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LAURIUM, Mich. – The leaves are changing color. Daylight is getting shorter. Nights are growing colder. It’s hard to deny that fall is here. And, for many households, that means it’s time to pack away summer equipment, rake the yard and harvest the garden for next year’s planting season.
No matter what winter-prep chores you have on your list, you need your hands to get them all done. Jessica Harju, Occupational Therapist at Aspirus Outpatient Therapies, offers the following tips to help keep your hands safe from overuse and acute injuries when getting ready for winter:
Start with a warm up. Something as simple as making a fist and then stretching out your fingers is an easy way to warm up your joints.
Wear the right gloves. Wearing gloves with padded palms can protect your skin from sharp objects and decrease your risk of skin infection if working with chemicals or plants that may cause irritation. Padded gloves can protect you from overuse injuries by dispersing the stress placed on the hand.
With chores like leaf blowing and lawn mowing, padded gloves offer protection from vibration exposure. Vibration can interrupt nerve distribution and lead to undue pain.
Take breaks. To prevent overuse injuries or arthritic flare ups, remember to take breaks and rest your hands when doing repetitive yard work. Raking, weeding, mowing, and blowing are all repetitive tasks that can cause pain in the joints and muscles.
“One thing you might try is setting a timer for 20 minutes to help remind yourself it’s time to take a break,” Harju said. “Your hands will thank you for it.”
For more information, or a complimentary consultation with Aspirus Occupational Therapist Jessica Harju, OTR/L, ATC, call Aspirus Outpatient Therapies at 337-7000.
