Pregnant & Feeling Pain in your Hand and/or Wrist?

Being pregnant goes hand in hand with a lot of strange feelings, awkward experiences, and unknown pain.  As wonderful as growing and bring a child into the world truly is, the actual process of being pregnant is physically hard and taxing on your body.  One of the most common complaints of pregnant women is that of swelling and water retention.  Usually, we hear about it in the feet and ankles {for me, especially when flying!!}, but hand and wrist swelling is quite common as well.  Interestingly, I recently read in Your Pregnancy, Week by Week that it is water retention and swollen hands and wrists that causes 1 in 4, or 25%, of pregnant women to feel Carpal Tunnel Syndrome symptoms during their pregnancies.  By way of review, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome {CTS} is when you feel pain in your hand and/or wrist which can extend into the forearm and shoulder caused by the compression of the median nerve in the wrist.  CTS symptoms include numbness, tingling or burning of the inner half of one or both hands, with a numb or useless feeling in fingers.  Pregnant women usually feel these symptoms in both hands, probably due to equal swelling and water retention in both.   

Tips for Reducing Wrist/Hand Pain

The good news is that treatment is rarely required for pregnant women in that the symptoms generally go away after delivery, presumably when the body quits retaining water and swelling.  The bad news is that you have to ait until you have the baby to feel better, and many of us need to work on a computer or use our cell phones regularly, both of which cause pain. Since no pregnant woman needs to suffer from unnecessary pain, here are some tips and tools for reducing wrist and hand pain.  

• Correct your posture.  You may not realize that there is proper and improper hand and wrist positioning.  Essentially, DON'T bend or cock your wrists.  DO everything you can to avoid cocking or bending of your wrists.  If you feel pain as you are typing, texting, or mousing, stop what you are doing and re-position yourself.
• Try ergonomic products.  In particular, an ergonomic keyboard is designed to better your hands, while an ergonomic mouse makes mousing more natural and less straining for your wrists.  Regardless of what keyboard and mouse you're using, be sure to keep them side-by-side and on the same surface to reduce movement and therefore injury.  So, lastly, a keyboard tray will store both and at a lower spot so your arms, wrists, and hands can work more comfortably.
• Wear a wrist splint. If you're already experiencing wrist pain, one of the trouble spots is night time.  So often, we flex our wrists and sleep with them in quite odd positions, never even aware of it.  This is especially true of pregnant women who are known for their strange sleep positions!  Thus, wearing a wrist splint at night time can protect you from doing more harm.

Using an ergonomic keyboard and ergonomic mouse at work and wearing a wrist splint at night can greatly reduce wrist pain and injury as you finish out your pregnancy.

A positive pregnancy test is so incredibly exciting....until nausea sets in at all hours of the day and night.  {Morning sickness is such a misnomer.}  Finally, you get to the second trimester and find some physical relief only to discover that a growing bump, wonderful as it is, is literally keeping you from your desk!  More than ever before, practicing good ergonomics will serve you and your growing body throughout the duration of your pregnancy and well beyond.

Tips for Balancing Pregnancy and Ergonomics

• As always, working in a "neutral" body position is key.  You should sit up straight, careful not to slouch or sit too rigidly.  Your feet should comfortably rest flat on the floor with your knees under your desk.  Most importantly, nothing should ever be bent, angled, or cocked awkwardly {think about your neck, wrists, and even your shoulders}.
• As you get, ahem, bigger, you will find it even more necessary to have an adjustable ergonomic desk .  Having the ability to raise the work surface as your physically change will alter the entire work experience and your decrease discomfort you might feel squeezing around a normal desk.  Some women find that being able to  it or stand as they please enables them to keep working, even through third trimester back pain.  
• Regardless of what desk you have, keep all essential items within easy reach at your work space.  It's up to you, of course, to determine what items need to be close {printer, stapler, desk phone, cell phone, fax machine, etc}, but once you decide, find a spot to keep those items not farther than an easy arm's length so that you don't strain yourself getting them.
• It's time to dock your lap top if you use one.  Sustained use of a lap top actually on the lap is not beneficial anyway, and certainly not with a bump in the way.  Place your lap top on an elevated surface to keep your eyes  from getting strained, and plug in an ergonomic keyboard and mouse for the most comfortable typing experience.   
• Sit in an ergonomic chair.  Ergo chairs are great for adjustability, and pregnant women are constantly changing.  As with an adjustable ergonomic desk, having the flexibility of a chair that changes with you is crucial.  Plus, most ergonomic chairs provide good back support, a feature that you will not regret come the third trimester.   {If you're in a pinch and can't get an ergo chair, try this portable back support you could even take home with you.}
• Take breaks.  Take time to stretch, walk around, and even refocus and rehydrate your eyes.  Even if for just a minute or two, being intentional about breaks will help you get through long days without injury.

Balancing pregnancy and ergonomics can seem daunting, but these tips will help keep you safe and injury-free.