By Dr. Andrew Kakishita | Kinetic Chiropractic – Lehi, UT
If your job requires you to use your hands all day—cutting hair, doing nails, massaging, or even typing—you’ve probably felt it: the dull ache, the burning forearm, the stiff wrist that won’t quit. Most people are told to stretch or "rest it when it hurts." But that’s not enough. In fact, it could make things worse.
The real answer? Strategic strengthening.
Why Repetitive Motions Cause Pain When you do the same motion over and over, your body adapts—but not always in a good way. Muscles get overused, joints lose mobility, and tissues can become inflamed. Tiny microtears build up without enough recovery. This leads to tightness, weakness, and pain.
Stretching Alone Won’t Fix It Many people turn to stretching, hoping it will loosen things up. But if the issue is that your tissues are overworked, stretching might just pull on already irritated structures. It feels good temporarily but doesn’t make the tissue stronger or more resilient.
The Strength Progression That Actually Helps Here’s a better approach, one we often use at Kinetic Chiropractic in Lehi:
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Isometric Exercise – This is where you contract a muscle without moving the joint. It builds strength safely and improves tissue tolerance without aggravating pain. Example: squeezing a towel without bending your wrist.
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Eccentric Exercise – These are slow, controlled lengthening movements. They help remodel tissue and strengthen it where it’s most vulnerable. Example: slowly lowering a light dumbbell from a curled wrist position.
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Concentric Exercise – Now you’re adding full-range, controlled motion. This is where endurance and function really come back. Example: curling and extending the wrist through its full range with resistance.
What About Rest? You don’t need to take weeks off work (that’s not realistic anyway). Instead, we recommend short, strategic breaks during the day. Just a few minutes of movement, position changes, or switching tasks can reduce repetitive strain. And yes, a rest day or two in your exercise progression can do wonders.
How Chiropractic Helps At Kinetic Chiropractic, we combine soft tissue work (like pin-and-stretch or instrument-assisted techniques), joint adjustments, and corrective exercises to not only relieve pain—but build a plan that makes your body more capable in the long run.
If you’re a professional who works with your hands or in a repetitive job, don’t settle for temporary fixes. Let’s build strength and resilience so your work doesn’t wear you down.