Today, Adam Steer from Better’s Better and BodyweightCoach.com offers up some tips to prevent common overuse injuries associated with work in the digital age. Make sure you take advantage of his exclusive free offer for Probloggers at the end of this post.
The myth of the internet lifestyle depicts the easy life. Four hours of work per week will suffice to bring you the riches, entourage and lifestyle you desire. But the reality is quite different isn’t it? All the successful bloggers and internet entrepreneurs that I know spend hours every day bent over their keyboards – at least in the beginning.
If you’ve broken through, and are living the glamorous internet lifestyle, I’d like to congratulate you. But if you are still working on your ten-year overnight success story, you’re going to need to take care of your main asset – your fingertips.
Carpal tunnel syndrome, compressed joints, postural distortions and all sorts of other nasty conditions can creep up on the ProBlogger. Whatever we do repeatedly, we will adapt to, whether we like that adaptation or not. Just as the sprinter will adapt to training and he’ll become faster, so the ProBlogger will adapt to sitting in front of a computer.
I’ve written previously on several malaise of the Desk Jockey. But to put it bluntly, if you spend enough time in your desk chair, your body will eventually take on the shape of that chair. It’s not a conspiracy authored by your body. It thinks it’s doing you a favor. If you’re shaped like that chair, it should be easier for you to stay in it for long periods of time.
Your body is also going to adapt to all that tap, tap, tapping you do on your keyboard. Which is why it’s important to take care of your number one asset – your nimble fingertips. OK, so your number one asset is probably your head full of ideas, but the only way to get them out to your readers is through those fingertips, right?
Photo by Mark Sadowski
Why do athletes stretch and partake in other recovery methods? Because their training results in positive performance benefits, but also causes over-specializations that need to be compensated for. So our sprinter might develop super-strong hamstrings, but also need to devote time to the tissue quality of those hammies through stretching and massage to make sure that his body does not become imbalanced.
Bad Stuff That Can Happen To The ProBlogger’s Fingers, Hands & Wrists
- Carpal tunnel syndrome – This is the most well known villain and the bane of many a Desk Jockey. It’s caused by the compression of nerves that pass through the carpal tunnel of the wrist and is thought to be brought on or exacerbated by working with a keyboard (eeks).
- Compressed joints – If you don’t move your joints through all their potential range of motion, they get compressed, forcing out the nourishing synovial fluid. Joints don’t have blood circulation, so they rely on that fluid to bring in nutrition and wash out toxins. Compressed joints will get dry and brittle over time.
- The “claw” – If the fingers stay curled in the “keyboard tapping” position for too long without compensation, eventually the tissues will adapt and it will be hard to fully extend the fingers.
- Writers Cramp – The fancy name for this is dystonia. Involuntary muscle spasms, twisting movements and tension in the fingers are a telltale sign.
Three Exercises To Maintain Your Nimble Fingers
Now that I have you thoroughly terrified –– machinations of total decrepitude roiling through your mind –– I want to reassure you that there is an easy fix. Through years of experimentation, a man named Scott Sonnon hammered out and codified a system of health, wellness and fitness that pre-incorporates recovery and compensation. It’s called the Circular Strength Training® system.
Below, you’ll find three exercises borrowed from the Intu-Flow Joint Health and Mobility ring of the CST Three Ring system. Regular practice of these three exercises will go a long way towards preventing the terrors mentioned above. But daily practice of the full Intu-Flow program will prime your entire idea generating pumps and have you churning out blog content like never before!
So without further ado, here are your three compensatory exercises. Do these daily to keep your fingertips tapping at the speed of a fiber optic pulse.
1. Elbow Circles
Top circles – hold the elbow relatively still out in front of you. Move the fist in an imaginary circle parallel to the floor above your elbow. Notice how the elbow pit rotates around from facing the ceiling to facing slightly inwards or outwards. This gives us the full range of motion in the joint, combining flexion, extension and rotation. The same principles apply for the bottom, inside and outside circles. Make sure you keep your shoulders packed throughout by pulling them down away from the ears.
2. Wrist Circles
Imagine holding the knuckles and the elbow fixed in space. Your goal is to move the wrist itself in space. Start by moving it up and down, moving to your full range of motion. You can hold your knuckles with your other hand to close the chain and make it easier to move just the wrist if you need to. Do the same moving the wrist side to side. Then join all 4 points together – top, side, bottom, side – in a fluid circle
3. Finger Rolls
Hold your hands in front of you, as if hovering over a keyboard, with the fingers extended. Beginning with the thumbs, start making circles one digit at a time. Do four or five circles in one direction with the thumb, then move on to the index fingers, making four or five circles in the same direction. Continue on down the line until you get to the pinkies. The last two fingers may be tough at first, until you develop the coordination to isolate the movement. Once you get to the end, change direction of the circles and work your way back from pinkies to thumbs.
