From Hanging Lights to Holiday Cooking: How to Protect Your Hands and Wrists

The holiday season brings decorating, baking, cooking, gift wrapping, traveling, and plenty of outdoor winter activities. Unfortunately, all that extra activity can also put added stress on your hands, wrists, elbows, and forearms. From overuse injuries to unexpected falls, here are some common upper-extremity problems that can occur during the holidays and ways to help prevent them.

Decorating-Related Injuries

Hanging lights, carrying boxes, putting up decorations, and climbing ladders can lead to falls or sudden injuries. When people try to catch themselves during a fall, the wrist and hand often absorb much of the impact.

This can result in:

• Wrist sprains

• Wrist or hand fractures

• Finger injuries

• Elbow injuries

• Tendon or ligament injuries

Pain, significant swelling, bruising, deformity, numbness, or difficulty moving the wrist or fingers after a fall should not be ignored.

Cooking Can Take a Toll on Your Hands

Holiday meal preparation often means hours of chopping, stirring, lifting cookware, kneading dough, and washing dishes. Repetitive gripping and wrist movements can aggravate existing hand and wrist problems.

People who already experience carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, tendon irritation, or other overuse conditions may notice increased discomfort during periods of heavy activity. Take breaks, alternate tasks when possible, and avoid pushing through persistent pain or numbness.

Don't Forget About Gift Wrapping

It may seem harmless, but a long gift-wrapping session involves plenty of repetitive cutting, gripping, folding, and taping. For someone already experiencing hand or wrist problems, these repetitive movements may aggravate symptoms. Break large wrapping projects into shorter sessions and pay attention to how your hands and wrists feel.

Winter Weather Brings Another Risk: Falls

Snow and ice can make even a short walk hazardous. A common reaction when falling is to extend your hands to protect yourself, potentially injuring the hand, wrist, forearm, or elbow.

If you fall and experience persistent pain or swelling, don't simply assume it's a sprain. Some fractures and other injuries require medical evaluation and treatment.

Listen to Your Hands

Some soreness after an unusually busy day may improve with rest. However, symptoms that persist or interfere with normal activities deserve attention.

Consider seeing an orthopaedic hand specialist if you experience:

• Persistent or worsening pain

• Significant swelling or bruising

• Numbness or tingling

• Weakness or difficulty gripping

• Limited movement

• Visible deformity

• Pain that continues after a fall or other injury

Keep Your Holidays Happy and Healthy

Your hands help make many holiday traditions possible, from preparing family recipes to wrapping presents and decorating the tree. A little extra care can help keep them healthy throughout the season.

And if hand, wrist, elbow, or forearm pain doesn't improve, an evaluation by an orthopaedic specialist can help identify the cause and determine the appropriate treatment.