When writing becomes painful

Posted by Susan in Sound Bytes with SusanAshlea | 3 comments

We have had sort of a running “series” of blog posts going the past week or so about different things that plague readers and writers.  Meesh talked about how editing can sometimes take away the enjoyment of reading; Jules talked about tips for dealing with inspiration when it strikes at odd times; and Saluki talked about how to deal when your inspiration leaves altogether.

Today I’m going to talk about what happens when writing gets painful.  And I don’t mean figuratively.  I mean painful in every sense of the word; I’m talking about the dreaded Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

I have never used my computer as much as I have in the past year since I discovered fan fiction.  I started my first multi-chapter fic in February of 2009, and about 100k words in, I started to have difficulty with my hands: numbness, some burning and tingling sensations.  I took a break for about a month and when I got back to writing, things were better and I didn’t have any problems finishing up the story.  I gave myself a break before starting Finding Forever, and here I am 8 months later experiencing the same problems.  I begrudgingly took a month-long break from writing on my fics.  I’m not going to lie, I enjoyed immersing myself in the world of books again for a time, but it was very difficult to be away from the characters I’ve grown so fond of writing.  I tried not to even think about them for fear that I would be tempted to pull out the laptop and “make a few notes.”  So I told Felix, Demetri, and the gang to take a hike for a month while I read stuff that had nothing to do with the Twi-verse or Twi-fic. And for those of you who know the depths of my Volturi affinity, you know how difficult that was for me.

After my self-imposed month hiatus, I came back, ready to tackle the rest of my fic with no problems.  Unforutnately, that didn’t work like it did the last time, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t power through.  I just put on some Muse and ignored the slight burning in my hands. This past week, however, I have had a lot of problems.  My hands and arms have literally been on fire.  Yesterday, I talked to my doctor, who confirmed that my symptoms were indeed the beginning of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

My first thought was, “OMG, how am I going to be able to keep up with my writing?”  My job requires a lot of typing, as well as repetitive motion with my hands. I draw blood for a living [insert vampire joke here] and if, for whatever reason, it becomes too painful for me to grasp the needle, then I am going to have some problems.

So, I decided to take a moment to talk about the symptoms of CTS, some of the things you can to do to relieve those symptoms, and what you can do to prevent it.  Because, let’s face it – none of us are going to give up writing, are we?

So, what exactly IS Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
The Carpal Tunnel is a canal in the wrist that is formed by bones, tendons and ligaments. The median nerve, which gives us feeling in our thumbs, index and middle fingers, travels through this tunnel. When we do repetitive motions over time, such as typing, the ligaments and nerves can experience swelling and inflammation, which in turn rubs up against the median nerve, causing the symptoms we associate with CTS.

The most common symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome are tingling and burning in the wrist, thumb and first two fingers of your hands.  It can lead to numbness, and the inability to grip objects. Sometimes you might experience pain in the palms or underside of the wrist.  Most of the time, CTS gradually increases over time, and people don’t even recognize the symptoms until it has become a burden.

What can you do if you start to experience these symptoms?
CTS can occur in various degress of discomfort, but if you act when you first start to notice these symptoms, there are several things you can do to minimize the pain and keep it from progressing.

–Splint your wrists at night while you sleep. This keeps you from bending your wrists at odd angles through the night. I know I am guilty of doing this, as I wake up sometimes with my hands all crazy-like.  By restricting movement, it can reduce inflammation, which will keep pressure off of the median nerve.  If you splint your writsts, the best route to go is to talk to your doctor and have him/her fit you properly.  You have to make sure that you fasten the splints tight enough to restrict movement, but loose enough to allow proper air flow to the skin. If the splint is too loose, it won’t do any good, and if it’s too tight it can cause swelling, which is what you want to keep from happening in the first place.

–Take two Aleve every morning, or a similar OTC anti-inflammatory. You’d be surprised at how far this goes at reducing the swelling and inflammation associated with CTS.

–Take “micro-breaks” during the day if your job requires a great deal of typing or repetetive motion.  This includes hand and finger stretches and exercises that help the mobility and range of motion of your hands. Here is a helpful website that illustrates and explains some of the exercises you can do during the day to help: http://www.eatonhand.com/hw/ctexercise.htm

–Take your company’s ergonomics policy seriously!  Most companies have an ergonomics handbook that details the proper way to sit at your desk and describes the equipment you need to make your jobs safer for your hands and body.   The most important being that your legs and arms are at the proper angles while you are typing: your knees should be at a 90 degree angle and your feet should rest flat on the floor or a stool. Your elbows should also be at a 90 degree angle, and you shouldn’t have to hold your arms too close to your body while you are typing.

–Use an ergonomically correct keyboard and proper wrists rests! I can’t stress this enough.  When I first started to have issues with CTS symptoms, I busted out the split keyboard and it was INSTANT relief.  I also noticed the same kind of relief once I got the gel pads to rest my wrist on while using the mouse for my computer. If you use a laptop, I highly suggest hooking up an ergonomically correct keyboard because the difference is noticeable immediately. These items can be found at Wal-Mart or an office supply store, and are a very reasonable price range.

–Lay off the texting.  Something my doctor and I discussed yesterday was a new wave of symptoms: discomfort, numbness and burning in the TOP of the hand.  Generally, CTS symptoms appear in the bottom of the hand, palm and wrist, and only in the thumb and first two fingers.  If the symptoms are occuring in the TOP of the hand, it could be due to the abnormally high amount of texting we do on our Blackberries and iPhones. I admit, I am guilty.  But laying off the texting can help a great deal since most of us haven’t been using qwerty kepads on our phones for too terribly long (as least not compared to typing on computers)

–And of course, utilize a proper diet and exercise program. The more efficiently our bodies run, the less likely we are to have problems with any kind of symptoms.

I would like to also point out that I am NOT a doctor, and this is in NO WAY an official medical endorsement. These hints and tips are things I have found that have worked for me. Most information I have found online, but when I discussed these things with my doctor, he agreed.  Bottom line, if you are concerned, get thee to a doctor stat, and they can work with you for a plan that works specifically for you.  But don’t ignore the symptoms.  If left untreated, it can progress to the point where surgery is needed.  I have also had a nerve conduction test before, and let me tell you, it isn’t a walk in the park.

I can’t reiterate enough that you should practice safe habits when typing. If we all want to continue writing, we have to take care to make sure we don’t end up with painful symptoms, or worse, having to have surgery.  CTS is becoming an epidemic  and it’s worse among women than men.

So, in order to keep these fics of ours coming, we need to take good care of our hands.  And make sure to talk to your doctor at the first onset of these symptoms.  Since we aren’t going to give up writing, we need to make sure it’s a pain free as possible.

Unless, of course, we are writing some really good angst.

Until next time…have a blessed day!