When Cheryl Jameson?s second child, Trinity, was about four months old, Jameson started to experience aching, burning and stabbing pain in her left wrist while nursing. Sometimes it was so severe she?d have to shake her wrist aggressively to make it stop. The mom from Sherwood Park, Alta., soldiered on, breastfeeding her daughter, who?s now two years old, until she was one.
Ignoring the pain came at a cost. Almost a year and multiple medical appointments later, Jameson is still searching for a solution. ?I?ve seen a chiropractor and a physiotherapist. I?ve had numerous X-rays and an MRI. I?ve tried taping, wearing a brace and a steroid shot with no luck.? Jameson has also consulted with two surgeons. They?ve ruled out triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) and carpal tunnel syndrome. She is hoping to find some answers and relief. ?I can?t work out, pick up my kids, drive properly?basically, anything that involves twisting the wrist or strength, I can?t do.? According to Teresa Pitman, a La Leche League leader and co-author of Dr. Jack Newman?s Guide to Breastfeeding, wrist pain while breastfeeding is typically caused by trying to hold the baby?s weight with your hand, wrist or forearm throughout each feeding. ?A baby is likely to breastfeed up to 12 times a day, with each session lasting 20 to 40 minutes, so you can see that in some positions it can put a lot of strain on the mother?s arms.?
As Jameson has learned, there is a spectrum of repetitive strain injuries (RSIs)...