Do You Thank Your Hands and Arms?
If I were to write a science-fiction novel set in the year 2100, I would have all the characters look pale and wasted, and I would have their forearms bound up in tattered Ace bandages due to overuse of the computer and rampant Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. On second thought, maybe it would be more gripping if they were all pale and obese. And still unable to open a jar of pickles.
In saying this, I know it looks like I don't have much faith in human potential.
Actually, housed in my forearms is my number one, real life health issue--tendonitis, technically, two tennis elbows born out of years of writing at a keyboard, sometimes at desks too big for me, or in chairs that had no arm support. A constitutional dose of the homeopathic remedy Sepia once had a positive effect; a gifted chiropractor gave me an edge for a time, osteopathy still works tremendously well, and both yoga and swimming fix me up. It is all about keeping my life in balance. (All traditional doctors have ever given me is splints that are wrong for this injury and anti-inflammatory drugs that upset my stomach. I'm confident there are wonderful M.D.s out there. I just have yet to find them.)
I was becoming attached to this hardship; I was bonding with pianist/Bach interpreter Glenn Gould, whose hand was injured by years of perfecting his craft. He used to plunge his arms into tubs of ice water to survive the pain of recording sessions. So I was fancying it might be noble to suffer like that.
But then, six weeks ago, after a full month of blogging for Beliefnet.com, I feared I might not be able to continue writing every day. I was waking up in the middle of the night with throbbing forearms, then steering the car with feeble fingers drained of energy. Suffering was fast losing its appeal.
But then, as luck and a Web search would have it, I located Martin Gray, a former juggler, healer, and massage therapist who now wanders the world photographing sacred sites. In 2004, Gray published a DVD of exercises called "Healthy Hands, Wrists, and Forearms" that he developed for his own repetitive motion symptoms. Gray recommends his exercises for musicians, writers, word processors, knitters, athletes, surgeons, anyone who depends upon their hands and arms daily (pretty much everyone these days). Repetitive strain disorders are the number one workplace injury. And now, with children on the computer at earlier ages, the problem is destined to get worse.
Gray's recorded sequence of self-massage movements (some of which contort and stretch the fingers and palms to undo the strain) are helping me. I never would have come up with these hand and arm exercises on my own. I just have to do them now and not slack off. Gray recommends twice a week, but I'm experiencing tremendous relief by massaging my arms with his DVD's guidance three times a week. (Sigh...like I really have time for this.) Additionally, I rub my fingers and forearms almost every moment I'm sitting down. So if you're ever in New York and you see a seated woman kneading her arms like she's pulling taffy, that's me!
The larger point is this: we should acknowledge our hands and arms every day. In doing so, we'll begin to take care of them. It bothers me when I see a catalog that shows a pretty home office (Pottery Barn is really guilty of this), with unacceptable desk and chair ergonomics. The aim should be to get a chair with a high supportive back with adjustable arms that allow the elbows to rest at the waist.
When my kids were very small, I used to take their hands in mine at bedtime and say, "Have you thanked your hands, fingers, and thumbs for everything they've done today?" Corny, I know, but very effective. Our body performs miracles for us daily, and we unthinkingly drive it onwards.
Consider thanking your hands and arms today. Author Frank R. Wilson has studied the hand injuries of famous people (including Glenn Gould) and has written a marvelous book called "The Hand: How Its Use Shapes the Brain, Language, and Human Culture." You might want to check it out.
In saying this, I know it looks like I don't have much faith in human potential.
Actually, housed in my forearms is my number one, real life health issue--tendonitis, technically, two tennis elbows born out of years of writing at a keyboard, sometimes at desks too big for me, or in chairs that had no arm support. A constitutional dose of the homeopathic remedy Sepia once had a positive effect; a gifted chiropractor gave me an edge for a time, osteopathy still works tremendously well, and both yoga and swimming fix me up. It is all about keeping my life in balance. (All traditional doctors have ever given me is splints that are wrong for this injury and anti-inflammatory drugs that upset my stomach. I'm confident there are wonderful M.D.s out there. I just have yet to find them.)
I was becoming attached to this hardship; I was bonding with pianist/Bach interpreter Glenn Gould, whose hand was injured by years of perfecting his craft. He used to plunge his arms into tubs of ice water to survive the pain of recording sessions. So I was fancying it might be noble to suffer like that.
But then, six weeks ago, after a full month of blogging for Beliefnet.com, I feared I might not be able to continue writing every day. I was waking up in the middle of the night with throbbing forearms, then steering the car with feeble fingers drained of energy. Suffering was fast losing its appeal.
But then, as luck and a Web search would have it, I located Martin Gray, a former juggler, healer, and massage therapist who now wanders the world photographing sacred sites. In 2004, Gray published a DVD of exercises called "Healthy Hands, Wrists, and Forearms" that he developed for his own repetitive motion symptoms. Gray recommends his exercises for musicians, writers, word processors, knitters, athletes, surgeons, anyone who depends upon their hands and arms daily (pretty much everyone these days). Repetitive strain disorders are the number one workplace injury. And now, with children on the computer at earlier ages, the problem is destined to get worse. Gray's recorded sequence of self-massage movements (some of which contort and stretch the fingers and palms to undo the strain) are helping me. I never would have come up with these hand and arm exercises on my own. I just have to do them now and not slack off. Gray recommends twice a week, but I'm experiencing tremendous relief by massaging my arms with his DVD's guidance three times a week. (Sigh...like I really have time for this.) Additionally, I rub my fingers and forearms almost every moment I'm sitting down. So if you're ever in New York and you see a seated woman kneading her arms like she's pulling taffy, that's me!
The larger point is this: we should acknowledge our hands and arms every day. In doing so, we'll begin to take care of them. It bothers me when I see a catalog that shows a pretty home office (Pottery Barn is really guilty of this), with unacceptable desk and chair ergonomics. The aim should be to get a chair with a high supportive back with adjustable arms that allow the elbows to rest at the waist.
When my kids were very small, I used to take their hands in mine at bedtime and say, "Have you thanked your hands, fingers, and thumbs for everything they've done today?" Corny, I know, but very effective. Our body performs miracles for us daily, and we unthinkingly drive it onwards.
Consider thanking your hands and arms today. Author Frank R. Wilson has studied the hand injuries of famous people (including Glenn Gould) and has written a marvelous book called "The Hand: How Its Use Shapes the Brain, Language, and Human Culture." You might want to check it out.
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