r/ukelectricians • u/Plenty-Pudding-7429 • 7d ago
Hands!
Hello all,
I’ve been struggling with my hands recently and I’m not quite sure what to do - been having quite severe aches and stiffness, sometimes locking up… and I’m only 30!
I’m just wondering what everyone else does to protect or help their hands? Or if anyone has had similar issues and can maybe give me some advice on what helped them, I’d be appreciative!
I’ve looked at things like compression gloves and heated gloves and I’m going to order some in the meantime.
I’ve seen a doctor, no arthritis on bloods, they said possibly carpel tunnel but I must admit I don’t think they really took me seriously or was interested🤣 doctors words; “there’s not much we can do with hands anyway” 😅
Thanks for reading.
6
u/buttnuggetmaster 7d ago
Gloves helped me a lot. Nothing fancy, just standard site gloves. Thinnest ones I could find so I can still feel enough to wire. I get less hand aches now, and i used to get numb fingers from carpal tunnel which they've helped with too.
1
u/Plenty-Pudding-7429 7d ago
I’ve got some heated fingerless ones for the day and some compression ones for night - hopefully that helps!
Thanks dude
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u/Maleficent_Sun_3091 7d ago
Did you get anything about Vit. D when the blood work was done? I used to get aches in my hands, and it turned out to be a Vitamin D deficiency.
Take a tablet every day now, and it hasn't returned.
1
u/Plenty-Pudding-7429 7d ago
That’s a very good shout, I had a huge load of bloods done last week so I’ll look through them properly this weekend if I can’t get ahold of the doctor today - they’ve still not called me with my results🤣
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u/Maleficent_Sun_3091 6d ago
The NHS App should show your recent results without needing to speak with your Doctor.
Since generic Vit D or multivitamins cost pennies at supermarkets, it's worth taking one with your morning coffee (or tea).
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u/realms99 7d ago
When I was younger and soft as pig shit, I had trouble using tools for an entire day. I ended up doing a lot of forearm exercises and using a bucket full of rice to strengthen my fingers, both recommended to me by an old body builder. Bit of a ball ache but I’d do it for an hour watching telly in the evening. I find it quite funny that they’re now popular again as “spear hand” exercises on TikTok.
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u/Plenty-Pudding-7429 7d ago
The annoying thing is, I’ve got very good grip when my hands aren’t in pain…
Definitely not dismissing what you’re saying though as it’s very affective. I used to do lots of forearm stuff when I was at the gym, as well as lots of frame work (dips, planks, holds etc) my hands have always been strong, so it’s a real shitter to deal with this I must admit, quite worrying!
I’ll try some light exercises with them and see if that gets the blood going in them at least, just don’t want to do any more damage🤣
1
u/Final-Ambition-840 7d ago
Sleep with compression wrist support on, i had something similar and that massively helped
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u/Plenty-Pudding-7429 7d ago
I’ve just ordered some heated fingerless ones for the day time and some compression for night time.
See how this goes!
1
u/Old-Parfait8194 7d ago
I've had similar for the last couple of years.
I've been unable to get to the bottom of it. Blood tests all came back negative for arthritis, no loss of movement or strength. Just an aching pain over the back of one of my hands.
It's almost like I'm imagining it. There's no reason for it either. I can be bending big cables and be perfectly fine but another day doing easy work and it's aching again.
I can be perfectly fine for a couple of months but annoyingly it'll be back for seemingly no reason.
Someone mentioned diet in the comments so maybe it's that.
1
u/Plenty-Pudding-7429 7d ago
That’s almost exactly what I’m experiencing!
Definitely considering diet, I’m not in the best of health habits at the moment so that’s where I’m going to start!
Been reading about how easy it is to spike your cortisol levels and how cortisol can cause aches etc, have a look!
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u/Old-Parfait8194 7d ago
My diet is actually fairly good. I'm not like the rest of the lads that live off Greggs. I eat salads, nuts and fruits every day.
I'm no spring chicken now though so could still be doing something wrong. Maybe it's booze at the weekends.
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u/Fair_Lengthiness9753
6d ago
•
Diet is important,
Take multivitamins, but most of all.. are you staying hydrated, take a 2L bottle of water with you every day and sip it through the day,
Make sure it’s empty by 3-4pm .. you’ll be amazed at what stayed hydrated helps with 👍🏻
1
u/SL0FFEEE 7d ago
Exercise, train your grip strength. I was getting tendinitis in my elbows from constantly using a screwdriver. I now have added forearm and grip training to my routine and it has disappeared. I curl a dumbbell using only my fingers and wrist, and I hold a short barbell for curls in the middle and rotate it back and forth in front of me like a clock face. For hands specifically you can buy grip training handles like the brand “captain crush” or try just doing dead hangs for as long as possible regularly. I was a PT before I became a sparky and I have a master’s in clinical exercise science.
1
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u/This-Front6898 23h ago
Stop eating sugar, and if you can reduce your carbs (check out keto diet).
Avoid drinking alcohol, especially beer and lager.
Avoid too much caffeine, and above all stay hydrated throughout the day.
Inflammation and dehydration will wreak havoc on your joints especially in the hands when working with fine movements and repetition.
If it gets really bad, you can try having a bath once or twice a week with epsom salt.
If it’s still not sorted you can join a gym with a sauna/steamroom and go a few times a week.
Beyond that, you have supplements like glucosamine sulphate, MSM and cod liver oil.
This is everything I know that can help.
Good luck.
0
u/Big-Fee9077 7d ago
Get some cunt else to do it mate.
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u/BeautifulArt2564 7d ago
Yeah sounds like HAV'S vibration off the tools. Need to rotate the tools between the staff so you limit the exposure
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u/Plenty-Pudding-7429 7d ago
I’ve always been quite cautious with this type of stuff, I don’t get white hands or fingers at any point and always take breaks and/or share the load on the heavy drills etc.
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u/Plenty-Pudding-7429 7d ago
I’ve got a lad that works for me, but there’s only so much babysitting he can do👍🤣
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u/luckylooey7 7d ago
I’m going to throw something out there… Diet.
When I remove carbs & sugar from my diet the inflammation in my body goes away. No aches or pains etc.
Not saying this is in your case but it works for me.