TerpHealth: Prevention and Management of Interpreting Related Injury

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Castalian Springs, TN
TerpHealth: Prevention and Management of Interpreting Related Injury

Dr. Diane Gross, DOM, L.Ac., CI/CT (retir
"Sign Safely - Interpret Intelligently"
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TerpHealth(TM) offers prevention and management strategies for interpreting related injury, including ergonomic, nutritional and oriental medical interventions. TerpHealth also provides interventions for emotional stress concerns, workplace analysis and improvement, business, profitability and morale, Life Coaching, and general health and well being.

11/10/2025

The mind-body connection is real. There is a bio-chemical and neurological response to the thoughts we think and the words we choose that affects us on a physiological level. When I work with patients, as well as teaching workshops and doing bio-mechanical diagnostics with interpreters, I see an interesting manifestation of this connection. Almost always language - spoken or unspoken thought - correlates with symptoms being experienced. For example, when I hear someone use words like, "that is such a headache!" I can be fairly certain that individual has frequent headaches. The same principle applies for phrases like, "a pain in the neck" and "a pain in the butt." Shoulder pain often is associated with expressions such as "it is too much to bear (or carry, or take). Low back and knee pain typically is revealed by "I can't stand it."

Sometimes patients ask me which comes first - the pain or the language choice. I have noticed it is generally the language that comes first, and the subconscious mind interprets the thought and words as "instructions". In other words, if "pain in the butt" is said often enough, the body complies and produces it.

We also need to be careful not to enter into an adversarial relationship with our own body. When someone says, "this is my bad arm", I know they are in a struggle with their own body. I encourage them to consider self-compassion. We would never, for example, say about one of our children who was in pain and crying, "oh, that is my bad kid!” Actually, our body is always working on our behalf - sometimes trying desperately to cope with the less than ideal circumstances with which we have presented it (such as junk food, excess caffeine, lack of exercise, poor posture, lack of sleep, etc.). When our body is in pain it is crying out for help and letting us know something is wrong. Sometimes instead of responding with compassion, we lash out at our body with anger and frustration.

Honoring the mind-body connection is an important part of the healing process. Listening to our body to discern what it needs is important. It's also important to be mindful of the messages we send it with the words we choose.

11/07/2025

Sometimes I see interpreters holding their upper arms close to their ribs in an effort to move as little as possible. Often they are trying to minimize movement because they are fatigued. This is concerning because it can create other issues.

- If the upper arms are not moving - or are moving very little - then the elbow and wrists become hyper-mobile. Something has to move in order to produce the signs. So sometimes interpreters end up interpreting in what I call "T-Rex style" interpreting - with only the wrists moving. Research shows that excessive hand/wrist deviations from neutral positions increases risk of injury.

- Signing with the upper arms against the sides also increases tension in the entire upper back, chest and shoulder area. Try it! Hold your arms against your side and sign something while keeping your upper arms still. Notice the amount of tension in the areas mentioned. Now sign the same thing while moving the upper arms in a more natural way. Notice the tension disappears!

- Signing with the upper arms plastered to your side also places the burden of work on just a few isolated muscles. This increases risk of injury. Imagine if you had to move a large piece of furniture...there may be substantial risk if you try to move it by yourself, however if you ask a number of friends to help you, you share the burden and reduce your risk of injury. So too with interpreting. Using all of the muscle groups that are required for the natural movement of a sign is safer than using only a few.

11/06/2025

It is essential to take care of your gut health - especially if you are an interpreter working in an emotionally triggering environment (really any interpreting environment has the potential to trigger painful or uncomfortable emotions). Why? As much as 90% of your serotonin and 50% of your dopamine is produced in your gut, not your brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps you to feel really good - but calm, and dopamine is a powerful pleasure neurotransmitter! If you have regular gas, bloating, acid reflux, loose stools or constipation - or are belching or burping all the time, then you are also experiencing far more emotional stress in your life than necessary.

There are many things that can compromise good gut health, including antibiotics (which, while sometimes necessary, can negatively affect gut health for years if left unaddressed!), a diet high in sugar and refined foods, chlorine and fluoride in drinking water, etc.

I work with my patients who I treat for emotional stress to heal their gut. This often includes the use of pre and probiotics, reducing/ eliminating sugar and alcohol consumption, consuming real foods rather than processed, refined pseudo-food and drinking pure, filtered water.