Speed of implementation…
Get up from your keyboard and do these at your desk right now. Then drop a line or two into the comments section below. Tell us how you feel when you’re done. These are just the tip of the iceberg. A full session of Intu-Flow will leave you feeling loose as a goose, and –– done regularly –– can actually turn back the ravages of time and untie the knots made fast by your desk chair and keyboard.
Adam, co-author of Bodyweight Exercise Revolution, is offering a free follow-along joint mobility session to ProBlogger readers. Visit BodyweightCoach.com to access your video download. You can also grab a free copy of the highly acclaimed Bodyweight FUN-damentals workout ebook for free. Adam has been blogging for quite some time at BettersBetter.com where he debunks the mainstream fitness myths and offers improved health, vitality and fitness, one better decision at a time.
Good advice.
I have perhaps the worst typing method known to man. I completely ignore “home row” and do about 70% of my typing with my left (non-dominant) hand. My posture is horrible, and I spend countless hours at a computer each day, at work and home – and I’m very lazy about excercises.
I have probably dodged a bullet up to this point. Good time to take a refresher course :)
Oh man, After writing for a full 40 minutes I have to stop and go do something else. I can spend 3 minutes stretching my back and another 5 popping my knuckles and each individual finger but it seems to take me forever before I can go back to the chair. I will be sure to give this advice a shot.
Great advice. I’ve known of some pretty bad conditions people have got from sitting at the computer for too long.
In Japan, a lot of companies force their employees to exercise during the day, and it really improves their performance.
Thanks for posting!
Great tips; my Mom and her parents not only have developed Carpal Tunnel but also have arthritis in their hands and knees, so I find these exercises particularly helpful. Hopefully I won’t fall into that trap and end up like them. Thanks.
When I’m working on the computer, I make a point of getting up every hour or so and walking around, doing some bodyweight exercises, etc.
The videos are really helpful; I’ll try them out today. That last exercise looks like it’ll take a little practice :)
Excellent post ….
Loved the videos too . Long time back I devoted a series of two articles on different health issue an prob logger can go through.
This would have been defiantly be more addition to it for sure.
Regards
Sudeep
1] http://www.e-swastya.com/2009/06/health-issues-of-pro-bloggers-part-1.html
2]http://www.e-swastya.com/2009/06/health-issues-of-pro-bloggers-part-2.html
Excellent exercises. I followed along for all 3, and my fingers, wrists and elbows did feel immediately reinvigorated.
I’d like to see a whole-body series.
Venkat
That is something I have not heard of before.
Of course not just the finger that is important, the rest of your body is important too.
1) Body Posture: Straighten body while sitting, this way you will not just feel tired, and also your spine will be in good condition too.
2) Stretch your Legs: Your legs will need to be stretch too. When sitting too long, you may experience clamping. Anyway its good to stretch once in every 2 or 3 hours.
3) Rest your Eyes: Get away from the computer for 5 mins in every one hour. Look at the horizon or even better look at greenery like trees or grasses. It will help relax your eyes.
Hope it helps.
I realized that I’m not as flexible as this guy! My wrist is a little sore from the second exercise, but other than that, these exercises seem pretty cool!
Good for people in from of comp most of the time. I used to do neck rotation and wrist exercises.
http://www.physioadvisor.com.au/8113750/wrist-flexibility-exercises-wrist-pain-wrist-in.htm is a good site for wrist exercises.
Hubs (@crossmark) and I always joke that he can’t participate in sports because of the risk of hurting his wage-earning mouse-clicking hand. (In reality, we’re both athletically deficient.) (Nerds, if you will.)
I’d never heard the “taking on the shape of your chair” theory. That’s awesome. Now I have another excuse for the “muffin top” that’s taken up residence on my bod.
Nice advice…
Thanks for posting !
Shajib
http://www.ebooksdock.co.cc/
Those are some great exercises. I often find myself behind my computer for 10 to 12 hours per day with very few breaks. These will really be great because I know I’m on a path to injury right now.
I need to learn to just walk away from my computer and just get myself moving here and there too. Sitting in the same position for 10+ hours couldn’t be good for me either.
Matt
Now all that’s left is to figure out how to keep my back and neck from getting ruined.
I don’t have much problems with my fingers, but moreso with my back and neck. I swear, I feel like I can’t sit down for more than half an hour straight at a time!
Maybe I need a new chair.
Gosh the exercises are so simple, but definitely very beneficial. I am just getting started working on my 10 year success story so; yes I spend many hours bent over my pc.
Thanks for the tips. ;)
Hi Everyone,
I’m really enjoying the comments you guys are leaving. I only have a minute right now between clients. But I’ll be back online again a bit later.
