Do your hands hurt when your write?

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awelker
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Post by awelker »

i've got so many things like this in my family. my grandfather on my mom's family for 12 years thought that his grandmother was his mother. isn't that kinda weird.
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complimentarymatters
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Post by complimentarymatters »

My hands hurt if I write for a while, but it happens whether I am on the computer or using a pen and pad. Does anyone have good tips on making it so my hands won't hurt as bad as quickly?
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Yukiora 24
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Post by Yukiora 24 »

Only when I write for school when I write for pleasure no it never happens.
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Post by Noeld »

My hands never heart while typing. I write all the time and I've done so since I was very young. Due to this, I have to write at least ten pages (front and back) in very small print in a strange position for my hands to start to hurt.
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aaa1234
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Post by aaa1234 »

Yes, especially when i am stressed like in exams.
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Kaitlin Lake
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Post by Kaitlin Lake »

My hands only hurt when I write a lot during the day, but my hands never hurt when I am typing something. :D :oops: :lol: :D :roll: :o :geek:
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moderntimes
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Post by moderntimes »

My hands never hurt when I write. I of course type everything straight into the laptop and MS-Word so my cribbed and indecipherable manuscript (indecipherable even to me) is thankfully no longer a problem.

Ages ago when I first started writing, the typewriters were these huge manual machines, Underwoods or whichever. At the newspaper where I worked we'd pound out our articles or interviews or whatever, clack clack clack and the fatigue was real. Soon as I got to electric typewriters I was a lot happier, happier still when word processors and computers came into use.

Lots of writing strain comes from the angle at which your hands are placed on the keyboard (those who still use manuscript had better get onboard w. the 21st century, maybe even the 20th? ha ha). But often, hand and forearm strain are due to the "angle of the dangle" and whether your forearms are level with your palms (which is ideal). And of course you must touch-type and not use the two-finger panic mode.

Those of you who need glasses to read and see the screen, a very good hint: If you use, say, bifocals, you may be inducing fatigue by having to tilt your head back to see the screen through the lower portion of your glasses. This disrupts your entire body posture.

What I highly recommend for those who need bifocals for reading, get specially made trifocals that are designed especially for computer screen use. How they do this is that there's a narrow band (11mm) just above the bifocal lower section of the lens. This is the same exact visual formula as the bifocal section but it's got a longer focal length.

That way, when you read a book or page in your lap or hands, your eyes and head tilt slightly down to focus on the printed page at standard reading length from your eyes. But when you glance up to the computer screen, your eyes shift and you view through the narrow 11mm band of the trifocal. It's exactly the right focal depth for looking at a screen -- further away than a printed page.

After a couple days it becomes automatic. And this is a true delight compared with the task of having to tilt your head back to look at a screen or raise the glasses awkwardly on your nose.

Be sure to specify to the optician that you want trifocals that are specifically designed for looking at a computer screen. All major opticians know how to do this, and the cost is very low, only slightly more than bifocals.

You'll never "look back" -- ha ha.
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Post by fifthmayfly »

After I write more than a paragraph, or when I write really fast, my hand starts to ache. I usually just massage my hand really quickly and then get back to writing before I lose my train of thought. I usually prefer typing for this reason and also because I can write faster than by hand.
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+Eevee+
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Post by +Eevee+ »

My hands hurt when I type because I'm usually typing all day. My old keyboarding teacher taught us how to keep your hands from hurting or cramping by pressing our fingers against our palms to stretch them a little.
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Post by moderntimes »

I found that a lot of discomfort in the hands and fingers from typing is related to the overall body posture, and the level at which the keyboard is placed. Most people put it too high, so that your forearms are raised. This puts an added strain on the wrists and fingers because they then need to dip lower to type on the keys.

Most desks are designed for the height of about 32 inches which is fine for resting your elbows on and reading. But what's really needed is that the keyboard be lower. My little computer desk has a rollout shelf that's under the main table surface, and the keyboard goes on that. This is the ideal height for most folks. Of course taller or shorter people also need adjustments.

But generally, your forearms should be close to level, horizontal, and the rear portion of your palms resting comfortably, so that the fingers aren't arched too much. I've occasionally used one of those wrist pads --- all computer stores have 'em -- and they help a lot.

Nowadays I mostly sit in my recliner and use my laptop computer as a "real" laptop -- it sits on a little flat plastic padded thingie and I sit, feet up, and comfy, zero strain on my arms and fingers.
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Post by Amheiser »

I like to sit in a chair with my feet up so I can be comfortable when I write and I like to write with a pen because it's easier to be more comfortable with a pen than with a computer. My hands do start to hurt though if I write for too long and I find that if I just rest my hands for a little bit then I can continue. It does help to massage my hands and do the finger to palm exercise.
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Post by Vivian Paschal »

Rowan wrote:My hands hurt when I write in English, but not in Russian. I have Multiple Sclerosis so both are painful. I need a good voice program so I can speak stories and chapters into my computer for when I am not feeling well. Help would be good :D

I would have thought this was a bit weird, but that'd mean I'm weird too. My hands hurt when I'm copying something I've written before and when I'm writing school notes. But they never hurt when I'm writing a fresh story or a fresh scene. Maybe it's all about mindset; I have no idea. But I'm grateful they don't hurt when I'm writing fresh stuff.
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L T Brook
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Post by L T Brook »

Writing with a pen and paper hurts my hands and wrists. I have tendinitis in both of my wrists from doing hair as well. Texting hurts my thumbs so I try to hold my phone s specific way. Typing has never given me a problem.
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Post by TrishaAnn92 »

Courtesy of my first pregnancy, I have Carpal Tunnel in my right hand that never cleared up. Whether I write or type, by the end of the day my hand is tingling and my wrist is on fire. My left hand is usually not too bad. It just cramps up after a few hours behind the screen or after an hour or so of pen and paper.
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Post by Rosemary Kinyua »

My hand don't hurt when writing. But my fingers get tired depending on the type of pen I use. The round (cylindrical) shaped pens are good for me. Am more concerned with ensuring that my posture is right not to hurt my back and my arms are in the right position. That way, I can write for hours with no worry. Typing is fun for me but not for long hours.
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