Home     Contact Us    
Main Board Job Seeker's Board Job Wanted Board Resume Bank Company Board Word Help Medquist New MTs Classifieds Offshore Concerns VR/Speech Recognition Tech Help Coding/Medical Billing
Gab Board Politics Comedy Stop Health Issues
ADVERTISEMENT




Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Get a soft neck collar and try

Posted By: Neck Problems on 2006-03-27
In Reply to: Whiplash update - NCMT

Roll up a towel and put it under your neck when you sleep for support. If you don't get a collar you can also use a rolled towel and pin it while you're working.
Neck pain is horrible. Good luck


Complete Discussion Below: marks the location of current message within thread

The messages you are viewing are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select the boards given in left menu


Other related messages found in our database

How soft is the touch, is it a muffled sound (microsoft used to make a very soft touch keyboard.
You can't buy it anymore and I hate the clacky ones. I think a really soft one sounds muffled when you hit the key. Thanks
Yes they are!!!! OSi and SoftScript are neck and neck
There are MUCH better companies out there. Please, for your sake, do not go there with SoftScript.
Antibark collar

The can idea does work but you have to be there.  With the collar, the dog gets the correction whether or not I am standing there. 


using shock collar
Be careful using that shock collar as it is negative reinforcement.  Dogs bark for a reason, learn to read their barks, could be warning of an intruder nearby, or something like a critter approaching their territory.  Get books on clicker use & treats.....they can learn words like "quiet", "settle".  Takes some time to train but worth it in long run.  I have 3 German Shepherds 2 outdoors in kennel, always keep 1 inside....wonderful deterrent.  They only bark when something is going on. 
I tried using a figure-8 clavicle collar once...sm
You can get them at the drug store probably. It just goes around your shoulders and crosses in the back to keep the shoulders back, used to keep clavicles aligned when fractured. But for some reason, it made me nauseous. I think the hunching just comes with the territory of being curved over a keyboard for hours and hours and hours a day...
It still happens, mostly in blue collar jobs,
jobs,too, but not as much.  The employer tells them they are IC, but there are still many people out there who don't understand what that exactly means.  All they see is the extra money on their paycheck and they figure they'll worry about the taxes later, or don't fully understand the implications of being IC and don't know what a 1099 is.  Rack it up to immaturity or being naive, but it still happens.  The IRS has cracked down in recent years and has it's criteria for IC status, which doesn't apply to everyone (look at real estate agents, who can only work for one broker, but yet be an IC). It is beneficial to the employer because it saves the employer money on the SS 'match', plus savings on work comp insurance, unemployment taxes, liability insurance.  To me, being an IC means I don't have an employer - I have a customer and I must do the work they hired me to do or I will lose that customer to someone else.
You CAN NOT defend your use of the shock collar
THAT's why you may choose not to respond again.

Your "defense" above is stunning. No doubt you love your dog and take good care of him/her. But you ARE still using pain to control your pet when there ARE OTHER METHODS that don't involve pain.

Dismiss our points all you want - at the end of the day you chose to take the easy way out with regard to solving the barking problem.

WE who don't use pain to teach make YOU sick? Give me a royal break.

I posted a simple way to teach your dog not to bark - did you even bother to read it?
Pet collar for surgery. I found this neat
collar for my dog who just had surgery.  It works better than one of those cones.  It is called a no-bite cervical collar for pets.  They are available on the internet. 
collar that OP may find works in her situation.
x
You simply have to leave the collar on. Take it off now and again for a few minutes of supervised
play, stopping him from licking his wounds. He'll be better before you know it! Woof!
I dont use shock collars but do use a citronella collar
I have a big dog and know that people use what they know will work. Personally I have had some well meaning yet not very knowledgeable person stop me as I walk my very large dog and rip me a new SS-hole for using a prong collar. Note prong collars are very humane when used correctly.

Personally I would not use a shock collar but I have not done any homework on them either. I would be afraid of one of my children getting a shock or something like that however I am sure you have done your homework. BUT I would like to share what I have found that works. My dog wears a Citronella collar and it works wonderfully and with no danger to anyone else or himself. I have attached a link with a write up on them as well as a site that has them on sale if you are interested.


article about
http://www.news.cornell.edu/Chronicle/96/6.6.96/barking.html

where to buy
http://www.worldpetstore.com/abcitbarconc.html

Again not trying to say your choice is wrong just offering another option you might not have considered. Hope you and yours have a wonderful thanksgiving.

