Chapter 125
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: The Chef and the Drummer's Wrists
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"You two seem to know each other. Would you like to come in together?"
At Seol Yuhee's question, Kang Jaekyung and Song Wonjong answered in unison.
"Ah, sure. President, is that okay with you?"
"Of course! Both of you have wrist issues, after all. Haha."
There were no new patients waiting, so the two headed straight to my exam room.
It hadn't been that long since their last visit, but Song Wonjong's expression was much brighter now.
"Mr. Song Wonjong, it's been a while. I heard you're going by 'President' now—did you open your own place?"
"Haha, yes. That's right. I should've told you sooner, but things have been hectic since opening. It's all thanks to you."
Seeing the man who'd always looked half-dead laughing heartily put me in a good mood too.
"I'm really enjoying the food. Thank you for opening up near the live club."
"Hahaha, you're too kind. Last time, when I was closing shop, I thought I was done for, but getting treatment here gave me the courage to start over."
"What did I even do? It's just that your food is delicious, that's why it worked out."
It looked like Kang Jaekyung was a regular customer of Song Wonjong's.
"Mr. Kang Jaekyung... did Mr. Kim Taeyun refer you? I overheard something about a band."
"Yes, that's right. I play the drums."
And sure enough, Kang Jaekyung was a member of the same band as Kim Taeyun.
He waved both hands in a drumming motion.
Hmm, that looks like a real wrist killer.
"Whoa... that's cool. You must be more popular than Taeyun, right?"
"Beating the vocalist in popularity isn't easy."
He chuckled at my question, which was half-joking and half-genuine curiosity.
Eh? Kim Taeyun's more popular?
I figured this classic handsome guy would be the crowd favorite.
"Plus, after getting his throat treated here, Taeyun's been flying high. His voice comes out so clear and crisp now, I can't even tell him not to overdo it anymore."
"Overdo? You mean that sketchbook?"
"...That guy brought the sketchbook to the clinic too?"
"Of course."
"Ha, at least it's not just in front of us. Lucky, I guess."
"His voice must sound amazing now. I'd love to hear it sometime. Oh, and your drums too, of course, Jaekyung."
"Mine are just average."
His words said one thing, but his smile brimmed with confidence.
We made plans for me to catch a show next time, but work trips had kept me from making the time.
They'd signed with a major agency lately, touring big venues and prepping an album—might not catch them at the live club much longer.
I promised to drop by soon and asked him to say hi to Kim Taeyun for me.
"Anyway, it's quite a coincidence—both of you rely heavily on your wrists. Mr. Song, when did yours start bothering you?"
Wrapping up the small talk, I turned to Song Wonjong sitting in front of me and asked when his symptoms began.
There'd been no wrist complaints during his reflux esophagitis treatment. Had it worsened since?
"Oh, about a month and a half? Maybe two months now."
"That's quite a while."
"Haha... I should've come sooner, but I've been paddling like mad while the tide's coming in."
"Riding the wave is great, but for the long haul, you need to take care of your body. Your wrists are your biggest asset. Let me take a look. Can you point to where it hurts?"
"Yes, right here."
Song Wonjong pointed to the dip below his thumb on his wrist—the anatomical snuffbox.
It was where the tendons of the abductor pollicis longus, extensor pollicis brevis, and extensor pollicis longus pass, allowing palpation of the radial artery.
"This spot hurts?"
It was also a site that hurt with scaphoid fractures, so I quickly grabbed the ultrasound probe.
"Hmm, good news—the bone looks fine."
I slid the probe up and down, checking the ligaments and tendon sheaths.
"This looks like tenosynovitis."
I set the probe down and palpated the anatomical snuffbox with my fingers.
"Ugh."
"This is the worst spot, right?"
"Yes. Seems like it."
"Let me check your thumb joint and elbow too."
Thankfully, the finger joint pain wasn't severe. Just some mild ligament swelling.
The elbow joints and ligaments were fine too. The forearm muscles were predictably tight from heavy use.
"Definitely tenosynovitis. The other areas aren't too bad—should clear up with one or two treatments—but this inflammation is stubborn."
I pulled up a diagram of the wrist tendons on the computer.
The forearm muscles narrow into tendons around the wrist, wrapped in thin sheaths called tendon sheaths.
"This is the tendon sheath. It's a two-layer structure for smooth gliding. The inner layer produces fluid for lubrication, but inflammation causes excess buildup."
"So the sheath is inflamed?"
"Exactly. Every time you use your hand and compress it, that's what hurts."
I had him perform Finkelstein's test, the physical exam for wrist tenosynovitis.