Someone said that they’d like to see the whole routine. You can get a sample for free. The link is at the end of the post.
See “yous” in a bit.
Adam
@Venkat
“Excellent exercises. I followed along for all 3, and my fingers, wrists and elbows did feel immediately reinvigorated.”
Excellent!
@Debo Hobo -> Yes, deceptively simple. The magic is in systematically doing the exercises over time. My coach, Scott Sonnon calls it the “Magic in the Mundane”…
Thanks for this intresting post!
The Claw?
You want The Claw? I’ll give you The Claw…
Frame houses for 5 years! Nail gun or Plumb rigging axe, doesn’t really matter.
Of course, if you’re into rock climbing, it’s called “leverage.”
Great article!
-d
ps: When I’m really tired, like right now, I do better work when standing, which is why I work at my high kitchen table a lot. Really helps posture.
Venkat & TheManRevolution – The whole body series is known as Intu-Flow and can be found here: http://www.agelessmobility.com/index_if.php
I would highly reccomend it!
Nice to see a post looking at other types of issues that affect bloggers. I think another health problem is looking after your eyes, personally, staring at a screen for hours causes my eyes to bloodshot and sting which really can’t be good for them (+ I’m fairly young) so definitely worth remembering to look after yourself.
For those of you asking for other drills like this for the rest of the body, here you go: http://www.intu-flow.com/ The drills that Coach Steer presented above are just a small part of the Intu-Flow program. That website that I just gave has a lot of free videos on some of the basics. Enjoy!
Great post, I’m 24 and I already have trouble with my hands and wrists. I do alot of these stretches daily. Sometimes I catch myself doing it subconsciously too.
I reccommend everyone take this advice seriously. You gotta stretch everyday..
This is a very useful post. I am very unhealthy (though it does not show because I am very skinny), I write all the time and have carpal tunnel (im 16). So thank you for this.
Great tips! And thank you for this post as a lot of people (especially the younger generation) are unaware of Carpal tunnel syndrome. These exercises helps a lot.
@Dave Doolin
Yeah, I worked construction for a few years too. I wish I knew this stuff back then… The full body Intu-Flow routine would have been a godsend in those days!
@Shane – Inspiring Your Success
Wow, carpal tunnel at 16. Make sure you follow up on the joint mobility material. It will make a world of difference.
@TheManRevolution “Now all that’s left is to figure out how to keep my back and neck from getting ruined.”
Check out the full sample routine offered at the end of the post. It’ll go a long way to helping you. And of course the original Intu-Flow DVD program would be an awesome investment. A few of the commenters have already provided the url for that…
@Kosmo – The Casual Observer
I’m so glad I forced myself to learn how to type in university. It is excruciatingly slow at first, but man what a payoff…
That felt wonderfulm thanks.
And I totally started sucking in my abs and sitting up straighter as I was reading the post.
I liked what Joshua said about resting your eyes, so important.
I think I’ll go run around the house for 5 minutes now, followed by 10 minutes of leg lifts and stretches and such!
And Dave Doolin above, you totally had to be taking about the wrestling guy from Canada, right? “Mister MacCluck-Cluck, I’ll give you the claw…” Gee, that’s a blast from my past. Back in the days of Leaping Lannie, and such. Or maybe not. :)
Very good post. Best advice i can offer is don’t think it can’t happen to you!! I started getting my first symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, numbness in my index finger and discomfort in the wrist. Be sure to focus on your hand position while working. The damage I have so far is in my left hand from leaving it cocked while using my mouse with the right. Take breaks often and stretch before you feel discomfort.
Great stuff coach! This is a very underlooked aspect of the blogging, PC world. I would love to see you do something about keeping your spine lengthened and your shoulders from rounding while typing or driving.
Awesome awesome awesome.
@Josh Hanagarne
“I would love to see you do something about keeping your spine lengthened and your shoulders from rounding while typing or driving.”
You read my mind Josh. I’d love to follow up with just such a post if Darren will allow me… :)
Cheers,
Adam
Haha, thank you for this.. my fingers are feeling more flexible already. :)
Darren, thanks for having Adam post this stuff. I had no idea that keyboards were so dangerous to joints and fingers.
Excellent videos – thanks!
I did these along with each of the videos – and was shocked at how immobile my 4th finger was on both hands during the finger roll exercise.
I found that by touching the tips of my fingers of each hand together I was able to make the 4th and 5th fingers roll around each other, independently of the fingers next to them.
Is that OK or am I risking damage in another area?
Thanks again,
Martin.
I honestly feel a little better already. My right elbow has been giving me problems.
My posture is terrible and I’m always worried that I’m going to get carpal tunnel and I’m fully aware that I could get it at only 23. I spend far too much time slouched over my computer with very little breaks.
This advice was great! My fingers hands and arms feel warm and a lot freer now.