It's a bus, not a truck load of nuclear waste. It's a blue collar job,
s
Soft
Some of the type that fit into your ears are really soft and squishy and pretty comfortable. I use some of those with good success. They had a bigger end that would rest outside the ear, but I got rid of that by cutting them in half (horizontally). Only about 1/3 of an inch is left.

Even amongst that type of plugs, some are squishier than others. You might have to try a couple to find ones you like.

They can get kind of grubby looking, but I just wash them with soap and water and give them a day or so to dry. Usually at least a few pair come in a package.

P.S. You could resort to the ole broomstick on the ceiling message. : )
Soft Script
You know I have only been with Soft Script for about a month and I am really beginning to wonder why they will not explain line counts and how they come up with them one day their website shows 138 lines for me and my line counter program shows 245 what is up with this?  Anyone else out there feel the same?  Or you ask a question and the The BIG HEAD WOMAN rips your face off. 
Soft Script
When I first started 4 months ago with SS I thought it was great but now I am seeing the light shed on some of what people are talking about on this message board.  I wish I had been a little more patient and research this company before accepting their offer, I may have missed out on a good job opportunity as I turned down another offer and went with SoftScript but I guess I will never know.  If nothing else my experience with them has been a lessen well learned.  PLEASE, look at the numbers, compare the number of people on this board that oppose to those that agree with SoftScript and it will tell you the real truth, the numbers do not lie and as far as the line counts go let me add this....I work for two companies.  A small company  I have been employed with for the past 7 years and SoftScript  I have been employed with for the past 4 months.  On the same day with the small company for approximately 4 hours work I transcribed 61 reports with 1200 lines very easily with minimal effort, with SoftScript (now remember this is on the same day) for approximately 8 hours,  working as hard as I could I transcribed over 100 reports with under 900 lines.  This tells me something is definitely wrong with the line counting.  Needless to say I am turning in my notice to SoftScript and seeking new employment.
Soft belly (sm)
What I'm saying is the doc feels around for position sometimes and that's probably why he said soft. Contractions make it hard, oh, and also huge babies, like mine. Ouch!!
Soft abdomen
On abd. exam, they're checking the actual abdomen, not the uterus and whether it's contracting or not.

As in a non-gravid exam, the abdomen can be soft, rigid, with guarding, rebound, etc. They're looking for the abdominal signs, not the uterine signs.

So - your abdomen can be soft, and you could be in the middle of a whopper contraction!
Soft Script
Could you folks talk about Soft Script, good or not so good, as best you can.  Thanks in advance.
soft talkers
Not meaning to be sexist, but the soft talkers are usually women, sometimes almost whispering like they are trying to be extra confidential or something.  I can max out my volume but still strain to hear them.
Well you can always strap one around your neck :)

Think about it. The possibilities are endless when you learn to be "without hands" doing this job.


If it is lunchtime, cutting a sandwich into 6 individual pieces and stabbing each piece with a toothpick works very well as you only have to do one bite at a time and your keyboard doesn't get nasty from touching the bread.


For dessert, don't buy Reeses peanut butter cups. The "Popable" Reeses fit nicely into a small cup that you can toss a mouthful from whenever the urge hits you.


I don't recommend anything that you actually have to pick up with your fingers, i.e., Cheese Doodles, Doritos, salt and vinegar chips, etc., as the keyboard gets really icky and you lose time that way or you have to wipe the residue on your pants or a leftover coffee filter.


I've also found that a straw works well with coffee once it has cooled down to tepid, as it usually does before you expect it.


stiff neck

What do you do for a stiff neck from working at the computer too long?  Mine is killing me today.


