What do you do when your wrists ache and your hands weigh a ton but you have to keep typing?
Posted By: x on 2006-01-19
In Reply to:
I know I have read posts on here before regarding this topic but I can never find them in the archives. Besides a different keyboard, is there something you can take like a vitamin or different foods that will help? I have noticed that if I eat potatoe chips, my hands are stiff the next morning. Is there a certain brace or splint you can buy that you can wear when not working or do you even wear these when working? I thought I saw some magnetic splint somewhere. I am not like this every day, just some of the time but when I am, it is very frustrating.
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Therapy for hands and wrists that keep me typing. sm
With a medium-weight rubber band around your fingers and thumb, stretch your fingers and thumb out as wide as you can against the rubber band. Bring fingers back in then stretch them out again, repeat 10 times 2 to 3 times a day.
If you maintain a daily schedule with this you will definitely feel a difference. Hope this helps!
Any suggestions for painful hands/wrists from typing?
My hands are always freezing cold. I wear fleece "wristies" to keep warmer. I have pain in both hands all day from typing. One wrist has a ganglion, and both wrists have some arthritis showing on x-ray. I rub capsaisin on hands/wrists. Still the pain persists. Pain relievers (Advil, etc.) do not help much. Prescriptions from doctors did nothing.
I was wondering if other heavy typers out there might have found some helpful things to alleviate hand/wrist pain. I even purchased "warming cream" which is supposed to help increase circulation to the hands, but it did nothing. I have several keyboards that I have tried also.
THanks!
Also wear Handeze. They keep wrists and hands
warm with some tension, not too much though, but helps with carpal tunnel also, being that they are elasticized. I bought mine through craft catalogs, such as Herrschner's and Mary Maxim. Can buy them through the catalog or online.
I have that headache too! Dontcha luv typing with a brain ache?!
I take silver from GNC. Try it.
I've been shopping around for some fingerless gloves to wear while typing. My hands get very SM
VERY when I'm typing, especially in the fall and winter months. I've tried the the carpal tunnel gloves an they just drive me nuts. I really just need something soft and warm so my hands stay warm. Any suggestions? I've been looking at the Wristies website and I've about decided to buy a pair, but I wanted to get some opinions. Anyone use Wristies? How do like them?
Any other suggestions would be appreciated. I have to take numerous breaks throughout the day to warm up my hands and it's really irritating.
Thanks!
Tired of typing 8 hours stright everyday..my hands hurt!
I can't take much more of this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My job makes me work an 8 hour shift straight. My hands are so sore and tired.
I hate my life right now. 
My hands get cold, and typing with cold muscles is like (sm)
running or other exercise when not warmed up. I wear thin, warm gloves with the fingertips cut out to keep my hands & knuckles warm. For muscle pains in the shoulders, neck, biceps, etc, try Flexall cream - I find it to be VERY effective. Also try slight changes in chair height, keyboard height and angle, and monitor height. I found if I enlarge the print on my screen, it keeps me from hunching forward to try to read it. (CTL + scroll up or down on mouse wheel to make print bigger or smaller. It will not affect the size of the finished product.) Frequent "mini-breaks" to do other chores: filing etc. if in an office, quick household task if working at home, also helps relieve repetitive stress. A few months ago I thought my typing days were numbered due to various pains & arthritis; now I can work pain-free for up to 11 hours in a day. Good luck! :)
Stomach ache
I took my daughter to our doctor because of similar problems. She said that at that age up through teen years, constipation is a major problem because kids just don't eat like they should be. She suggested more fiber in her diet, and that has made a HUGE difference.
My worst ache is my jaw!
For some bizzaro reason I tend to clench my teeth when I type...I don't notice it until AFTER the nauseating ache settles in. I have found that if I put a piece of gum inbetween my molars to stick the bottom jaw to my top teeth, I don't have that bad of a problem. It's almost so bad I want to put a huge elastic band around my head to keep my jaw clenched shut so I don't have to worry about it.
