I write this wearing wrist splints (sigh). Turns out that pesky pain in my hand? It was a sprained thumb and wrist joint.
The good news is that I have a competent physio. And that we caught it early. So I have been using wrist splits to rest it (I have one for the other hand too as that wrist was getting sore compensating for the other one) and taking a load of anti-inflammatories to help my body heal itself.
We're not sure exactly what caused it, but according to my physio this is typical. With an acute injury it's often not just one thing, but a series of overuse and stress, often accompanies by being overtired. We think it may have something to do with reading books on my phone (turning the pages with my thumb), working a little too much on my work laptop at home (i.e. with a touchpad instead of a mouse) and maybe driving in Ireland for a week exacerbated it. After all, it was my first time on the left hand side of the road and I was likely to be a little nervous -- perhaps gripping the steering wheel in sheer panic?
This incident, although being extremly annoying and painful, was at least a good reminder of a point that I made several times when starting this blog a few years ago: our bodies are not machines. Getting enough rest, making sure we get enough food to eat at the right frequency and being kind to our own mental state are things that don't get enough press these days. Everyone seems so focused on achievement, accomplishment and pushing ourselves, to what I fear can be the brink.
My splints are a good reminder at the moment to slow down and enjoy life a little. That's when the good stuff happens anyway. And it's interesting to note that I'm getting just as much work done even with a slower typing pace. Sometimes slower equals smarter.
Enjoy your weekend!
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