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Any knee/back pain sufferers out there? sm

Posted By: Aching lady on 2005-07-29
In Reply to:

What are your favorite shoes to wear that don't make your knees hurt?   My back doesn't hurt if I wear Birkenstocks but my knees hurt if I do.  I've tried countless types of arch supports and the ones that help my knees don't help my back.  I have arthritis in both areas and the cartilage in my knees are shot due to degeneration.   Yesterday I wore my Birkenstock inserts I recently got in my sneakers while I ran around Wal-Mart and boy am I ever paying for that today - my knees are killing me!   Any advice would be appreciated. 


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right knee pain
I am not an older MT, but I have been doing this for over 13 years and I just started to notice this last year that my right knee started to hurt, so I change my foot pedal to my left foot, and it really helps, so I have become ambidextrous with my foot pedal.
No, manure has nothing to do with knee pain.
It had nothing to do with it whatsoever, and for all you know OPs patient could have been there for strep throat. Prayer wouldn't have anything to do with that either.

I am a very proud Christian, but the whole issue here is ridiculous. She didn't start a discussion, she just asked a question as to whether it should be in there. There's a simple answer...yes. It was dictated, so yes. It does not require the whole tolerance lecture or have anything to do with beliefs at all.
No leg or back pain here

I do try to sit up straight and hold in my abs, which helps the back.  I also try to remember to breathe deeply once in awhile - raise up your rib cage and take in a good deep breath.  I also switch the pedal foot, sometimes use the left and other times the right.  I started doing that long ago when I got to thinking - what if I had a cast on my right foot, how would I work? Started using both feet - solved that problem.


My problem is my shoulders.  I do shoulder rolls at my desk and also do stretching.  They still get tight though.


And my RIGHT THUMB!  From hitting the spacebar so often.  When that gets bad, I pad it with a Band-Aid.


back pain
This is probably more info than you want, but I had the same problem a few years ago. I'm soon to be 52. Had to see a chiropractor after a while. He told me it is called "tailor's seat" and the best thing to do at home is ice 20 minutes at a time, do not sit in a recliner, take ibuprofen and if you can afford it, get chiropractic treatments; if not, I would suggest using a massage therapist. I actually have done both. The ice worked the best for me. I still do it sometimes. I also bought a spine cushion for my desk chair. That helps, too. Good luck.
Back pain sm
Have had this problem for years. Tried everything. The best cure for me is one of those microwaveable heat packs you can pick up from a mall kiosk, is made of cotton with rice-like material inside and perhaps some fragrance. You can make your own but would suggest you buy one, as wouldn't want it to be flammable. After all I have tried, a few Tylenol and the hot pack, lying flat on my back for perhaps 15 min., gently relieves the spasm/pain. Believe me, I have tried every gadget, PT (works for the session, then back to pain), have everything ever made for back pain and you have to be your own therapist. Try heat, rest, lie flat and at night, instead of Tylenol PM I use plain Tylenol and a Benadryl (sometimes 50 mg (2) help me to sleep. Getting the stress off your back is the only way in our profession. It hurts!
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!!
Upper back pain

In the past I have had the same problem, but I found that when I lowered my chair it was greatly improved.  It seems I can type faster with my chair higher, but when I lower my chair I have much less pain.  It is something to do with the angle in which my arms are..  When they are pretty much level with the keyboard that is a great improvement in the pain, although I have to sacrifice a little bit of speed it is well worth it.  I also use a split keyboard which also seems to make an improvement in my pain.  I have been at this work for 30 years and believe me I have had pain in all parts of my body related to sitting in this chair in the same position for many hours at a time.  I wish you well.


 


Posture/back pain
Or, try this link.
http://www.backjoy.com/testimonials_users.asp#Sciatica
Back pain and chairs.
Go for the pillows. I tried to splurge a while ago and get a new chair, took it back and got a new pillow. I use a thin pillow for my bottom and a nice orthopedic pillow for my back. I'm tempted to try the keyboard on my lap like I've seen suggested here but my husband just brought me a new keyboard tray from a teardown job he was doing that sells for almost 200.00. I think he'd be hurt if I didn't try it.
Ergonomics for upper back pain?

I have been having tremendous problems with upper back pain right between my shoulder blades and up into my neck and right shoulder for weeks now.  It makes typing just miserable.


Doc said I had brachial plexopathy, and gave me narcotics and told me to quit transcription.  Since that isn't an option -- any ideas as to how to keep from getting this excruciating pain after an hour of typing?  It goes away on weekends when I don't sit at the computer, so I'm sure it's largely related to my positioning.  I've tried to fix my posture, but sitting up completely straight hurts worse than slouching.


