Tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, back pain: new mother injuries and how to avoid them
New mothers are at risk of all kinds of injuries from repetitive child lifting and carrying. We talk to an expert on how to ease the aches
Becoming a parent can be heavy on a mother’s mind – and her body, too.
A month and a half after her son was born, Ku-Ku Cheung’s left thumb started to hurt, a pain that sharpened whenever she scooped up her newborn and cupped his neck. Before long, the ache started to creep up to her wrist.
“When I moved my thumb it would hurt. It still hurts,” says the 39-year-old, whose baby is now five months old.
After accumulating more aches that broadened to back and shoulder pains, she consulted two traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, including a bonesetter who said that her “Mama Sao” or “Mother’s hand” is common. The bonesetter pulled and tugged at her wrist, and worked on her back. He also gave her some Chinese medicinal herbs to apply on the affected areas, instructing her to leave them on for eight hours at a time.
But she couldn’t breastfeed during those eight hours and, with the fees racking up, she decided to stop seeing those practitioners. Instead she resorted to carrying her child less frequently, and breastfeeding him while he lay on her bed. Her back pain subsided but her wrist still hurt.
