5 Simple Tips to Soothe Wrist Aches and Pains
Give your wrists a little TLC.
A woman’s odds of developing pain, tingling, numbness, and weakness in our wrists triple after age 50 — and thanks to hormone fluxes, women are 38 percent more likely than men to develop problems like tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome. Fortunately, you can end the aches and avoid future flareups.
Practice good posture.
Sitting up straight in your chair instead of slumping is shown to cut your risk of pain and numbness in your hands and wrists 75 percent. Slumping compresses your shoulder muscles, irritating the nerves and blood vessels that nourish your wrists.
Eat more fish.
Enjoying 12 oz. of fish, shrimp, or other seafood weekly could reduce wrists stiffness and swelling as much as 50 percent, British research shows. The healthy fats in seafood reduce fluid buildup and speed healing of damaged muscles, nerves, and tendons, explains James Nicolai, MD, author of Integrative Wellness Rules ($14.59 [Originally $15.95, Amazon). More of a meat-and-potatoes? Dr. Nicolai advises you to take a fish oil supplement that delivers 2,000 mg. of DHA and EPA per serving.
Use a Celadrin lotion
Massaging tender wrists with a lotion containing celadrin, a fatty acid extract from beef, can ease pain and swelling, often within 30 minutes, reports The Journal of Rheumatology. Best of all, this anti-inflammatory lotion is so safe, you can rub it in as often as needed to get relief. Options include Swanson Celadrin Joint Cream ($20.30, Amazon), NOW Foods Celadrin Topical Cream ($10.79, Amazon), and InflameAway Celadrin Cream ($20.99, Amazon).
Get your B’s and C’s.
Just taking a B-50 complex and 1,000 mg. of vitamin C daily could cut your wrist pain in half or more within three months, say University of Arizona researchers. The B’s and C work together to reduce inflammation and speed healing of damaged nerves.
Type gently.
Surprise! Most of us hit the keys four times harder than necessary — and spend over 20 hours weekly gripping the mouse. Tapping the keyboard gently and giving yourself a one-minute break after each half hour of mouse use could ease your wrist pain in as little as two weeks, Cornell researchers say.
We write about products we think our readers will like. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the supplier.
This article originally appeared in our print magazine, Reverse Aging.