Share any stretches, techniques for arm positioning, etc.  I will be extremely grateful.


 


Thanks!


Ergonomics for upper back pain
I find that it helps to get up and do a few stretch exercises. I have a 3-minute workout and microbreaks pamphlet that my husband got from his work that shows and explains some exercises including neck and back stretches. It does help when you get stiff from sitting and typing for so long. If you want me to type it up for you, just let me know and I will.
positioning footpedal; leg and back pain
Does anyone else have problems with back or leg tingling they feel is due to using a foot pedal?  I switch feet but have low back pain and leg tingling I feel is due to depressing and letting up on the footpedal, etc.  I have read some use a foot rest but I assume one would have to be custom built so that you could place the foot pedal on it plus your other foot.  I wonder if sitting all day with your feet on a foot rest since they are built at an angle would cause problems, too.  I read somewhere about an MT using a recliner which sounded comfortable but I wonder how in the world you could use a foot pedal placed on the foot rest of a recliner.  If anyone has any suggestions for me I would truly appreciate it.  If I don't find something soon, I am afraid I am going to have to go part-time or maybe even find a different profession. 
foot pedal back pain
I had the same problem and had my honey make me a ramp for my pedals. one rectangle pice of wood with a 2 inch strip to give it a "lean." I have one for each pedal so it looks like I drive a stick while working. LOL not only helped the back pain, but my thighs don't swell as much either.
Know of any good chairs for back pain?
I have been using a $20 task chair from Wal-Mart for the past three years, I am sitting her now six months pregnant about ready to die from upper and lower back pain.  Anyone have suggestions for a good quality chair they like, right now money is not an option,  I would pay big $$$ for just a little relief. 
back/shoulder/neck pain
last year I started out like that and so I checked the ergonomics of my keyboard, etc. I wound up moving my mouse to my left hand and that helped somewhat but later developed symptoms of a frozen shoulder. Do you get an extreme burning sensation? It took me a year to recover. I feel your pain.
I had back pain for an entire year. They did a trigger point
injection and it's gone. I couldn't believe it. I wish I'd found it sooner.
Hand pain - needing to cut back lines per week. Anyone else done this?
I have so much hand and wrist pain from all this typing.  I only do 5000-6000 lines per week and that is torture.  By the end of the week I have slowed down so badly it is ridiculous.  I think I am going to have to cut way back before I trash my hands and wrists for good.  Has anyone else had this problem and cut back on MT work?  I'm trying to think of other jobs I could do for a few hours a day to make up the difference ($$)that don't involve typing. 
Does anyone have any good ideas for back and hip pain from sitting all day? Anything on the market?
Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!
I feel your pain. If at teaching hospital, great pain. SM
Some doctors do give standard discharge summaries, so you could just make copy and then pull it up. It is not easy, especially when they give 20 lines of lab results.
Don't know about knee
replacement but I broke my leg (tib/fib) and was able to work once I had the cast on.

The wonderful thing about our jobs is, no commuting!
I know sometimes my knee does cough...

Fractured knee cap
I fractured my knee cap and had to have surgery on it with several pins and wires in it and Vicodin did not work for me and so they put me on OxyContin and was on it on and off for about 2 to 3 months.  But I did not take it religiously just when the pain got really bad and especially whe I started through PT and had to move that knee cap to break away the scar tissue.  A knee replacement takes longer to heal and recover from than a hip replacement and when I was typing for an Ortho it took up to six months sometimes.  But I just say, don't take the pain pills if he doesn't need them and usually the doc will say, take up to 30 mg a day -- meaning if you need it and a lot of people just think, well he said to take it and so I will.    But I am not a doctor and also recommend that you contact the doctor or NP if they have one or just his assistant. 
I had a knee replacement....SM
five years ago. Worst experience of my life. I took narcotic pain meds for about two months, then switched to Advil and Aleve. It takes quite a while for all the pain to go away. Miserable surgery.
knee surgery
half days for a week. Should have stayed off the full time but did rest when I at home.
When comptemplating podiatry work the surgeon said no work for two weeks till off the pain meds due to thought processes possibly being affected.
knee-slappin' LOL (nm)
.
Had 2 knee scopes
On the same knee for a torn medial meniscus 11 mos. apart. I've been a fitness maniac forever, so it was all of that stuff. The day after the surgery I went to the gym on crutches and did cardio with the ergometer. My sports medicine doc knew it was pointless to even say anything, but his partner told me "it's abuse" when I had biceps tendinitis. Oh, well. The 2nd MR showed a recurrence of the tear, but my SMD told me that's commonly seen on MR but it's not actually torn. So I did conservative stuff for a month as I recall, and it still hurt. The second time it was basically debris.