An important probiotic for emotional health is called Bifidobacterium longum NCC3001. In one study 64% of those taking the probiotics showed psychological improvements compared with just 32% in the placebo group.

(Note: studies can be found with a imple google search)

EDIT: please read my response to the first comment before spending a lot of time searching for a product with BL NCC3001 in it.

11/03/2025

One of the challenges of being an interpreter is maintaining the balance of functioning with integrity in the role of an interpreter without shrinking yourself as a person. As interpreters we spend a lot of time trying to become "less". Less intrusive. Less noticeable. Less opinionated. Less "there". Less ourselves. We do this because we want to make sure we don't usurp the power, focus and attention from those for whom we interpret. We want to make sure we function with the appropriate respect for the Deaf community and that we aren't oppressive in any way. This is completely appropriate and needful in the context of providing unbiased, fair and quality interpreting services. The problem occurs when interpreters either carry over this pattern of interaction into their private lives, or overcompensate in an effort to re-establish their own identity. Either can create upheaval and disharmony.

A balanced sense of self is essential for health. It is actually a cornerstone for health. Good self-care is predicated on it. If you are shrinking yourself in your day-to-day life, then your needs will be minimized. This typically results in an increased risk of injury and illness. It is important for interpreters to take time on a regular basis to reconnect with themselves, their bodies and their own "voices". Connecting with yourself is the only way to be able to truly love and care for yourself, otherwise you may not even be aware of what it is that you need.

A good way to reconnect and stay connected with yourself is to establish a regular meditation practice. In the stillness of meditation you can find your center again, along with your own voice. Take time every day to make sure you stay connected with yourself and make sure you are not habituating becoming "less" in your private.

11/01/2025

Sometimes interpreters deplete their energy because they overextended themselves with their interpreting schedule. But, while that may seem expedient and efficient at times, in the end it can significantly contribute to burn out, emotional exhaustion and interpreting-related injury.

Remember:

- Self-care is your first professional and personal responsibility. You can't continue to give from an empty vessel.

- Your interpreting career is a more like a marathon, than a sprint. You have to remember you are in this for the long haul. Make sure you don't spend yourself too early.

- Don't be a martyr. Overloading your schedule so that assignments don't go unfilled doesn't serve anybody in the long run. Ignoring your own needs for physical and emotional rest will ultimately put you at risk.

- A more balanced schedule - that includes significant rest and recovery time - allows you to refresh your mind and body so that you are able to continue to do your work with quality and safety.

- You can't sustain a schedule that is not in balanced without something ultimately falling apart.

- A balanced life inherently requires balance between work, activity, leisure/fun, friends, family, community and self.

10/28/2025

When it comes to exercise, some level of activity is better than none, however, too much can be worse than none at all. The ideal lies somewhere in between. A balance is needed for optimal health. Below are some of the risk factors associated with interpreting-related injury.

Too little exercise: Sometimes I have patients who have a hard time getting started on an exercise regimen because they are so tired. But they are so tired because they need to get their body moving. When your body has too little movement it is like when water doesn't flow - things become stagnant and unhealthy. Too little exercise:

- Can increase risk of injury.

- Compromises strength and endurance for the interpreting task.

- Contributes to chronic fatigue, which increases susceptibility to injury.

- Increases vulnerability to feelings of stress. This predispose you to injury.

- Negatively affects blood circulation needed to nourish muscles and for healing.

- Compromises hormonal balance in body.

Too much or too aggressive an approach to exercise: Sometimes I have patients that overdo it to their own detriment. They exercise "to stay healthy", but are constantly injuring themselves due to the intensity or amount of exercise. Sometimes I have to remind them that exercise that produces pain and injury is undermining their health goals. Too intense or too much exercise:

- Can increase risk of injury

- Contributes to cumulative micro-traumas

- Can cause sudden traumatic injury due to sprain, strain or tear.

- Contributes to chronic fatigue, which increases susceptibility to injury.

- Can sap your body's healing resources.

Below are some clues that will indicate you’ve overdone exercise:
- You feel like crap the hours and days after a big workout.

- You’re suddenly falling ill a lot more often.

- Your joints, bones, or limbs hurt.

- You feel overly fatigued, sluggish, and useless.

- You feel restless, excitable, and unable to sleep in your down time.

