Blogging is an easy and efficient way to get information out to the public. The topics vary from more serious issues like politics, current events and health to juicy gossip and hair and makeup tutorials. No matter what the forum is, writers put in a lot of screen time in front of their computers typing away to get the next issue out. With all of that pounding on the keyboard there can be a lot of physical pressure on the wrists. When my husband decided to quit his day job and started working full time on his blog, he had to make certain changes both in his nutrition habits and daily routine, like regular breaks, short walks twice a day etc. If you are a blogger, read on to learn about some easy steps to preventing repetitive stress injuries (RSI) in your wrists. You may love your profession or hobby, but it is not worth injuring yourself on the job!
Common Wrist Injuries for Bloggers
The constant overuse of the wrist can lead to many different types of wrist injuries. Bloggers who spend hours typing each day should be concerned with developing conditions such as tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, bursitis and writer’s cramp. All of these can develop from overuse and repetitive stress on the joints in your wrist.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: This is a common wrist or joint condition that occurs when the median nerve gets compressed due to swelling. Some of the symptoms include numbness, tingling, and aching in the wrist, thumb or fingers. Carpal Tunnel syndrome is unfortunately common among those who sew, paint, write or rely on repetitive motions of their hands for their work.
Tendonitis: This is another common injury that occurs when there is swelling of the tendons in the hand or wrist. Symptoms include pain or tenderness directly above the swollen tendon.
Easy steps for wrist pain relief
In order to ease some of the discomfort and pain that may occur with these injuries, here are a few simple methods to try:
R.I.C.E. : One popular treatment method for joint pain relief is known as R.I.C.E., which stands for rest, ice, compression and elevation. These represent the various stages of treatment for a wrist or any body part that has undergone repetitive stress. If you have one of these injuries, you should take the time to rest, then ice your wrist for at least 20 minutes, wrap it in an ACE bandage, and elevate it to reduce swelling.
Ergonomics: If your job depends on your typing skills as it does for many bloggers, at least make sure that you are doing so in an ergonomic fashion. If you work in a corporate setting, your employer may have an HR representative who specializes in making people’s work stations ergonomically accurate. If you don’t have someone like this, you can create a space for yourself where you are seated in the appropriate chair at the right level where your wrists are not below the keyboard. There are even some wrist pads that people often use in front of their keyboards to keep the wrists elevated.
Stretch: Remember that your injury is from the overuse of those blogging hands, so resting is critical and you should plan out times (every 30 min. or so) to rest your wrists and give them a nice deep stress. Given the nature of the blogger’s wrist, it is good to get your body out of its usually position where it probably remains for hours on end as you try to get those articles out.
Splint: A splint can be used, especially if you are starting to feel some discomfort in your wrist after a long day of blogging. You can find one easily at the drug store and it will help by stabilizing the movement of your wrist and limiting the majority of movement to your fingers.
See a physician: If your wrist condition has already developed, you will definitely want to see a physician who may prescribe a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Certain diuretics have also been prescribed in order to eliminate excess fluid.
How to prevent wrist repetitive stress injuries
Strength Train: Usually when we talk about strength training, we are discussing much larger body parts, but it is possible for the wrists to be trained and strengthened as well, which is especially useful for bloggers. You can take small hand weights and do isolated wrist curls. You may feel silly doing this at the gym, but it is well worth the prevention and after all, your career depends on it.
Minimize other wrist stressors: As a blogger, you are likely doing the most repetitive stress on your wrists as you blog, however there are other activities like writing, certain exercises and habits where you may be putting excess stress on these same joints, so be mindful of this to prevent further injury.
Supplements (B6): There are many nutrition therapies to try, but Vitamin B6 in particular has been found to help relieve symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, specifically. You can find all the vitamin B series and coupons for Puritan’s Pride supplements in your local organic store or online at Spiqy. It also works best in conjunction with B1 and B12 as an effective pain killing trio.
Lifestyle Changes
If you are really concerned with developing one of these conditions or are already suffering and would like to try a holistic approach to healing, you may also want to consider certain lifestyle changes such as eating an anti-inflammatory diet or resisting unhealthy behaviors like smoking or drinking excessive alcohol. Being fit and healthy, in general, is always a good prevention tip to ward off illness and can be effective for preventing the onset of these wrist conditions.
Blogging is a great hobby and many people find joy in the fact that they can make a career out of something that they truly love to do. This does not mean, however, that you no longer need to be mindful of your health. Sitting and typing for hours on end can do damage to your health, particularly regarding repetitive injury to your wrists. Try some of these pain relief and prevention tips and blog on worry free.