Tips on Relieving Artist Wrist and Hand Pain

Stitch, stitch, stitch. I don't ever remember getting aches and strains from sewing, but when I was working on my piece, "A Walk in the Garden" a few weeks ago, my fingers, palms and wrists were starting to freeze up and I just couldn't continue stitching even though I had a deadline to meet. I googled and found that the name for this pain is "Repetitive Strain Injury, RSI". The pain is a result of the tendons becoming inflamed and in turn causes pain and stiffness in the joints, namely fingers and wrists.

The last time that I had felt this type of pain was when I was breastfeeding and  holding my baby. I had my arms in the same position for long periods without any rest. It had not occurred to me that other than taking breaks there were other things I could do to relieve the pain.

Many of you gave wonderful tips and I tried a few of them out.

1. Take scheduled breaks - sometimes we forget to (guilty!), but this is very important even if you are in the flow of things. Taking a break not only gives your hands and eyes a rest, but it's a good opportunity to step back, look at your work and think how it can be improved. If you keep forgetting to take a break then set your alarm to ring at certain times of the day. One of my friends said that she has her computer to black out as a reminder for her to take a rest from her computer work! 
2. Get an embroidery hoop holder - you might think that your sewing hand is doing all the work, but the one holding the embroidery hoop is also using some muscle! A good sturdy embroidery hoop holder will prevent you from straining your hands.
3. Use wrist support - I have not tried this but according to a few friends, it works for them. The support is supposed to provide some compression and relieve the wrist of pain. 
4. Exercise those muscles - it might sound counter intuitive but it's not. I followed these exercises by Dr. Jo (see video below) and with the right stretching and relaxation, my wrists were feeling much better. I think it is great that Dr. Jo also takes you through exercising the whole upper body too. My favourite is the monkey-like swinging! Thank you to Stella from Australia for sending this video to me.
5. Hot pack or hot water bottle - another fave of mine especially before bedtime is just holding a hot pack / hot water bottle. It really relaxes those muscles. 

These tips can also be used to prevent the pain from happening as well. At the end of they day it is about being mindful of your body, what it can take and when to stop. What do you do to relieve or prevent wrist/hand pain? Tips are welcome!