For context, I create music in my free time.I recently started a full time job that involves lifting boxes and sorting through prepackaged meat for eight hours a day. I spend most of my time in a cold room and my hands get stiff very quickly, and at the end of the day I find the fatigue hinders my ability to play my instruments effectively. I have a lot of paranoia regarding the development of any hand/wrist related repetitive strain injuries because I find a lot of joy in creating music.Does anyone else relate to this? Should I try to find a different job or are the muscles in my hands just adjusting to the work?
>>34718880I have your prepackaged meat right here.
>>34718880Your hands getting stiff in the cold is a circulation issue. You can look into improving your circulation, especially in your hands, but it’s something that naturally happens in the cold and isn’t going to do permanent damage. There are humans who played music in Siberia so it’s not that the cold ruins your hands. The danger there is the numbness associated with the lack of circulation. That can lead you into situations where your hands are unusually clumsy or you smash your fingers or something. So just be mindful not to injure yourself when your hands are cold.The other part here is grip strength and that is absolutely something that will improve over time. Generally speaking, maybe about 2-4 weeks before you start having noticeable gains in that department. Since you’re gaining strength and muscle, eat extra protein and make sure to get extra rest for a while.Also, agonist/antagonist muscles can come into play here if you’re going to do lots of repeated activity in one direction. You can look it up if you really care but basically muscles only pull and can never push, so each movement has muscles that pull opposingly. If one muscle or set of muscles gets much stronger than its antagonist, it’ll pull in a painful way. The muscles that help you close your hand (grip) oppose the muscles that help you open your hand. Since you’ll be training grip a lot, take the time to work the antagonist muscles. One way to do this that I learned from a rock climbing buddy is to get a bucket of rice and stick your fist down in there. Open your hand in the resistance of the rice. Repeat this a few times and you’ll REALLY feel it. There are also little rubber things you can get that help exercise this as well.Getting another gig that causes you less anxiety might be the best solution but as far as your hands go, that’s the quick rundown.