No other aches and pains thankfully...I do try to get up and stretch a lot and shake out my wrists...an old habit picked up in typin' class from back in the day!
you are so very welcome. Everything I'm hearing makes me ache for you,,, but if they can pay you
Keep using us to bounce things off of... Sometimes just talking lets you sort stuff out. I know, talking to my girlfriends, then I go home and sleep on it and wake up feeling like something was right about what I said, or some parts were burned around the edges and should be changed somehow. Keep talking, keep in touch, keep pulling in all the info you need. Somebody did a study in the recent past re: decision making. They found that people who thought and thought and thought and THOUGHT about decisions, versus people who went on their gut feeling and slept on it and just did what felt right for them... Between the 2 groups, better decisions were made by the gut feeling group. I think that's where you are conflicted. Your gut is telling you to take that kind of job, and your head is fighting you.
Best wishes. Take care of yourself.
You don't know why they weigh you?! sm
I hope you're just trying to make a point. You must know that they want to weigh you for the same reason they want to take your vital signs - it gives them important info. about your health. If you've lost or gained weight, that could be a sign of illness, obviously.
Years ago, I lost about 15 pounds from one visit to another, and my doctor noticed and asked me if it was intentional. (It was.) I liked that she noticed and asked. Weight gain or loss can be a sign of so many things: thyroid problems, depression, eating disorder, just to name a few.
Of course, I suppose you can always refuse. I'm sure that's your right. Just like you could refuse to have your BP or temp taken, but... why would you?
I will say, they don't need to weigh people "out in the open" so to speak. My new dr's has the digital readout of your weight up high, where it could conceivably be seen by other office staff, which I thought was a little odd...
Hopefully others will weigh in. ?? SM
Hi, 135. My first thought is that you may need to figure out what else might be contributing to your low line count. I say that because I'm a slow typist too but with an Expander quickly improved beyond that. So, sorry if any of these are ridiculously inapplicable, but here go some thoughts for anyone trying to get faster:
New to typing? Butt in chair typing away as many hours a day as you can stand until speed is good enough, tiring though it is.
New to medical language? Same as above. The more hours each day, the faster you get good (but the progress in this is obvious and exciting to see).
Use reference books instead of computer references? Books take way too much time to get out and thumb through, and you can't do wild-card and most associated-word searches. Get computer dictionary and medical language programs and get in the habit of constantly googling for terms, often even before the programs.
Type and then go back to adjust punctuation? I saw people do that on my first job, and my heart ached for them because I knew they were doomed to do poorly or fail outright if they couldn't learn to punctuate as they went, continually putting more words on paper.
Slow reader, and maybe slow punctuator? Practice reading. For weeks until you're faster and written-language patterns become second nature. Reader's Digest has a nice crisp minimal writing/punctuation style that's good to absorb, but any books or magazines enjoyable enough to read a lot will help tremendously over time.
Killer high standards? I also worked with a woman who focused on every report as if it was her critically ill mother's. Another major production and income killer as there are drastically diminishing returns on time spent achieving perfection, and no one will thank you for it, neither hospitals paying by the hour, nor production-pay outfits. I suspect a few of the people on this forum who say they cannot make a living have this problem. Most companies require 0% critical mistakes but are happy to accept 98%+ overall accuracy. Over 98% is the goal. And in editing, punctuation corrections are made as needed for reading clarity, not for pretty. This also can be hard emotionally, but it's something else we aren't thanked, much less paid, for. A lot of us have our personal obsessions we can't stop fixing, but settle on a couple of indulgences and relax the others to industry standards.
Problems with a bad work platform? Get another job as soon as you can find it.
Set a goal of $150 for 8 hours now. Once you have that you can start paring your shift down to 6 hours, then even less, to achieve it.
Nothing else is coming to mind right now, so if none of those apply, head straight to productivitytalk.com with notepad in hand. There are lots of InstantText gurus sharing away over there.
And once you bump that production up a bit, definitely find someone who'll pay you a higher base rate AND offers a good incentive pay scale. The incentive pay for higher daily production should get you handily to your $150 goal.
Best wishes.
thanks for all the tips---so far so good--ache some but not in any agony
spine is a little sore along with shoulders and lower back and my jaw is sore too which is weird (figure I grinded my teeth last night due to stress.....do that when extremely stressed, luckily I do it rarely). Very mobile though just worn out!
I used to be 235.5 pounds and now weigh 115.5 (sm)
I am in the process of registering with the weight loss registry. I couldn't believe there was one! I did the yo-yo dieting forever. My recommendation to you is to scare yourself into the weight loss. Go get some labs done, etc., and find out how scary some of those numbers are. I personally had a scare, and that's what led to my weight loss. I've kept it off for a year and a half, including through a pregnancy. The weight loss registry has found that those who lose weight and kept it off have been essentially scared into it.
