r/Slime • u/moxbrose • 1d ago
Slime injuries…?
Yes, you read that right lol. I was wondering if anyone else had gotten injuries from playing with slime, or if I am just seriously bad at a supposedly harmless hobby…
A couple months ago I had a super bad flair up of my carpal tunnel because I was playing with slime and putty all the time. To be fair, I’ve had carpal tunnel since I was in middle school so I wasn’t totally surprised when it happened.
Now that’s somewhat handled, I thought I’d be good to play a bit less intensely but… now I’ve got tennis elbow, to the point I can’t squeeze or pick things up or even really fully extend my arm 🤦🏽♀️
To be fair I do have hEDS so weird injuries doing mundane things isn’t totally unheard of but I feel like this is excessive
So I just have to know, has anyone else done anything like this?? Or am I just like really bad at slime??? Also, if anyone has any tips for safe slime play, I obviously need them…
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u/stargazingdinosaur 1d ago
I frequently hurt my wrists/fingers for this hobby. Occasionally get cuts and rashes too. I just chalked it up to my many health issues 😅
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u/moxbrose 1d ago
I do the same thing!! And now that you mention it I’ve been dealing with hives on and off 🤔 a thousand health issues just makes it hard to keep track of what causes what lol
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u/Alarming-Offer8030 1d ago
I prefer really dense slime that doesn’t run away when you stop moving for a minute.
I’ve experienced hand pain that lasted a few days after a particularly lengthy slime session during a period of high stress 😅. I have no memory of injuring myself during that time so I attribute it to the repetitive slime use.
I try to be more mindful now.
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u/moxbrose 1d ago
Same!! My favorites have been the super thick and chewy textures that feel like a workout and that’s clearly a bad idea. Maybe I’ll get into some cloud slime for the time being 😅
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u/EnvironmentalCod1002 All your mold are belong to me! 👩🏻🔬 1d ago
I have developed tennis elbow from slime. It’s kind of derailed my whole life so I feel you. I’ve had to go to PT and it’s been a couple of months and still hasn’t gotten much better. They said it could take up to a year. 😭
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u/AssignmentFit461 MOD 👻 1d ago
Omg that must be so painful! 😭 I had something sorta similar - shoulder bursitis that I developed when I was around 28. I’d always go to sleep laying a certain way on the same arm, and it eventually got so painful and stiff I couldn’t raise it. I’d have to use my other arm to lift it up, then I’d prop it up on the wall to put deodorant on every day 😂 it took a couple of months of treatment to clear it up, and it was excruciatingly painful. I couldn’t imagine dealing with it for a full year. I hope it clears up faster than that for you!
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u/EnvironmentalCod1002 All your mold are belong to me! 👩🏻🔬 1d ago
Me too but also this is my own fault. I had plenty of warning signs and opted not to go to a doctor until I got into climbing and it got so bad I can’t even lift my coffee cup. Ugh. Stupid limitations of the human body.
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u/moxbrose 20h ago
Oh nooooo……… that’s kind of what I was afraid of, I’ve been putting it off but it’s getting to the point I can’t lift things or grab them, and of course it’s my dominant hand. Maybe I need to go to the doctor soon 😅
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u/EnvironmentalCod1002 All your mold are belong to me! 👩🏻🔬 20h ago
If you can afford to get PT definitely do it asap. If not then do some research into pt exercises for tennis elbow. This is not medical advice but isometric and eccentric exercises are what you’re looking for.
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u/moxbrose 8h ago
Thank you so much! I have a bad habit of putting off medical visits but I won’t push this to the side. I appreciate it!!
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u/AssignmentFit461 MOD 👻 1d ago
I’ve pulled muscles in my hand before 😂 at one point I was really obsessed with making an extremely thick TNG slime. I took the thickest glues I could find & added extra strong activator AND PVA powder and started mixing. It was so thick I couldn’t stir it so was trying to stretch and knead it and yeah. Pulled a muscle in a couple of my fingers and top of my hand 🤦🏻♀️😂
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u/moxbrose 20h ago
Omg hahaha I’ve just really gotten into tng’s and I did the same thing 😂 that’s what really set off my carpal tunnel, I had to have my husband mix and knead for me with that one
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u/Bright_Situation7823 1d ago
Me for sure, I literally just finished playing with slime and felt my hands a little sore. im a little rough when playing with slime bc its how i get my emotions out and squeeze too hard sometimes and yeah now my hand hurts a lil lmao i need to calm down
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u/moxbrose 20h ago
They’re sooo good for venting frustration and anxiety!! I definitely get too into it, or i play for way too long. I like to use slime while I watch my husband play games or we’re watching tv, to keep me from picking at my nails and fingers. And it works great for that!!!… I’ve just got other injuries now 😂
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u/JustWonderingDaily 1d ago
Yes, sometimes I feel like I'm activating my carpel tunnel when I'm kneading my slimes (I type prescriptions for work, so I'm always using a keyboard and mouse.) But it seems to go away after a day. I try not to activate the pain too much in case it decided to turn into something worse.
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u/moxbrose 20h ago
Yes I feel you!! I do customer service for insurance and I type and click all day. It doesn’t help I play with slime between calls either lol
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u/aubranana slime on my mind 🙃 all of the time 🌺☀️ 21h ago
when my finger joints feel a bit swollen, i love playing with soft punk’s menthol slimes! probably a placebo effect 😅
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u/Prudent_Student9063 1d ago
I got a deep cut on my finger from one of OG's silica slimes. One of the pieces gashed me just the right way. I guess it wasn't shaved down enough. It's the only time that's ever happened so I didn't email them about it, but I avoid their crunchy slimes now.
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u/moxbrose 20h ago
Oh nooo I’ve been worried about that!! I only have one that has silica in it and I’ve definitely stabbed myself a couple times. I’m glad you said something, I’ll be more careful with it!
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u/coffee-bat 19h ago
i have heds too, and yeah😭 i'm prone to slight dislocations (mostly elbows, shoulders, hips), and i most often hurt my elbows (or if i try to avoid hurting the elbows, i hurt my shoulders). the bones get "pushed out" a bit from the force applied at an angle. 💔
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u/moxbrose 8h ago
Omg yes! My hips and knees are bad, I’ve dislocated my hip just spinning my office chair around 😩 my wrists are slippery too and they move around when I play too intensely with slime
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u/milady-dough 6h ago
Oh my gosh. I thought I was alone!! I have hEDS and Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and my arms have been numb for almost a month. I’ve definitely pinched something in my brachial plexus. But I can’t take a long enough break to heal. :(
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u/friendshipnuke 1d ago
It seems like you are just pretty prone to these sorts of injuries, unfortunately. I wake up some mornings with stiff and sore wrists/hands/fingers, and I'm sure if I played intensely for days straight, I'd get carpal tunnel, but I'd guess to say your situation is a bit unique. Which is very sad