I did my PT in the gym with my trainer, but even so, it was the worst surgery to recover from (& I was in good shape, I guess). This is comparing it to all the neck surgeries, too. The reason it was so bad was the wt-bearing.

I hope you do well with it, as many people do. The main thing I would advise you is to do everything possible to not limp. It doesn't take long to teach yourself to walk a new way after this surgery, and I found it annoying to have to go back and concentrate on the "heel-toe" walking. Even when my trainer wasn't beating me up (therapy-wise), I was constantly stretching my quads and hams. Another really good exercise at some point to strengthen is the sitting leg lift. Yes, you'll be in tears, but they're worth it.

Elevating it is still like breathing to me all these years later. The treadmill bothers me, but the StepMill (the moving stairs thingy) is okay.

My guess is that you'll get lots of varied answers. Just don't let yourself get stiff or allow yourself to limp. Those are my 2 main suggestions. I don't envy you one bit.
Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess ..
... that Jesus Christ is Lord!
post knee surgery
i had arthroscopic knee surgery a week and a half ago.  my MRI showed fluid and a medial meniscus tear, but when the doctor got into the knee he said it was very angry looking and inflamed and he couldn't really find anything to be causing that inflammation.  he couldn't even find the tear, but did find some frayed cartilage that he shaved off.  he said he did about 5 laps around my knee trying to find a source of my problem, but did not find it, except for the above mentioned.  my knee still feels stiff and very, very tender around the kneecap.  it hurts when the skin is pulled up or down, the entire kneecap area.  the incisions are healing nicely, but i am still having swelling and pain and stiffness.  it's better than pre-surgery, but it just seems to me that i should be "better" by now.  my doctor told me i can go ahead and do whatever i want to do and let pain be my guide.  it seems like my knee felt better a few days ago and now it seems to be getting stiff again, and it's not for lack of exercise or use.  i do ROM exercises and go up and down steps, trying not to baby my knee.  i keep hoping it's going to just get better but i'm getting just a little disheartened at this point.  has anyone else had a similar experience?  my doctor said he was going to be cautiously optimistic that he "fixed" the problem.  i certainly am trying to be too but this morning when coming down my steps i was walking very awkwardly due to stiffness and pain.  any thoughts are appreciated.
there was an old post - someone asking about a knee lever - sm
The foot pedal was getting to her (me to), i.e., swollen ankles, soreness, etc., and she wanted to know if there was such a thing as a knee lever/gadget to alleviate the problem. Or if anyone could rig something.

No one had a solution but many said they started working in a recliner and posted pictures of their set up.

was intersting. I myself have built a box with an angle to both raise the pedal and take the angle off my ankle.

Learned at my mother's knee.
Literally. 37 years ago she was the transcriber (that's what we were called then) for a 10-man (yes, they were all men) multispecialty group here in town. She needed extra help, I knew how to type and spell, and I had passed high school biology, so she dragged me in, kicking and screaming. I was not given a choice. A couple of years after that, I was hired part time at the OB-GYN office down the street. In 1976 I had my first full-time job, in an orthopedic office. In 1981 I went to work part time at another multispecialty clinic, and part time in an oncology office. That segued into nearly 28 years in oncology, and some more part time orthopedics on the side. Last fall my boss closed his practice, and I went to work for one of the big nationals. I still type for one orthopedist on the side.

With 36 years of clinical experience, TRS took a chance on me, and now they are up-training me into acute care. Actually, the only thing "new" to me, besides the actual dictators, is the op reports. I've done literally hundreds of consults and H & Ps over the years, and a discharge summary is just kind of a truncated H & P, if you ask me; so I'm not sure I "get" what the huge deal is about "acute care."
Had knee MRI - "erosion of meniscus" results (sm)
as I was told by the nurse who phoned in the results.  I will be referred to an orthopedist for further new.  Anyone had this or any info on it? 
MT work after total knee replacement
I'm having a left total knee replacement next week and was just wondering if any one out there has had this done and if so, in what time frame did you return to transcription.  thanks.
sorry, that first line should read AFTER a knee replacement. nm
x
Knee-hi support stockings, get up at least once an hour,
s
I had bilateral arthroscopic knee surgery for sm
internal derangement, synovitis, chondromalacia, etc. The doc told me I would have "healing pain" that would be worse than the original pain as my patellae learned to track in the proper groove. It took several months before I stopped having pain. I had all kinds of fluid--big bags of fluid flopping under my knees,stiffness, swelling, and heat. For lunch break I'd walk the length of the mall next door and at home would do plies (sp?) (ballet) while holding and cuddling my 10-pound cat. It was a long, long haul, but it eventually ended. Wish I hadn't waited so long for that surgery!

