You Are More Than Just Your Hands

As Sign Language Interpreters, our hands and wrists are essential tools. And because we use them constantly, pain, inflammation, and discomfort can start to feel inevitable, like it’s just part of the job.

It is not. However, it can’t be solved with symptomatic relief, ergonomic adjustments, or a stretch here and there, that is managing pain. Managing interpreter pain, not addressing it. And unfortunately, it’s part of the culture of our profession.

When we don’t take an all-around, whole-person approach, we end up with temporary fixes instead of building capacity.

I started interpreting in the early 90s.  Almost immediately, I felt the strain, especially in my shoulders and wrists. And back then, no one was talking about this.

So we smiled, despite the aches and tension, and we kept going. I was young and focused on doing my very best at a job I loved. But pushing through took its toll. And that toll is still being paid by interpreters today.

We complain. We kvetch. We ice, stretch, brace, adjust, and keep managing.

But think about athletes. They use their bodies for their work, too, but they train their bodies. And not just their muscles, but their nervous systems, and their daily habits, like sleep, nutrition, and mindset, so they build strength and capacity in all these areas. 

Interpreters are so much more than their hands. Yet when our hands hurt, we’re often given exercises only for our hands, as if the rest of the human attached to them doesn’t matter.

Physical therapy absolutely has its place, but there is a person behind those wrists, someone who is often stressed, overtired, eating at odd times, and someone who feels like slowing down simply isn’t an option. And we can cope with this for a while, but after 5 years? 10? 20? 

Personally, I was only interested in pain relief. I desperately wanted my shoulders and wrists to stop hurting. I tried many things, including yoga and different yoga styles. It took trial and error, injury, and frustration until I eventually found Iyengar Yoga. A method that is progressive, precise, and deeply intelligent. 

I didn’t just practice it. I trained rigorously for thousands of hours, including multiple trips to India. Five assessments later, and more than 20 years later, I’m now a Junior III Iyengar instructor, a certified yoga therapist, and an Ayurveda health coach.

For years, I kept my two worlds – interpreting and yoga – separate, but during COVID, everything changed. A colleague had suggested I should bring my two worlds together, and that shift in perspective opened my eyes.

Decades after I started interpreting, interpreters were still suffering debilitating pain from the job, and often working under greater demands. And the culture continued to normalize managing pain instead of addressing it.

There were some tools and exercise suggestions offered to interpreters, but they weren’t enough to create real change.

So I created Thrive – my 1:1 tailored coaching program created specifically for sign language interpreters.

Thrive exists because sustainable change means not only a whole-person mind and body approach, but also consistent practice that fits into your real-life circumstances.

Now, how can we help your hands?

If you’re in acute crisis or require medical intervention, you need a personalized program, which is why I only address those cases 1:1. 

The following is meant for general prevention:

I’m not going to talk about signing style or ergonomics; you’ve already heard all of that. What I will say is that I have discovered that many Interpreters have weak shoulders and hands. Some have overly flexible, untoned muscles. Repetitive movement does not strengthen your hands; it stresses them out. So how do you strengthen hands that are weak, inflamed, and in pain? 

Rest is essential, but rest alone is not the solution.

Yes, sometimes you need rest. But if rest is all you do, nothing gets stronger. An athlete would never perform the same demanding task day after day without training the rest of their body to support it. This is managing instead of building capacity.  

Resilience comes from progressive, intelligent load, not avoidance. 

My wrists were weak from years of interpreting. Yoga didn’t fix that overnight. Over time, they became stronger, more flexible, and able to bear weight. That didn’t happen by resting. It happened by practicing under the guidance of highly trained teachers and adapting to my needs over the last 25 years.

Your body is like an orchestra. If one section is out of tune, the whole sound is off. That’s why you have to address the entire body. 

Today, the most valuable thing I have isn’t just stronger wrists or more open shoulders. It’s the ability to understand the signs my body sends me. I value my health, feeling good, and doing a great job. I know what to do before things become a crisis. This is the benefit of a whole-person approach. 

This is what I want for you.

Real-life Examples: 

One of my clients came to me with recurring wrist and hand inflammation. She assumed the solution was something to do with her hands. Instead, we looked at the whole picture: her shoulders, her posture, her nervous system, her eating and sleeping patterns, and how she recovered after work.

Within a few months, her flare-ups stopped. Not because we ‘fixed’ her wrists, but because her whole system started working with her instead of against her. Today, she interprets without fear.

I once met an interpreter who had been working for around as long as I had. She was on a VRS call when, suddenly, mid-call, she lost the ability to move her right arm. Her client told her to keep going. She had been pushing through discomfort and tension and saying “yes” for years, and now, she could not.  

In our field, there is no real guidance on preventative care. There is mounting pressure. There are increasing demands. And a workshop on stretching once a year is not enough. 

We need a practice. We need to learn how to ensure that practice becomes a habit like brushing our teeth.

Resources: The following are resources to relieve pain, prevent injury, and burnout. 

If any of what has been said resonates with you, I’d like to offer you a free Wellness Strategy Session where we will look at all areas of your life and focus on theone that needs the most energy, instead of trying to do everything at once and getting overwhelmed. You’ll leave with clarity and direction. And, if it feels aligned with where you are, we can talk about Thrive and whether it’s a good step forward for you.  

Schedule your Free Strategy Session: https://calendar.app.google/qn7CoxadKSs4rPAr6

• Thrive Facebook Group, a free resource for interpreters –  bit.ly/yogaterps
• Jen Kagan’s YouTube Channel, go to this video on wrists and hands https://youtu.be/2rU92PJyOBA 
• www.jenkaganyoga.com/terphome –   courses and coaching programs for interpreters,
• Free: Interpreter Burnout Quiz: www.jenkaganyoga.com/optinquiz
• Daily Thrive Routine www.jenkaganyoga.com/dailyguide