Good luck!
Please be sure and weigh in on the survey, thanks. nm
nm
I weigh 290, am 5ƍ" and totally comfortable...sm
with my body. I've been overweight since I was a child. I've lost the weight several times over the past 30+ years but didn't maintain it long because I do enjoy eating. I work out at the gym 4 times a week. I got married this summer to a wonderful man that loves me for who I am and doesn't care that I'm fat. I have no problems with being naked in front of him. He is about 15 pounds overweight so he's basically at a good weight.
I have yearly physicals done and my labs always look great. I've read many articles/research studies showing that it's actually safer for an overweight person to stay at their weight than to go up and down the scales because yo-yo dieting isn't good on the body. I'm quite content with the way I look. I do anything I want to do. I don't get it while some people think that if you're fat you don't have energy. I have tons of energy - and each time I've lost weight it didn't increase my energy. I basically do whatever I want to do and enjoy life each day.
Weigh all aspects for opportunity
I am making $14/hr QA with national and that was supposed to be "starting" pay over a year ago..still waiting for my raise to bring me equal to my peers who are making just a buck or 2/hr more. I don't know about in-house QA but I am a 30-year veteran MT and when I see you say you've been 9-year MT, I am seeing for YOU what I would call an OPPORTUNITY which is something that is hard to put a price on when you're 'relatively young' in your career. I'm just trying to think about when I had 9 years under my belt as an MT in-house and yes, as you say, you still are learning something every day and even at 30 years, I am always learning something every day. In this business if you're not willing and eager to learn each and every day, then you're going to be lost real quick...There are many other factors you should weigh beside pay when looking at this. You need to consider benefits and long-term possible advancement that may be there for you. You have already impressed these people and this could be your chance to get beyond the MT aspect (which, I might add, is becoming more and more of a losing prospect IMO). I'm just saying that you should weigh ALL factors other than pay and see which one offers you the most for your future in this industry and don't miss an opportunity here...you can always go back home if it doesn't work out! Good luck to you.
But labor intensive. They never weigh the
operating costs either against what they are saving. And of course they do not realize that there will always be upgrades down the road to pay for.
I am heavy by society's terms. I weigh
about 210 and am 5'6" tall. Every single female in my family tree for generations had the exact same body habitus. We are all German with big bone structures. I cannot lose weight - period. Been there, tried and done that save for gastric surgery. It is genetic in my case. Seriously, it really can be. I am totally comfortable with my body and how I look - I even love clothes, shoes, jewelry, until....I have to go to the doctors for anything - a hang nail, and its because I'm -- OBESE -- you name it, a cough - its because of that. And THAT makes me MAD! My cholesterol is normal, I don't have high BP and am 50. I am what I am what I am, and am happy with it until the med profession makes me feel like pond scum. All my relatives also lived into their 80s and 90s, the old healthy as a horse body types. I am super strong and in shape. I guess you get the picture. I have no arthritis, either, or any of the normal problems of mid life. I also drink milk - I LOVE MILK. I would probably lose 10 pounds max if I eliminated milk, but then I feel sick and run down. Its been a long time until I did get happy and satisfied with my body structure, but I still honestly hate doctors for their bias. And sometimes it is bias.
Honestly, I send my kids to public school. They've never had a belly ache either.
must you be so full of yourself?
I had bad wrists from the get-go
I have had two ganglion cysts removed from my left wrist and one removed from my right wrist. Also, in August 2005 I had sugery for DeQuervain's in my left wrist. It was after this that I finished my schooling and became an MT. Maybe I'm asking for more trouble, I don't know. But this was what I really wanted to do, so I'm willing to take the risk. I have been having trouble with my wrists since I was in the 6th grade...so I guess I'm used to it. So far, things have been OK for me. I haven't had any trouble, even from the most recent surgery. I try to take at least 5-10 minutes every hour and stretch my fingers and wrists, and just give them a "breather". I know I will end up with trouble in the future, however. So, I feel your pain.
And sore wrists. Have you tried any of these?
Smart Gloves. Google them. They're wonderful. About $20 bucks apiece but well worth the money.
Carpal tunnel type straps. Wal Mart. $10 bucks apiece.
I have both and I alternate.
