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hand injury after 8 months of dumbbells?

jay said Nov 29, 2007, 9:37 AM:

Hi guys, I'm looking for a little feedback on this:
I've just started lifting dumbells, mostly, n my home, using exercises from the FIT paper that I found on the web, plus a few others. I'm very happy with the results. Its improved my physique, my overall energy, and my blood sugar control (I'm a type 1 diabetic)

however, I've noticed that the long finger on my right hand and now the ring finger on my left hand are acting funny, and-don't seem to be improving. When I close my hand, the finger gets “stuck”, like it's locked in position, and I have to push a bit until it releases out wards. There is also a soreness at the base knuckle of each finger, where the finger is connected to the hand.

Is this sort of joint stiffness a common problem with weightlifting? Am I doing something wrong perhaps? Are there gloves or grip protectors that might help me to get past this?

I'm a guitarist by profession, and so far it doesn't interfere with my playing, but if it gets worse I suppose it might.

I'd appreciate any suggestions or pointers.

Thanks!

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Re: hand injury after 8 months of dumbbells?

jeepdog said Nov 30, 2007, 9:34 PM:

I have pondered this since you posted, wondering how to answer.

There are far too many variables as to what this can be, and what is causing this, which has made me reluctant to answer. Yet, no one has answered, so now I feel obligated.

Any sprain can occur when a sudden, forceful movement injures a ligament, which has become stiff or weak through poor conditioning or overuse.

The “overuse” part can be a plethora of things - too much weight, too many reps, poor form (most likely cause, which is usually precipitated by too much weight), improper movement (jerking) are just a few. We would have to observe you to really know what is going on.

I recommend reading on form, technique, and programs for your particular work out. Use FIT.
See a health professional or physical therapist about your injury.

Re: hand injury after 8 months of dumbbells?

jay said Dec 2, 2007, 6:17 PM:

Thanks, Jeepdog.

I understand now how difficult it is to answer a question like this, so I appreciate your response. I was hoping it was some sort of common or easily recognizable problem but it seems it's more subtle than that.

If it gets worse (which it doesn't seem to be doing) or doesn't go away after a while, I will see a doctor about it, and there is a very good one here, a performance injury clinic here in manhattan which I went to when I had tendinitis from a rollerblading injury.

There's the possibility too that this happened due to practicing some strenuously difficult music by Bach without warming up enough, or even while bicycling, or some combo of the three.

Thanks for the feedback!

Jay

Re: hand injury after 8 months of dumbbells?

Rob said Dec 3, 2007, 11:22 AM:

Jay,

I'm with Jeepdog on this one as well, this injury could have been caused by so many different things so it's hard to provide recommendations.

I will say this though, I would recommend getting it looked at as soon as possible and not waiting to see if it goes away or worsens. The earlier you can get physical therapy and an accurate diagnosis the better off you'll be.

On a related note you may be interested in a blog I did on working with injuries as they pertain to integral practice. If you're interested check it out here.

Good luck and keep us posted as you learn more about what's going on with your finger.

Peace Jay,

~Rob