Thank you!
Here’s a pricey alternative to heavy keyboard usage:
Speech-to-text software
;)
Great exercises! I’ve always had a worry about this sitting in the back of mind, until of course something I’m working on will push it aside.
After doing these 3 exercises I can feel the tension release slightly and my fingers love the range of motion. I’m definitely going to do these regularly in an attempt to avoid arthritis in my early twenties!
@Adam Steer, Any tips for the neck? This is another one I find myself stretching all the time.
Thank you again for the tips and keep up the good work.
Kris
This is one of the most creative posts I have seen in a long time.
And it is true that health issues can become very important for people who are hunched over a keyboard all day.
So glad to see that you are incorporating fitness tips into your blog posts to help your followers become the best that they can be.
Your fingers and wrists are definitely a top asset to your business as well as ours. I’d have to say that health is the #1 asset to any business.
It’s so easy to include fitness into your workday and you don’t have to leave your office to get in a great workout. The best part about scheduling your workday around fitness is that you will get more done in less time as a result of increased energy, focus, and productivity.
Adam did a great job with the video demonstrations. Circular training is definitely something that I have wanted to include in my home office fitness routine and Adam just gave me the push to take action now.
Thanks a million for sharing this incredibly valuable information.
Scott Tousignant
I am sure not many bloggers are really worried abput this, but this is surely a thing to worry about.
So very true.. but don’t forget the legs. Next time a good set of exercises for legs will close the circle:)
Martin Malden – It’s amazing what moving your joints in a systematic way can reveal… And your “training wheel” is fine to get started, but work towards doing it freely.
Frank Kim – A lot of people report feeling immediate effects. But the real magic is in consistent practice…
Ms Constantine – It’s great that you’re thinking about your long term health now. It’s so much easier to keep your youthful movement potential than build it back later. But, it’s also never too late. I have a client in her 80’s who is making phenomenal progress!
Kris – “@Adam Steer, Any tips for the neck?” => Keep your eyes peeled here on Problogger.net. Darren has given me the nod to do a follow up on exercises for the neck and back…
Michael – “This is one of the most creative posts I have seen in a long time.” => Thanks so much Michael!
Scott Tousignant – Glad to see you getting into CST Scott!
trendoffice – First on to the neck and back, then we’ll see where it takes us… ;)
Thanks for all the awesome feedback everyone. This was a fun post to write and I loved reading all the comments.
Cheers,
Adam
Wow I like the change of subject to a bloggers health and well being. I find myself always slouching and staring away at the monitor for hours without noticing how bad my posture is. I think this is a great topic and needs more focus in not just a bloggers lifestyle but anyone who is on the computer for an extended period of time hunched over a keyboard gleaming away. Keep up the inspirational and educational posts.
See you Online,
Aaron
Nice, I’ve been thinking of doing this every time especially after working.. thanks for the videos and links Darren.
Excellent exercises. This is very useful to keep ourselves healthy. I had few problems due to constant workloads in my office. Now I feel more comfortable after following these lessons.
Sigh… Where was this post a year ago? ;)
Sure, there’s voice-recognition software… but from what I’ve seen it still is not up to sci-fi levels of competence, takes many hours of training, and breeds frustration.
Better to stop typing from time to time, and do a few finger rolls, eh?
Blogging makes me feel really exhausted.
I just want to sleep 7 hours a day but it’s hard to me to do this.
A few years back you would never have imagined that bloggers would be needing a set of exercises to keep fit. It is clear to see that blogging is tough work.
besides exercises you also need: good nutrition: proteins, calcium, vitamin A is extremely necessary for a blogger as it helps the health of your eyes; good rest and inspiring environment; when you have all these you care much less about the fingers; this is just another fitness niche, ;) , if you know what I mean
This will take less than 5 minutes and your finger tips will be healthy.
I will start this exercise from this evening and let me see for one week.
Thanks for bringing this important issue to everyone’s attention. Another big problem for desk jockeys is cubital tunnel syndrome (CuTS).
CuTS is a repetitive stress injury (RSI) that can result in moderate to severe pain and numbness in the elbow and ring & little fingers. Untreated, CuTS can result in extreme pain, surgery or an unusable hand.
The problem occurs where the ulnar nerve passes around the elbow. The nerve rests in a groove called the cubital tunnel tucked behind the bony point on the elbow. Repeated stretching or hitting this nerve results in numbness, shocks and pain, similar to what you feel when you hit your “funny bone.”
The ulnar nerve can be pinched, stretched or irritated by using a computer mouse, using a flat (non-ergonomic) keyboard, leaning your elbows on the table or the arms of your chair, etc.
If any of your readers are afflicted with CuTS, they may wish to visit our Cubital-Tunnel.com forums where they can share their experiences, ask questions and get answers about their condition.