I ended up with numbness in my right index finger, but after buying these, it just went away after a few weeks. My fingers and wrists have some discomfort on occasion, but nothing like they were before.
One more thing, and I know people that do this, if you do "pound" the keyboard with your fingertips, relax those hands, elbows and shoulders and just tap. If that doesn't work, you may want to get a better keyboard.
Good luck! 
sore wrists
I use Oregano Oil on my wrists and the tops of my hands. Sometimes it hurts to lift fingers and I run the Oregano Oil along those bones.
Invest in some wrists splints soon. ;) nm
good for a while, until your wrists give out.
nm
Rings on 5 fingers, bracelets on both wrists. nm
.
Sorry! Wrists at 180 degrees in same flat plane as
s
I have arthritis in my wrists and thumbs, and find - sm
it works just as well to make my own. I buy cheap, thin, snug-fitting gloves, then cut out the fingers so that about 2/3 of each finger sticks out. That way all knuckle joints, base of thumbs, and wrists are warm, and when they're warm, they rarely hurt & I can type faster.
personally, I cannot type unless my wrists rest on
something, and my right hand is more "pegeon-toed" inward than my left.
Isn't decorating cakes hard on the wrists and
I wouldn't be able to handle not making more money when I need to.
This board is not know it all and neither are the people who post here. MT is not going away. There are too many physicians and/or clinics that still use tapes. Come on, let's be realistic. There are changes and cut in pay, but do you not think the physicians are feeling the crunch as well? They only get paid a certain amount from insurance companies. They've been told not to prescribe certain meds. It's not just MT, everyone is feeling the pressure of higher prices.
It's a shame you've never found a company that truly appreciates your work! Good luck with the cake stuff! I hope people don't quit buying cakes because of the price of food rising! The economy is tough, very tough!
Oh, that is funny. What a visual...an MT with Frankenstein scars at wrists from
lol
Tip on Aching Wrists/Target Laundry Detergent!
Okay, I have hesitated sharing this one for a long time now, cause I know, absolutely know, I will get flamed somehow, cause its sort of silly, but its not silly to those of us whose wrists and/or arms are shot from this "career". I have really bad wrists now AND elbows - actually if your wrists hurt, chances are your tendons are aggravated right up to your elbow, too, though the pain might not localize there. At any rate, I also found my wrist would hurt with some "ADLs", mostly laundry. No matter what size of detergent I bought, they were always heavy, and the motion of pouring deturg into the cups really hurt my right wrist. Sometimes I could even hear an audible "pop" on that motion of holding this heavy bottle and pouring. My physical medicine guy said it was the motion of that with the weight on top of typing that wreaked havoc on my wrists, and that even lots of women who don't type have popped their tendons out using laundry detergent! Well, this is SO stupid, but...a few months ago I went to Target and saw their brand "Method" laundry detergent. Its super concentrated and fits 32 loads in a tiny bottle. Plus, its like those mouthwash dispensers where you just hold the bottle upright and squeeze and a tiny bit of the detergent fills in a tiny cup at the top. You fill to the line, which takes all of 1 second, and that's all the detergent you need! Plus, this stuff is awesome with the laundry. Prior to that, only Tide could get my kids clothes clean. This stuff is the BEST, and it smells great! Its about $6 for this bottle, which I would have thought expensive, but the savings on my wrists are priceless! My carpal tunnel and elbow tendonitis have nearly completely healed. It was just this stupid combo of motions that did my wrists in! For those older MTs like me, who've been at this for over 20 years, try it! It might help!! Again, I see a sports med guy, and get injections occasionally. I used to have to wear wrist braces, etc. I was scheduled for surgery until I started using this silly Target laundry detergent! Now, no more pain! Isn't that so weird? But neat?
Also work on eScription. Make more. Easier on wrists. sm
It's editing work, and the reason I personally make more is that I'm a slow typist but a fast reader and "punctuator." The eScription software is very easy to learn.
what keyboard would best help with arthritis in my long fingers and wrists
Doc says I do not have carpal tunnel syndrome or cubital tunnel syndrome, I have osteoarthritis. Most painful in the long fingers and the wrists of both hands. I have tried the ergonomic keyboard and just can't seem to adjust. I do use the A-style keyboard layout and love it. Anyone have one they use that is not as abusive to the arthritis. Thanks in advance.