You'll get better. It takes a while.
Only one knee hurts, have trouble with full extension
so I learned how to work the foot pedal with the other leg. The more I keep my post surgical knee bent, the tighter the muscles coming into the back of the joint get. I have to stand and toe and heel stretch to work out the stiffness. Summer will be here soon and swimming does wonders for the knees...it always makes my flares go away.
These knee jerk bleeding heart liberals could not take responsibility for their
actions if it hit them in the face as it did with Mrs. Twitty.  The Arubans are sick and tired of her and frankly so am I.  Wash the makeup off your face, take off the false eyelashes and go grieve for your daughter.
how long, on average, average a knee replacement would one be on Oxycontin?(sm)
My DH recently had knee replacement surgery a month and a half ago.  The doctor has been prescribing oxycontin 30 mg this entire time.  Husband has been trying to wean off of it and is down to 10 mg.  He asked the doctor if he could come off it completely and the doc said to "just keep taking it."  His next visit is in two months.  With all the discussion lately about pain medication addiction, is it normal to be on this medication for this long and for the doctor to say "just keep taking it?"  How long should one be on this med?
With short arms, I need chair with shallow seat, good back support and high back. Want arm rests
:+
OK! I'm glad you're back down here. Now don't go back up there and read those evil posts ag
Okay? But I have to leave you now, sadly. Thousands of noble dictating doctors are anxiously awaiting my help with their "dictations"....They're all loading up on chips, drinking lots of soda so they can burp, and then have to go to the bathroom...You know the routine! Off I go to earn some pennies!! But, truly, I am thankful that I have a job!
PS.. It apparently worked..I heard back and already submitted the paperwork back.

I'm not sure how many people they are hiring but you shouldn't stress too hard over it. Do the best you can.


Foot pedal control/knee control? (sm)

My sewing machine has a knee control built into the side of the cabinet and I find this very comfortable.  I would like to somehow do the same with foot pedal I use for transcription.  Can figure out how to mount it, but having trouble adjusting it so the 3 pedals are not an issue.  ANyone done this or have any input? 



 


Foot pedal control/knee control
Though I have not had experience with this type of modification, I have repaired numerous footpedals and have some information that may be helpful. Generally, the footpedal is comprised of the primary circuit board, the wiring to the computer, and the three switches for play, rewind, and fast forward. These switches are easily removed from the pedal with a screwdriver. With basic soldering, you can lengthen the wiring to each switch, or even replace them with different switches you can get at a local electronics store. With a little bit of creative engineering, you could mount some knee -controllable switches that could control the footpedal.
I would not do them back to back - I have done 2 and 3 jobs at the same time -- all PT - sm
It is possible to do of course but you will burn out fast. Now I do one almost FT (about 30 hours a week) and the other is about 8-10 hours a week-- I still get beat doing that and that is w/o set hours. I find that the older I get the harder it is to work late and I am only 40! But a mid afternoon 30-minute cat nap helps a lot in order to keep going on busy days.
How do you set your computer back 1 day. I messed something up and need to go back 1 day.
NM
Low pain...Low pay
Well my subconscious typed pain instead of pay. So you see I am aware of the pain of receiving low pay but it is not my intent to disgrace the field of medical transcription.
I know your pain
My genetic donor has had more wives than I can count, literally. He has seen my children maybe 3 times and the oldest is 25. We were passing through Myrtle Beach and I called to see if we could stop in and see him and she said no, her daughter was coming in and there was no room for us. So now I have not seen him in 14 years. He's 75 now. I check the obits now and then to see if he is alive and found that she had died in August (she was 83). My oldest son and his wife laughed at me because I was smiling when I read it. Knowing him, he is probably remarried by now. I don't waste time "inconveniencing" so-called loved ones. I'd rather just be at home with my children.
pain...
How old is she? If she's having pain after BMs, she needs to see a doctor. I am an expert on this topic, having suffered with abdominal pain most of my life.

She could have endometriosis, adhesions caused from a variety of things, lactose intolerance (though usually this does not cause pain after BMs), a food allergy,a cysts, etc., etc......

Urge her to go to a GYN, who probably will refer her to a GI if the GYN workup is negative.

Good Luck to her!
I know your pain
I have had two miscarriages before.  My heart aches for you.  I know just how you feel.  I am so sorry.
Ear pain
Does anyone suffer from severe ear pain on the outside of the ear?  I have it to the point of not being able to wear my headset on that side and would like to know what others have done in the past.  No infection, just cartilage pain.
I had ear pain
until I started using Dictaphone head phones. Very soft and they don't put a lot of pressure on the ears.