typing pains

[Kerrybuchanan]

Yeah. I have arthritis in wrists, knuckles and finger joints, and I'm suffering through a bad flare presently, where every tap of the laptop keys sends pain shooting. However, I can't handwrite anymore (pen just drops from spasming fingers after a couple of paragraphs), and I am deeply addicted to writing, so I don't see that I have any choice. I did try voice recognition software, but I self-edit as I go, so just found it really frustrating. Usually I'm so lost in the story that I can ignore the pain, but I do feel it when I stop typing.

I'm very slow and inaccurate, too, which I blame on pain and definitely not age. Definitely.

 

[Biskit]

I'm very slow and inaccurate, too, which I blame on pain and definitely not age. Definitely.

Age is all in your head. Sometimes it leaks down into the rest of your body.

 

[tinkerdan]

I use three different computers during most days and one is a stand up position desk that has a high seat that I can also use to sit.
My work includes a lot of typing; however I also do design work on CAD systems and it's usually while doing that work that I have the largest problem, because I usually do that work with intense concentration.
I've tried track balls and different keyboards; but have found that most of my injuries arise from holding my hand in one position for too long as opposed to the repetitive actions.

Every morning I do very light exercises for about 40 minutes to an hour. Twenty of those minutes involve light weights and arm extension exercises.

Typically after an intense day of work at the computer I can have soreness in my hands, wrists, elbows, and shoulder. These exercises seem to help and Though I can occasionally feel the effect of holding one position I can easily work it out if I catch it in time. One of the worst pains I ever had was a chronic pain along the wrist and up to the thumb when I was using a trackball--once I rid myself of that aberration the pain went away.

I am presently doing more than I have in the past on the computer and suffering much less. I attribute that mostly to those twenty minutes of exercise with the light weights and arm extensions.

 

[shamguy4]

I started doing yoga!
Whenever we do certain moves where we are in a push-up position and my wrists and stretched I'm in pa N!

But it's a good pain. I hope it helps...

 

[LittleStar]

When I write for extended periods of time (when I write full time) I get pains, though not hand pains. My knees and back get shot. If I didnt get up and walk about every half an hour or so, or change position I'd be... I dunno, stuck sitting down unable to move. Kinda catch-22 I guess.
I'm sure it's the way I sit, lack of posture, letting my knees fall to either side if the laptop is on my lap etc. but if i let it get bad or accidentally exacerbate it, it can be really sharp near-constant pain for months afterwards (everytime I bend/straighten my knee for example, which I do when walking). No idea what it actually is, but it's definitely encouragement to get up and get regular snacks from the kitchen

 

[HoopyFrood]

and an arm muscle thing when I crocheted a queen-sized bedspread for my nephew's wedding

Oh, hey, I've recently started crocheting and started making a blanket and I think I got a crochet-induced injury! The outside of my wrist, down from my little finger, would give an almighty twinge if I bent my wrist or picked something up in a certain way. Such a rock and roll injury.

 

[tinkerdan]

This could just be me::

I'm sure it's the way I sit, lack of posture, letting my knees fall to either side if the laptop is on my lap etc. but if i let it get bad or accidentally exacerbate it, it can be really sharp near-constant pain for months afterwards (everytime I bend/straighten my knee for example, which I do when walking). No idea what it actually is, but it's definitely encouragement to get up and get regular snacks from the kitchen

:: however; I think when I get hyper-focused I tend to tense up all around my body and posture doesn't count as much as sticking knees and feet and hips in one position with tense muscles. So when I work on something I know will be hyper-tense then I try to use the tall desk that I can sit or stand at and shift from sitting to standing every quarter hour or ten minutes if I'm really focused. I also try to be aware of my hand placement and elbow position.

I don't have nearly as much trouble with chronic pain as I used to.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Oh, hey, I've recently started crocheting and started making a blanket and I think I got a crochet-induced injury! The outside of my wrist, down from my little finger, would give an almighty twinge if I bent my wrist or picked something up in a certain way. Such a rock and roll injury.

Yeah, it was right in that line, but more from the elbow toward the middle of the arm. Took months to go away. The bedspread was 2 hours a night, for 2 1/2 months, so... yeah. Good thing the other nephews don't show any signs of getting married.

 

[Theophania Elliott]

I have a Mac (MacBook) - I use a separate keyboard and a separate screen. The screen isn't an Apple one - it's a decent Dell.

I also have RSI - so at work I use an ergonomic keyboard and a sideways mouse - it helps a lot.

 

[HareBrain]

I try to use the tall desk that I can sit or stand at

A friend of a friend has an adjustable-height desk that he usually works at standing up. The health benefits of doing so are supposed to be quite pronounced.

 

[Ronald T.]

I bought an ergonomic key board and that helped my wrists quite a bit. Tilting my key board up in the back helped as well. You just have to play with the possible adjustments until it feels most comfortable. However, typing for hours at a time can never be considered the healthiest activity for anyone's hands or wrists. Of course, that can be said of the rest of one's body as well.

