Have you ever held a newborn baby and cradled its little body in your arms? A new mother will do this for several hours every day. Cradling a baby can be hard work if you do it the wrong way. That means there is a “right way” and a “wrong way” to hold a baby. Mothers who hold their babies the incorrect way are likely to develop “mother’s wrist”. This is a common name associated with a condition known as De Quervain’s Syndrome.

This condition causes significant pain and discomfort on the thumb side of the hand near the wrist. Some mothers even develop a small cyst (ganglion cyst) in that area. The mistake that most mothers make is when they cradle their little one in their arms they don’t pay attention to how their hands and wrists are positioned. The most common problem is the mother’s wrist is bent sideways or in a flexed position. This position alone isn’t what causes the problem, rather it’s the incorrect position coupled with the baby’s weight for a sustained period of time.

Holding a baby with your wrist bent can lead to repetitive strain injuries to the hand, wrist, and forearm. It’s not difficult to change your posture to keep the wrists and hands more relaxed and protected. You do this by maintaining your wrists in a straight, more neutral position while you cradle your baby.

Holding your hands in an awkward, bent position for long periods of time will commonly lead to misalignment of the tiny wrist bones (carpal bones). De Quervain’s Syndrome or “mother’s wrist” is often associated with the misalignment of one or more of the bones in the hand or wrist.

Gentle chiropractic adjustments to the wrist, hand, and forearm will correct the underlying cause of De Quervain’s Syndrome. It can also correct other wrist ailments that mothers often suffer from.

If you know someone who is dealing with hand or wrist problems please tell them about us. We are making a huge difference in the health of many patients’ hands through gentle chiropractic wrist and hand adjustments. We thank you for helping us spread the word about our hand and foot expertise.