“I’ve identified many problems that using a phone can cause,” shared Dr. Maroldi. Having two cellphones, he said, “increases the risk for faulty mechanics, bad ergonomics. And I think it overemphasizes some of our overuse patterns.” The most common conditions he sees from cellphone overuse are tendinitis, trigger fingers and carpal tunnel syndrome.

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How often you call on your grip strength during your average day? Each time you lift a bag of groceries, pull a weed or turn a key in a lock, you’re relying on muscles in your hands and forearms to work in coordination.

“A lot of these things require more strength than you may really notice until you start to lose it,” said Dr. Maroldi. 

A strong grip is linked to longevity and well-being, while a weak grip often accompanies heart disease, cognitive decline and even some types of cancer. Bringing grip-focused moves in your routine may improve your quality of life by helping everyday tasks feel easier.

And squeezing a stress ball isn’t the best way to do it, experts said. Repeatedly clenching your hand can worsen or even cause issues like carpal tunnel, trigger finger or tendinitis, Dr. Maroldi said. Instead, work the whole muscle chain that supports your grip: hands, wrists and shoulders.

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“I’ve seen injuries from metal rings that have caused people to lose function from nerve damage, soft tissue injuries and fractures that require surgery,” said Nick Maroldi PT, DPT, OCS, CHT, certified hand therapist at HSS. “You can lose your whole finger.”

That’s why Maroldi went with silicone when he got married six years ago. “I was a rock climber and skydiver and having metal on your finger during those activities is dangerous. Even lifting weights, that metal on metal can be uncomfortable.”

Read the full article at CNN.com. 

Weightlifting and common body-weight exercises can cause a variety of hand and wrist injuries. Maroldi explained, “Oftentimes, tendons or ligaments are overloaded or repetitively strained during certain exercises, leading to tendinitis, tenosynovitis, or ligament sprains or tears.”

Although repetition is a common practice for building muscle, it’s not ideal for hand health. Maroldi noted, “Repetitive stresses from exercise can also lead to ganglion cysts, which most commonly appear on the back of the wrist.”

“Other exercises that involve dynamic movement and loading the wrists, such as snatches and clean and jerks, can lead to ligament tears in the wrist, most commonly the scapholunate ligament (SL ligament),” added Maroldi.

Another watch-out is weight-bearing exercises. “The most common exercises that cause wrist/hand injuries are those that involve weight-bearing or dynamic loading through extended wrists such as pushups and burpees,” said Maroldi.

Maroldi offered tips for avoiding injury during exercise, such as maintaining a neural wrist position. “Neutral wrist position means that the wrist is in slight extension (make a tight fist and the position your wrist is in is your neutral wrist position),” he explained.

Maroldi also advised to avoid overgripping. “Your wrists and hands are constantly working and under tension, and it is therefore not recommended to do specific wrist- or grip-strengthening exercises. Doing wrist curls or repetitive resisted gripping can lead to tendinitis or carpal tunnel syndrome, but training with proper technique, form, and body positioning will strengthen your wrist and grip functionally with less risk of injury,” he said.

Read the full article at Muscleandfitness.com.