, please contact Beth at president@gradunion.cam.ac.uk
********************************************
Grand Opening of the GU Cafe: 25th September
********************************************
Our Cafe, Cambridge Blue at the Graduate Union, opens for business on
Monday, 25th September and will serve weekdays between 9.30am and 7pm. Food
will be served throughout the day, so there's no more searching for
something good to eat at a reasonable price when your hunger strikes in
mid-afternoon. The Lounge is open as usual, and grads remain welcome to
bring in their own food and drink.
*************
Clare MCR Bop
*************
Saturday 23rd September 2006, 21:00-00:00, Clare Cellars
Our in house DJ will be giving a swan-song performance; laying down indie,
retro and funk in the Clare Cellars - this is an evening not to be missed!
For more information, please contact David (dsm33) and Amy, Clare MCR Social
Secs.
***************************
In the Blood: Actors Sought
***************************
'In The Blood' by Suzan-Lori Parks, a week 4 mainshow presented by The
Amateur Dramatic Club in association with CUSU Anti-Racism Campaign, seeks
especially, but not exclusively, male actors - no experience necessary.
Hester La Negrita is the bawdy, hilarious and outrageous mother of five. Her
community spit on her, graffiti her home and condemn her and her family to
poverty. But she is strong and loving and pushes on. Her past - the fathers
of her children, and those who have patronised and used her, sneak into the
story, driving a wedge between her and the children she loves so much. This
production with be up to the minute, fast, and unusual. On set hip-hop
percussion and Stomp style choreography will hold together a show filled
with challenging physical theatre and bold character acting.
Informal auditions will be held at New Hall on the 23rd and 24th September,
between 11am and 5pm. E-mail ljb61@cam.ac.uk for more info.
**********************************************
Urban Underworld: Conference and Evening Event
**********************************************
London's Spatial & Cultural Undergrounds from 1825 to the Present
26 September 2006, Faculty of English, University of Cambridge
http://www.english.cam.ac.uk/underworld/
Keynote Speaker: Dr Rachel Falconer, University of Sheffield
Special Performance By: Michael Horovitz
In the year 1825 the engineer Marc Brunel started to excavate the Thames
Tunnel. The project was to prove the first step toward the creation of a
modern underworld beneath London, the city's subterranean labyrinth of
sewage, transit, and communications systems. This conference will consider
the rich representational history this urban underworld has enjoyed, in
literature, music, film and art, over the past 175 years. We are also
delighted to announce an evening celebration of the Urban Underworld to
follow the conference at the Bateman Auditorium, Gonville and Caius College,
Cambridge, 8-11pm. This special 'happening' will feature poetry by Michael
Horovitz and Ian Patterson, live music from improv jazz quartet Barkingside
and films by Rod Mengham and Marc Atkins.
Tickets for the Conference cost£12 /£10 conc.
Tickets for the Evening Event cost£6 /£5 conc.
Tickets for both Conference & Event cost£15 /£12 conc.=20
Tickets can be purchased from David Ashford (dma31@cam.ac.uk) - full
details and conference programme are available on the website:
*****************************
Churchill College Guest Night
*****************************
As a little precursor to Fresher's Week, Churchill is holding another
of its legendary Guest Nights. Dig out your salsa shoes and get ready
to party the night away...
When: Wednesday 27th September, 7pm for 7:30pm
Where: Churchill College
Price: 9 pounds/person
Pre-dinner cocktails from 7pm, a three course meal, followed by salsa,
a casino, and a disco running late into the night. To reserve tickets
please e-mail Huw Jones: rhj24@cam.ac.uk
--
This is the GU Bulletin, sent to MCRs for distribution to their members.