 

[Vaz]

Sure I've read that Hemingway wrote standing up.

Its always good to take a break, if possible. Every 30 minutes I will stretch cat-like, then have a five minute walk locally. Good for the thighs and the derrière.

 

[Ajid]

I write accross multiple devices. A notebook comes in handy aswell. But I do often get pains in my wrist. I've tried ergonomic keyboards, takingg breaks and all seem to change the rhythm of my writing and take me a little out of the zone. My spelling is atrocious on mobile devices but it seems the best way to relieve pain. Let me know when you find the perfect solution.

 

[zmunkz]

Another option if you have a couple bucks to spend is iPad + Apple Pencil + Stylus (app). I use this to handwrite most of my chapters into Scrivener these days. Much easier on the wrists, too.

 

[Lafayette]

See next post.

 

[Lafayette]

Not sure this goes here, but it is a question for writers.

I type a lot. Im guessing everyone here does. Do your hands ever hurt? thumbs?
Was just wondering if other writers had the same pains and what they do for it.

I have very mild wrist and hand inflammation. Its not like carpel tunnel, my hands are fine at everything else other than typing.

If holding a mouse isn't too painful I suggest checking to see if your mac has a on-screen keyboard. To use the onscreen keyboard included in Mac OS X: Choose Apple, System Preferences, Language & Text. Select the Input Sources pane and check the box next to Keyboard & Character Viewer. To use the onscreen keyboard, select the Keyboard & Character Viewer icon on the status menu and choose Show Keyboard Viewer.

I have one on my Windows 7 that I sometimes use.

However, the one I use 99% of the time is the Free Virtual Keyboard (FreeVirtualKeyboard.com). I find it less cumbersome than the Windows version. I can enlarge it to fill the entire screen or reduce to about two inches by an inch and a quarter or minimize it to get it out of my way and go back and maximize it.

There is a version of it for Mac at:
VirtualKeyboard

If this doesn't work for you I will reiterate try the speech recognition software again. I know from experience that training it can be frustrating and retarded, but in the long run it will be worth it.

Don't let this handicap cripple you or prevent you from writing.

 

[sozme]

Not sure this goes here, but it is a question for writers.

I type a lot. Im guessing everyone here does. Do your hands ever hurt? thumbs?
Was just wondering if other writers had the same pains and what they do for it.

I have very mild wrist and hand inflammation. Its not like carpel tunnel, my hands are fine at everything else other than typing.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking - world's best-selling speech recognition software  | Nuance

I am a physician, so at work I *would* have to do a ton of typing, were it not for Dragon.

You could also try to purchase a more ergonomic keyboard.

BTW carpal tunnel syndrome is not caused by excessive keyboard use, though that is a very, very common misconception.

 

[sozme]

I did try voice recognition software once but that was unsuccessful. Not only is it tricky and tiring dictating without serious practice, the software 'training' process never got the hang of my voice. The resulting text came across as a hybrid of learning difficulties and speech impediment. (I have the opposite of a speech impediment - the Biskitetta says I talk too much.)

Voice recognition software is apparently pretty common for people in the translation trade. Though they use it in combination with CAT-tools and translation memory systems, which might help. Never used any of it myself. /shrugs.

I type a lot for my subtitling, but I don't actually type much for my writing. I still like the way pen and paper feels. If that means I have to type it in later so other people can read actually read my work, then I am perfectly fine with that.

The high quality speech-to-text program (e.g. Dragon) are extremely accurate. My first purchase of Dragon was back in 2009 or so, before I was even in medical school. You had to train the software more for it to be accurate, but it was still pretty good. Today's version is much more accurate. The limiting factor on accuracy in most cases is not the software itself, but the machine it is running on. Quality of the microphone also plays a role.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

If it's RSI in your hands you need to go back to the basics of ergonomics. RSI is caused because the muscles in your hand / wrist become inflamed. And the reason they become inflamed is that the muscles are constantly tensed when you're typing, but your fingers aren't really moving - movement releases the tension. Switching to an ergonomic keyboard may help, but so may switching to an older keyboard - one with heavier keys that require your fingers to move over a greater distance to depress them and which have actual resistence in them. In addition modify your seating position / standing position, so that your elbows are higher than your hands / wrists. Also take breaks and do hand exercises. Set a timer for every twenty minutes and then spend a minute or two doing the hand exercises.

As for the shoulder / neck pain, that could be posture. Your head weighs a lot and the muscles in your back start to ache when they constantly have to hold that load in a static position for a lengthy period of time. Again the ergonomic solution is simple - raise the monitor until you're staring straight at it - ie eye level, so your head is balanced nicely on your shoulders.

Hope that helps.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Juliana]

I had mouse trouble; I've always been very mouse dependent because of my translation work (I like to highlight a few words and then sub them for the translation), but last year I started getting horrific pains that started in hand/wrist and eventually shot all the way up to my shoulder and neck. I could barely type. I learnt to use the trackpad instead (I have a Mac laptop) and never had that problem again.