Arm/Hand Cramps

[Brybear28]

You know that cramp in your hand or arm that you get when you write for a long time? I've honestly started to like that feeling when I get into writing a story or something. Is that weird or is their anyone else that agrees with what I'm saying?

[SidnayC]

Yes I really like that feeling. It makes me feel like I got a lot accomplished

[Vimtuous]

In part I like that feeling because it's like "Yes! I wrote so much just now." on the other hand...I worry that I'm going to give myself carpel tunnel or something. Also, after a certain point I just have to stop because my hand hurts too much, even if there is more that I want to write.

[victoria_lynn]

I get those cramps for reading and holding up a book for a long time. My hands almost always fall asleep!

[Brybear28]

I get those cramps for reading and holding up a book for a long time. My hands almost always fall asleep!

Same

[ALynnPowers]

Are you writing with a pen/pencil?
I've personally never had that feeling when I type, even I type for really long, but I have a friend who has serious medical problems from typing, even when she hasn't typed that much (by MY definitely of " not that much" which is apparently a lot for her... am I making sense any more?). For me, the feeling comes really fast if I write with a pen. Like, one page. And when holding a book/cell phone too long, like those above me said.

[KittenKibbles]

I can't tell you the number of times I've dropped my Kindle on my face because my arms fell asleep or got weak from hours of reading. It's probably an embarrassingly big number. No injuries to anything other than my pride!

[ALynnPowers]

I can't tell you the number of times I've dropped my Kindle on my face because my arms fell asleep or got weak from hours of reading. It's probably an embarrassingly big number. No injuries to anything other than my pride!

HA! That just made me lol! I've dropped my kindle on my face, but only a few times, and more because I just lost my grip on it. You must have been reading for quite a while. I'm actually impressed. Still giggling a little though...

[SharisseEM]

I got that too! I wrote and wrote because I was so in the mood. It's so hard to resist. And then...my wrist started swelling. Spent close to five years seeing doctors and every one of them thought I was crapping them. Took one doctor who only showed up in the hospital every once in a while to believe me and it was found that I had a torn ligament with lots of inflammation. Ended up going for surgery to repair it. Hand cramps up while getting back into the groove of things and my arm tends to fall asleep when I'm doing some last minute writing in bed while extending my arms way up...and dropping my phone or kindle on my face. Worst thing is the bruise on my forehead and later, my cheek, that I had to explain. Yeah, pride = wounded.

If your wrist starts to swell from all the writing, you might want to check it out. It could become like mine and require surgery!

[RussetDivinity]

I got those at the end of July. I had been trying to write a novel by the end of the month and fell behind because my family took a trip that meant I couldn't just spend hours working on a single chapter. In the last week of July, I wrote so much that by the end of each day, my wrists would ache, though they recovered after a few days of rest at the start of August.

[moderntimes]

Well, for those who still do manuscript, welcome to the 21st century, folks.

But for typing, usually it's problematic if you are hunching over or your forearms are not level. If your forearms are lifted, you'll get shoulder strain likely, and if the forearms are down, you will probably have wrist aches.

Sitting at the keyboard should be as natural as possible.

Myself, I use my lightweight new laptop as an actual laptop, with a little flat plastic padded "desk" across my thighs, laptop on that, and me sitting in my recliner, very comfy with my forearms resting across my thighs and parallel to the keyboard. I'm a pretty fast touch typist and I never get cramps ever. And I'm an old dude too, ha ha.

-- 02 Oct 2014, 21:41 --

I can't tell you the number of times I've dropped my Kindle on my face because my arms fell asleep or got weak from hours of reading. It's probably an embarrassingly big number. No injuries to anything other than my pride!

Now that I also do! I read my Kindle in bed and have often fallen asleep holding that little gadget, it sliding down to my chest. Luckily it's got auto-shutdown.

