Pain Relief

I've been having wrist problems again since January and have been avoiding going to the doctor for medical help for several reasons. I think I know what the issues are so I'm trying to help myself before going in. I know they will want me to get some physical therapy and I'm just dragging my feet.

I've adjusted my work space. Since I pretty much sit at my desk for 10 hours a day I realized I'm putting pressure on my wrist so I've made some adjustments. Unfortunately my "ball" chair is really too low for my desk so I limited my use of it to - well - almost never. Part of the issue might also be working on a laptop all the time since the monitor and the keyboard are all connected its hard to have both of them at the right height at the same time. I usually use a mouse instead of the trackpad so at least I can make sure that the mouse is at the right level. Plus I have a second monitor hooked up so I have that set up directly above my laptop screen which is close to my eye height. But now that I have so much plugged in and wires going every which way my mobile laptop has become more stationary. Gosh what a whiner.

Besides adjusting my work station I've also started wearing my brace more often during the day and sometimes when I'm preparing meals (using a knife when chopping or slicing can be painful) and forget about using a whisk - its all electric for me. I probably shouldn't use the hand can opener either - and definitely shouldn't be doing the dishes or sweeping the floor or dusting, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, doing the laundry, washing the windows, but I digress – back to the brace. I read somewhere that I should be wearing the brace at night to make sure my wrist is in the neutral position.

I've been forcing myself to wear an ice pack at least once a day - normally in the evening. I probably should be doing it more often but I don't.

I've also added some stretching exercises that I try to do everyday but don't.

And finally, my niece told me about Topricin - a mixture natural medicines. I can't say enough about this cream - its almost a miracle. The first day I used it I was amazed at how much better I felt. I applied it 4x the day I got it and within about 6 hours of the first application the constant pain had gone away. I'm sure some of it had to do with the massage that I used when applying the creme to make sure all was absorbed, but I'm also convinced its the cream itself.

I've been using if faithfully for almost a week now and have seen dramatic difference. I do know that its a combination of measures I've taken to improve my situation and its not all about this miracle cream - but I'm convinced that its helped a lot. I also wish I had another body part that ached so I can try it out! I'll keep you posted!