Mine are on a beanbag wrist rest. Need wrists at 90-degree angle
s
Typing. This is NOT typing, it is transcribing. There is a BIG difference. sm
Transcription includes typing, but so much more.
hands down by the....
LINE!!
I am currently getting paid per report on one acct and per line on another and hands down...per line always adds up to more money.
From years of experience, there is at least one MT that will tend to skip the longer reports when being paid by the report - if this weren't the case then it might be about the same but just from years of experience it seems there is always one bad apple in the bunch that spoils it for the rest.
When being paid per line, at least when they skip reports they don't want to do - it just means more lines for me and more $$$.
Hands
Does anyone else have problems with puffy, stiff hands during the hot weather. Never bother me in the cold but this heat kills my speed and accuracy. Anybody have any home remedies that helps. I feel like the Pillsbury Dough boy with regards to my fingers and hands. Please don't tell me it is old age setting in. 
Thanks.
Hands
I tried Glucosamine with chondtritin and it did not help with any of my aches. But then I was told by a chiropractor to try MSM Glucosamine after I was T-boned and had terrible hip and buttock problems. Tried 2 to 4 did not help much and gave up -- I give up easily. But the past several months tried again at 2 twice a day and after a couple of days it helped not only with my hip but my hands have not ached all summer/fall now. Really helped and I now take only 2 or so and not every day. Vioxx also helped but they took that off the market. But this helps tremendously. But you should check to see if by chance you have Raynaud's or something in your hands or low thyroid. Good luck.
is there something i can use to help my hands....
to be smoother. i have been using baby powder, but have already went through 2 keyboards...is there a transcription something i can buy? also, how about my hands freezing....what can i do about that?
Female..hands down !
I swear, every account I've ever worked had one problem dictator.. always female ! One REFUSED to use macros, even on normals.. and she would always make sure she made every report unique, so that we couldn't sneak away with using a macro for her. Another one spoke a hundred miles a minute. I remember my first day with her. She said something several times in her reports and I went crazy trying to figure it out.... lumbar spine ?? supine ?? Turns out she was saying "skip a line" !!
Obviously not for his face, but maybe his hands?
x
Hands On Transcription
Does anyone have any info on Hands On Transcription? They say they pay daily. Thanks
not sure what you are looking for exactly but for my aching hands sm
i have a mixture i make. it leaves your hands for soft and smooth and feels great too. take table salt and mix in essential oil. i love to use peppermint as it leaves a "cooling sensation" afterwards. just mix it until the salt is moist, not drowned. rub it is (preferably over the sink as it will make a mess), rub deeply or massage and it feels great. then rinse hands with warm water and it leaves your hands so soft and feeling great as the oil is left on your hands.
hang on with both hands - and don't let go
some swear by, but I think my hands are too big.
Voc. Rehab. let me try one out when they were helping me get my ergonomics together, and I knew right away I could never get used to it. I have rather "fat" fingers, though, and I think that was part of it. If you have longer, thinner fingers, it might be right up your alley.
You can rent one (which can then be applied to the purchase price, I think?) for awhile from this site to try it out, rather than outright buying it.
http://www.sforh.com/keyboards/kinesis.html
http://www.keyalt.com/kkeybrdp.htm
hands down..hourly
Hands down, if I had to pick one, my best
resource for medical terms is The Surgical Word Book. Boy that book is awesome. For meds, Quick Look Drug Book is The One! Online, the only site I really frequent is Dr. 411. Now, most of my coworkers are going to know who I am, as I am always singing the praises of these!! Oh well. It won't be any surprise to them how miserable I am at work - we all are. 
I am MT/ME and ME is easier on the hands...
I love ASR (automated speech recognition) aka editing as it's easier on the hands for some (me!!). It does pay 20% less per line but I'm very fast with editing. I like it a lot but to each his/her own opinion on it.
Good luck!!
Insuring hands??
I apologize if this sounds foolish but has anyone ever heard of a Transcriptionist insuring their hands in case they were in an auto accident, etc?? Is it even possible??
Cold hands
Does anyone else have freezing hands as they type? It's worse of course in the colder weather. Are there any gloves or similar products out there that we can wear while we type? Any ideas are appreciated! I freeze all the time, in warm weather or cold, but my hands are what I need to be warm to keep transcribing. I need a space heater that doesn't cause my electric bill to go sky high, but haven't found one of those either.
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