Tuck the thumb into a fist with the other fingers, then ulnar-deviate the wrist to check for pain.
"Ah, so the sheath rubs against the tendon there!"
"Yes. That was just to confirm—don't bend your wrist like that normally. It irritates the inflammation."
"Oh..."
Song Wonjong hesitated, not giving a quick agreement.
"Does that angle happen a lot at work?"
"Inevitably. Especially when chopping—wrist bends that way, and the thumb tenses up."
"I see."
I released his arm and continued.
"Use your whole arm's strength, not just the wrist. Keep it straight, no bending. Wear a brace at first, even if it's uncomfortable. It's not chronic yet, but it will be painful if it sets in."
He'd said he had years of cooking experience.
No one had corrected his knife grip before, or he'd ignored the advice and it became habit.
I'd seen chefs who used cleavers mostly, but the wrist principle was the same.
Overload the tendons or sheaths even a little, and inflammation hits; joints wear down.
But when it's strong and painless, who cares? The wrist snap feels efficient—why complain?
"Like with the esophagitis last time, a few weeks of treatment?"
When your livelihood's at stake, worry hits late but hard.
"Come as often as possible until the pain's gone. It'll heal slower since you're still using it. Total rest is tough, but minimize use where you can. Occupational issues recur easily, so manage consistently at the first sign."
"Got it."
Sensing the gravity, Song Wonjong nodded solemnly.
"Switch seats. Mr. Kang, when did yours start?"
"...Nearly a year for me. Feels like the same thing, but it's probably chronic now."
"Same spot?"
"Yes, thumb's the worst. Numbness up to index, middle, and ring fingers, but thumb most."
"Numbness?"
Less likely tenosynovitis then.
Numbness and tingling point to nerves.
Tendon or sheath inflammation shows as pain and swelling.
"Does it feel weak too? More on the palm side than the back?"
"Ah, yes. How'd you know? Dropped a stick during practice yesterday because of it."
"Is that why Kim Taeyun...?"
"He flipped out, told me to get treated right away."
Kang Jaekyung sighed deeply.
He didn't push perfection on others, but dropping a stick was shocking.
A whole year, too.
"This is different from Mr. Song's. It's carpal tunnel syndrome. The median nerve passes through a narrow tunnel in the wrist; when compressed, you get numbness and weakness."
"Oh, I've heard of that."
Song Wonjong was the one who spoke up.
"Common in chefs and housewives. Anyone using their hands a lot is at risk."
Kang Jaekyung nodded and pressed his inner wrist.
Easier to just flex it.
"The Finkelstein's test didn't hurt like Mr. Song's, right?"
"Hmm, a bit stiff, but not like the president's pain."
"Carpal tunnel reproduces with wrist flexion toward the palm. Flex to 90 degrees, palms together."
I showed him Phalen's test.
He thought it easy at first, but numbness hit after about 10 seconds.
"Right hand's tingling bad."
"Avoid that position, Mr. Kang. Don't hold it flexed long; stretch by extending between practices."
"Understood."
I checked his hand back, palm, wrist pressure points, forearm, and elbow thoroughly, just like Song Wonjong.
"Ugh! Ow! Yeah, that hurts too."
His was much worse.
Numbness was primary, but tendon inflammation was scattered too.
"One weak spot leads to others over time. Drumming hits hard with rebound—easy to tear."
"Yes..."
"Break this cycle now before it worsens. Treatment's similar: minimize use, treat often. You have a brace?"
"...I do, but."
"Wear it."
Kang Jaekyung nodded with a grimace.
"Um, minimizing use... total rest at home?"
"Ideally, yes. But not everyone's cut out for silent retreats like Taeyun. No table tennis or bowling, but daily use with caution is fine."
How do you not use your dominant hand at all?
Work, eat, even gacha games.
Can't ban everything. Just treat well, accept slower healing.
"I'll stop using it. Taeyun did."
Huh?
Kang Jaekyung's face hardened.
Did I accidentally bruise his pride?
"No driving, no phone with right hand. Eat with left."
"No need to go that extreme..."
"Then I'll follow suit! For work, that's the resolve needed. Legs only for workouts, no heavy mouse games!"
And Song Wonjong clenched his left fist, declaring resolve.
This guy skipped treatments before. What got into him?
Did Kim Taeyun lift the curse?
"Yes, if you commit like that, it'll help treatment a lot. I'll heal you as fast as possible to shorten the rest period."
I couldn't dampen their fiery determination, so I nodded.
Way better than ignoring advice and practicing nonstop.
"Alright, let's head to the treatment room."