Shaking hands
Shaking hands with another person can cause a lot of pain. This in itself causes a moral dilemma, you don’t want to be rude by not shaking hands with another person but the pain it causes is considerable enough to cause you anxiety. Again you may not want to tell the person that you cannot shake hands with them because of your condition. Some pointers:
- Don’t worsen your condition just to be sociable.
- Hold something in your hands so that the other person sees that you can’t shake hands with them or even offer your other hand.
- Try coming up with a new idea that doesn’t hurt your arms – eg touch forefingers or bow.
Clapping
Applauding is another task that can cause pain. Try these instead:
- Lightly tap your palm with a program.
- Whistle or shout ‘Bravo’.
- Mime the action instead of actually doing it.
- Stamp your feet.
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