Causes - Hand and Wrist Pain:
The wrists and hands are busy, even when we are resting other joints. The hands and wrists are involved in nearly every daily activity, from gripping a steering wheel to scratching a mosquito bite. When hand pain interferes, daily activity comes to a stop. Because of the complicated orthopedic constructions, wrists and hands are susceptible to injury from accidents, misuse and overuse. Multiple small bones with intricate connections to multiple nerve networks, ligaments and tendons mean our hands are the most sensitive and useful body parts. Also because of the complicated orthopedics, our hands may be the first parts to suffer injury.
Hand pain can be caused by orthopedic conditions including:
1. Arthritis-inflammation of the wrist and finger joints
2. Ganglion cysts-a fluid-filled lump caused by inflammation of the joint linings
or tendon sheaths
3. Carpel tunnel syndrome-numbness and tingling caused by pressure on the meridian
nerve in the hand
4. Tendonitis-inflammation and swelling of the sheath surrounding the thumb tendons
5. Dupuytren’s contracture-hereditary orthopedic thickening of the fascia tissue just below the skin of the palm that may eventually pull the fingers into the palm
Relief:
The hand is usually in a flexed position, so opening and spreading the tissues of the palm is very beneficial. Joint movement of the wrist and fingers will stimulate blood flow and increase circulation. Moving your hand in a circular motion and pulling on each of the fingers is great for the joints. Deep pressure massage on the tops of the hands and palm can aid in hand pain. It is hard to get a deep enough pressure when giving yourself a hand massage, so sometimes using a hard rounded object on the palm side is very effective and soothing.
Causes - Foot Pain:
Nearly all causes of foot pain can be categorized under one or more of the following conditions.
Shoes - The causes of most foot pain are poorly fitting shoes. High-heeled shoes concentrate pressure on the toes and are major culprits for aggravating, if not causing, problems in the toes.
Temporary changes in Foot Size and Shape - Temperature, and therefore weather, affects the feet: they contract with cold and expand with heat. Feet can change shape and increase in size by as much as 5% depending on whether a person is walking, sitting, or standing.
Poor Posture - Improper walking due to poor posture can cause foot pain.
Medical Conditions - Any medical condition that causes imbalance or poor circulation can contribute to foot pain.
Inherited Conditions - Inherited abnormalities in the back, legs, or feet can cause pain. For example, commonly one leg is shorter than the other, causing an imbalance.
High-Impact Exercising High-impact exercising, such as jogging or strenuous aerobic, can injure the feet. Common injuries include corns, calluses, blisters, muscle cramps, acute knee and ankle injuries, plantar fasciitis, and metatatarsalgia.
Relief:
To relieve foot pain, apply pressure and movement systematically to the entire foot and ankle. You can use a lot of pressure to the curvature of the foot. The pressure will stimulate the circulation, nerves, and reflexes. The large amount of sensory information flooding to the central nervous system has significant effects within the body supporting complete relaxation. Massage tools are great to use on the feet because you can get to the deeper layers of muscle in the feet. Our feet take a lot of abuse during a normal day and should not be neglected.