How about a neck pillow you can
That can help sometimes; you can even make one. Just sew up a tube and fill it with beans or rice. Or maybe you could get someone to massage your neck to loosen up those tight muscles? If nobody is around to do that for me, I sometimes stand under the shower with hot water or take a long soak in the tub with Epsom salts. Also, those neck rotating exercises help loosen up tense muscles sometimes. Hope it gets better; I know the feeling well. If it's not the hands, wrists, or arms, it's the back, neck, or butt.
help for stiff neck
I have many severe problems with my neck (which is one of the reasons I am on SS disability). Take a long mens tube sock and fill with rice and some lavender. Either tie the end or sew it close. Heat in the microwave, then hang it around your neck. It will work wonders. This also helps sore shoulders as well.
Stiff neck
What really helped me, and I know they are expensive, but an Aeron chair was the best MT investment I made, especially the one with the swivel arms that you can pivot to the right position for your keyboard. No more back or neck ache. At least this worked for me.
It is about the norm around here in my neck of the USA. nm
x
My neck does hurt too...but...
my wrists usually get super sore when I STOP typing, I guess from not using them so much. If I take a weekend off, I am in severe pain with them, usually the brace works or taking ibuprofen, but now the brace doesn't fit. Thanks for your help!! I have actually thought about trying acupuncture, someone I know did that and they don't have any back pain at all after some sessions, supposed to be covered by my insurance too. Thanks again for your help!
neck pain
I had neck pain and both wrists/hands, and they thought it was carpal tunnel, finally had an MRI and had herniated disk at C5-C6 with nerve entrapment, ended up with cervical diskectomy and pain went away for a long time, but now back in my neck when I type too much, but I also have spurs in my neck and DJD in my neck. Transcription is a tough job, repetitive motion causing back, neck and arm/hand/wrist pains. I found the Thermawraps that you can buy at the store to help a lot, it has heat and you wear it like a collar. I have been to a chiropracter and acupuncturist and these did not help at all, and that is why I had the surgery. If the neck pain keeps up, I would have an MRI, I waited too long for doctor to go ahead with one, nerve was trapped under C5-C6 for 3 years and that is why I had the surgery. Good luck, hope the pain is relieved. I had it for a long time and it can be terrible.
QA is not breathing down MY neck, as I am only the--sm
transcriptionist with a small MTSO, but they may be breathing down the MTSOs neck. All I know is that one doctor in particular, a felon on top of that, has his office QA each report for errors and for line count. If he feels the line count is in error, he demands a return of funds charged...not from me personally, but from the MTSO. My MTSO also has another account that discovered that their transcription company was charging for lines not typed, i.e. ALL lines, and fired them for it. So they DO check. Even doctors do not want to get ripped off. The OP can charge whatever she likes. Maybe 11 cpl in her area is the going rate. That is not for anyone else to decide, but she must be honest above all, or she won't have ANY account for long.
Maybe she won't be such a pain in the neck
once you have your cervical surgery.  They can probably get off paying her real cheap.  Sounds like you are being duped.  You may want to consider working for another practice who appreciates you instead of going above your head and hiring people since you are the supervisor.  If they didn't think it was a good idea, they wouldn't have had the girl waiting there for you to train when you got back.  Unfortunately this happens.  Believe me, I know from experience, I worked for a hospital for over 15 years.  They hired a lady that was ready for retirement.  She comes and goes as she wishes.  She did not listen to a word I said.  She had medical problems herself and as far as I was concerned was not worth my time.  So you know what I did?  I resigned.  End of story.  Now I am happy and not having to train.  So instead of thinking they care about what you think, start caring about what you think and find a position somewhere else where you are more appreciated.      It sounds a little late in this game to train even someone with a lot of experience if your plan is to go out in just a few months.  Everyone can be replaced, believe me, it is so true.   
So what neck of the woods are you from?
In other words, where do you live in case this is a little deep for you. I have been a Transcriptionist for over 30 years and it is simply our way of speaking here in the south- has nothing to do with being lazy or unintelligent either one. Even with my southern twang, I still pride myself on my understanding not only of English but what we do for a living every day. No slouch here.
I know about CTS, but do any of you have neck pain? SM

My neck is killing me, I guess from staying in the same position for hours. I am starting to feel a knot in my neck!


