Hand Therapist Nigel Chua

Trigger finger, carpal tunnel, thumb base arthritis and knobbly finger joints all rise in women around menopause. What turns up, what else it could be, and what helps.

A pinhole from a grease gun can cost a finger. The high-pressure injection injury every mechanic needs to recognize, plus knuckle cuts, crush, burns, rings, vibration and grip overuse.

One manual 96-well plate is close to 200 thumb presses, plus tip ejection, the hardest push of the cycle. What pipetting does to the thumb base and wrist, and the equipment changes that cut the load.

Putting within weeks, driver last. Typical return-to-golf ranges after trigger finger, carpal tunnel, wrist fracture, trapeziectomy and TFCC surgery, and the club-by-club order that gets you there.

Padel’s most common arm injury is tennis elbow, driven by a solid bat, a head-heavy shape and court hours that climb faster than the tendon adapts. What else turns up, and the changes that matter.

Kneading loads a bent-back wrist, piping squeezes the thumb base for hours, and hot trays load the elbow. The hand and wrist problems bakers develop, and the bench, bag and tray changes that fix most of them.

Laparoscopic handles, ring instruments, retraction and static posture. The thumb, nerve and tendon problems surgeons develop, and the table height, handle fit and microbreak changes that reduce them.

Flute, clarinet, sax, trumpet and trombone each load the hand differently. The thumb, wrist and nerve problems wind and brass players get, and the supports and grip changes that fix most of them.

A leash wrapped around your fingers turns one lunge into a fracture, dislocation or torn thumb ligament. The dog-walking hand injuries that fill emergency departments, and how to hold a leash so they don’t happen.

A pinch grip, downward pressure and constant fine twists, all day. What scanning does to the thumb base, wrist and elbow, and the grip, support and scheduling changes that reduce it.