[cynsmysterybox]

I hand write ideas and when I get motivation but i'm not near my computer (I've only just gotten a laptop so it will lessen) But I do love it when I've been having writers block as I feel it connects with me getting over that block but there are times I find it annoying because I have more to write but I can't because of the pain. So I guess it's a love hate relationship in someways

[moderntimes]

Could it be partly psychological? That the cramps are in some way connected to having a writer's block?

In other threads, I've discussed ways to avoid a block. I was "cured" of that years ago anyway, as writing for a newspaper and if you're on deadline, writer's block is not permitted (ha ha). But if you feel blocked, my principal fix for that is to simply write about something different.

For example, if you're stuck on "chapter 5" where the protagonist falls in love or where there's a big fight or whatever, simply skip ahead, bypass that spot on which you're stuck and write, mmm, "chapter 8" which describes the aftermath of the fight or love encounter (or whatever) and then you'll later be able to return to the sticking place and fill in the gaps.

Regardless, when typing, ensure that your whole body posture is comfy and relaxed, that your forearms are essentially level, and that the rear portion of your palms is resting on a smooth surface so as to better support your fingers.

[zeldas_lullaby]

I can't write more than a brief note by hand. My hands cramp up right away. My penmanship is awful. When I worked at the reading center, one of the more rare programs we taught was good handwriting. I was awful at teaching that! It was very hard. Anyway, the achey cramp is such a distraction that I absolutely cannot creatively write anything by hand. It drives me crazy.

Fortunately, I'm better at typing than I used to be. Several years ago, I finally studied the right finger/key combinations (I.e., hitting the p with your right little finger), and now I can type maybe 35 wpm, on a good minute. It works pretty well.

[moderntimes]

I first learned to type in high school, in which I was the only guy. In 1957, the only people normally taking typing were girls who would become secretaries. Then there was me, whose manuscript was so terrible that I wanted to type things instead of writing by hand.

My folks bought me a new manual portable typewriter, and it worked great! Later, when I started writing for a major newspaper, we had big old clunky Underwood manuals, and it took maybe 2 inches of key press to type a single "K" or whatever.

Years later I got a little pre-PC "word processor -- an electric keyboard and screen, and a little ball printer attached, dedicated for writing, with a big 5" floppy disc for backups. But it worked great, too.

Then came of course HP Laserjets and PCs. I do all my writing straight to keyboard, on my laptop. Rarely I'll jot down something on a notepad but it's usually a reminder or note, never anything extensive. I am a pretty good touch typist (no 2-finger stuff for me) and I just whiz along.

As for hand cramps, the only cramps I ever got was if the keyboard was too high. I never hand-wrote enough except for college, to get cramped up, and even in college I had my little portable manual typewriter.

But for typing strain, ensure that your forearms are roughly parallel to the floor, not raised or lowered too much from horizontal. And your wrists need to be comfy, with the part of your palms nearest the wrist resting on some flat surface, padded or not. The fingers therefore just arch naturally, not steeply. That works great.

Also, many people who need reading glasses have trouble with computer screens because a book or other printed material is usually on a desk or in the lap, so the little reading portion of the glasses focuses downward.

But a computer screen is more elevated and the person may end up tilting the head back to see thru the glasses. which puts strain on the nexk and shoulders.

Don't be shy! Go get thee some trifocals, Not bifocals, but trifocals. All eyeglass stores know how to make them especially for computer users. How the trifocals work is that the upper portion is for distant vision, the lower small arc is for paper reading, and there's a special small 11mm high band just above the "reading" section that has the exact same lens formula as the reading portion but it's set physically higher on the glass and the focal length is also further than the reading portion -- same formula but a longer focal length, which is the correct distance for looking at a computer screen at eye level So you don't strain your neck by tilting your head back. You look down to read at print distance, and then you look up and see thru the 11mm stripe at the computer screen, perfectly in focus for screen distance, further than a book. Okay?

And like I said, ALL opticians know how to make "computer specific trifocals" --- great idea! You just have to ask for that specific design.

Keen.