Thanks.


neck pain
I like the center of my monitor even with my eyes. This keeps my neck straight. Also if you wear glasses be sure to measure the distance from your eyes to the monitor so you are not pulling your head foreward.
Stay away from Soft Script...sm
I won't go into details, but if you do a search on this forum, you will find plenty of reasons and they are all true.
Hand-Eze and/or Soft Flex...probably

Soft Script and Accustat

I am busting my hump trying to learn SS (I am a newbie with some experience but under a year) and I also am an IC for Accustat, now I have to really work for hours on end to try to get a line count for SS and on my Accustat its a nice account where I can have a line count with normal speed and hardly any ESL's


So basically here is my problem should I keep working for SS ( i have had no problems with pay, of course I don't make much of a line count) or should I just do my Accustat account and quit SS


Did I forget to mention I also have a day job....lol (My hope is to just MT and make some money someday) 


SS takes out taxes and IC does not so I going to just go with SS but reading all of these posts makes me think just do my IC job for awhile and stop working three jobs busting my but


 


 


 


The Best, Soft, Air-touch Keyboard Around
http://www.opamerica.com/product_info.php/products_id/782
Because real estate is so soft right now, there are
a lot of home for sale and it's difficult to sell.  I would not recommend selling by owner or going through a by owner agent.  If the market was hot like it was before it wouldn't be a problem, but right now you need a bulldog real estate agent to represent you.  As well, you'll probably want to consider offering some incentive to any third party agents.  That's what I had to do.  There are so many brand new housing developments out there and the incentives that are being offered are crazy.  I had to be competitive because my house was not brand new, but had a ticket price that was about the same as a brand new house.  I did sell, but I took about $15,000.00 less than what I had hoped for.  The good news for me is that I don't have dual house payments anymore.  Good luck!
Soft Flex forsure
I wear my SoftFlex gloves daily. I agree that after 15 minutes without them you can definitely tell a difference. I also have the Smart Glove- (had to dig them out of a drawer to make sure what the name was). To me they are just plain awkward. The bean-bag feeling is weird and feels like more of a strain on my wrists to type with, like my wrists are too elevated or something. Wore them once. My vote would be SoftFlex!
Soft-Flex gloves
Where does one find these wonderful gloves? I have tried everything and not much helps, certainly not splints. TIA
It's not muffled soft, but clicky-ish; however...
it still has a somewhat light touch, and my wrists aren't in pain anymore, which was a big thing with me.
A break? Your arm, your neck or your leg? Your choice...
x
Sore neck and shoulders
This is the first year that I have had this type of pain. There is nothing that will relieve it and if there is the slightest movement of my computer screen or anything out of the ordinary, there it goes. I am afraid surgery is in my future. I do take breaks and your schedule sounds good. Thanks for the information....
Put a frozen sirloin on your neck. nm
//
Forgot one...NECK after shoulders(nm)
X
Back/neck pain
If anyone responds to the post about upper back/neck pain, please let me know - I have the exact same problem, and it makes long hours just miserable sometimes! Thanks in advance!!
Migraines really are not associated with stiff neck.
I have been cursed with them for about 15+ years - stiff neck is usually associated with some types of meningitis - RUN to the nearest ER, my friend. Photophobia, sensitive to noise, nausea, vomiting -- these are migraines - stiff neck, no.
neck and upper back sm
Swimming helps some. Massage definitely helps. I have asked the massage therapist just to focus on my neck and upper back and to work deeply. Rates for massage depend on where you live. I pay about $60 for an hour. Sometimes you can get a half hour. Definitely ask for what you want with massage, and give feedback about what feels helpful. A chiropractor has helped and a strong vibrator has helped. Good luck! I know the pain.
back and neck pains
does anyone have any tips for backache and neck pains from sitting?  I do try to take breaks and do stretches.  As far as a good chair, any hints?  I know of a good brand but it is awfully expensive but may be worth the investment, but I would like to spend under $200 if I could.
Neck Pain Relief
The main problem I have is neck pain from typing. Found some good products to help and especially the neck exercises that keep me going with less pain and headaches.
does anyone else have a problem with Soft Scripts dictators....

I can't get anywhere on a line count, I cannot understand what they say


Are all MT jobs like this !!!!!!!!!!!


Great news for Soft Script
There are a few of us going to the labor board in reference to Soft Script and their stealing of lines.  So far, we have a good case per the labor board.  Anyone and everyone that is interested in possibly getting their back wages, contact your local labor board and help us get what we have earned.