- You’re losing leanness despite increased exercise.

10/26/2025

As an interpreter there is something insidious that can make you feel that:

- You interpret far worse than you actually do.

- Life and the upcoming day of work is just going to be pain and a struggle.

- The calls you interpret, or the situations you encounter as an interpreter are generally more negative than positive.

- People are just hard to deal with.

- The job is overwhelming.

What is it that can cause these perceptions? Lack of sleep. Studies show lack of sleep impacts the emotional memories you lay down. You tend to remember TWICE as many negative events and emotional things and only half as many positive ones when you don't get enough sleep. This affects your overall experience of life and expectations of what your upcoming day is going to be like.

While sometimes life circumstance (such as a new baby, a sick child, an illness, etc.) can interfere with our ability to get the sleep we need, it is vital that we make healthy sleep choices that *are* within our control whenever possible. For many years I had my patients follow the principles of sleep hygiene to help regulate their sleep. These are strategies taught by sleep clinics around the country to help people with their sleep issues.

10/09/2025

Traveling to see family, so posts may be very sporadic and limited to times when everyone in the house is still in bed or working/school.

10/08/2025

Sometimes interpreters can feel that they always fall short, no matter how hard they try. While some interpreters have, at times, behaved in ways that don't demonstrate professional integrity and respect for Deaf consumers, most try to be the "best" interpreter they can be and maintain a high level of professionalism.

I have noticed that some are starting to feel a kind of "guilt by association" - feeling badly just for BEING an interpreter! This becomes exacerbated by the fact that interpreters who DO care find themselves trying to do something perfectly (interpret) that cannot ever BE done perfectly. A sense of guilt, frustration, inadequacy and even shame can result. The resulting feelings of stress increases risk of injury.

It IS important to make sure the assignments an interpreter accepts matches their skill set. It is also imperative that interpreters behave as professionals who actually CARE about what they are doing. If those things are in place then remember:

- There is no shame in making a mistake.

- There is no shame in not knowing.

- There is no shame in having and caring for your physical needs.

- There is no shame in being a novice interpreter.

- There is no shame in having room to grow.

And most importantly...

- There is no shame in being an interpreter.

10/06/2025

Sometimes interpreters get caught up in trying to fit every interpreting request they can into their schedule. It can feel like there is pressure to make sure that every request is satisfied...every time. But that is a sure road to injury. And it compromises your potential to continue to provide quality services in the future due to overuse injury. Do not sacrifice your body on the altar of interpreting. Build time into your schedule to allow your body time to heal if that is what it needs. Taking care of your body is a primary professional, as well as personal, responsibility.

10/03/2025

Interpreters who work in emotionally triggering environments must be especially mindful of their breath - with a special focus on the out-breath. Many people unknowingly hold their breath and/or chest breathe when feeling stressed - which can increase the chance that the body will hold onto the stressful feelings rather than release them. Bringing the breath to the abdomen/diaphragm helps to lower the stress response.

Additionally, it is helpful to emphasize the out-breath rather than the in-breath. The out-breath is when you release physical and emotional tension. Breathing in stimulates the sympathetic nervous system and increases heart rate. Breathing out stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which slows heart rate and calms. Breathing in and out is kind of a ‘dance’ and balance between the alert and the calm state of being (breathing in = alert, and breathing out = calm). When you are feeling stressed, more attention on the out-breath is important to help calm your system. Starting with a complete exhalation, rather than taking a deep breath in, can help begin to release the tension being held by the body.

09/29/2025

Sometimes people bring a very yang, forceful energy to what should be a more yin, gentle type of activity of stretching. The goal with stretching is to teach your body to relax, open, elongate and soften.

When you stretch, think of it as "moving into softness". Stretch until you feel a mild stretching sensation, then stop, hold and allow your muscles to completely relax - then you can move into the stretch a little deeper - then relax completely into that stage of the stretch, etc. This approach can take longer, but the payoffs are tremendous. Never take a stretch past the point where you can fully relax the muscles being stretched. If you do, then you are stretching in a tight manner - like a rubber band. And you can fray the muscle fibers if your stretch is too aggressive, like a rubber band that becomes weaker when it is overly stretched.

Address

Castalian Springs, TN
37031

Telephone

+13363378448

Website

http://www.TerpHealth.com/

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