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Therapy for hands and wrists that keep me typing. sm

Posted By: tigger on 2005-10-05
In Reply to: do you guys think it would be easier on the - hands and wrists..sm please read and give opinion

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!




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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!


What do you do when your wrists ache and your hands weigh a ton but you have to keep typing?

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. 


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'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! :)
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! 


is he in therapy ?
He needs the help more than the girl for chosing to get himself involved with this. Please try to get him treatment; he must be either depressed or bipolar.
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. 
Have you considered therapy?
zz
Has anyone tried cognitive therapy?

I've been in psychotherapy a couple of times for some very traumatic issues that have caused other issues, but the therapy is even more traumatic than the events I'm trying to recover from - does that make sense?  From what I understand of cognitive therapy you don't rehash the past, but learn to go forward from today and that is what I'm looking for.    The thing that concerns me most is that I've heard it is long-term, not just a few sessions or maybe it depends on the issues.    My insurance won't cover much and the closest therapist is an hour away, so the price of gas is an issue too, but if it will help I'm willing to try it for a while. 


Just curious to know if anyone else has tried it and their opinion of it. 


you need therapy apparently
So you are telling me you don't think I have a great deal of experience because I've done this for 18 years???? I honestly don't know why I am stooping to your level but your nastiness is not warranted on here. How dare you and you know what YES, I have done this for 18 years so that pretty much does MAKE ME AN AUTHORITY!! I would go toe to toe with you ANYDAY! Now get off your soapbox and go harrass some other innocent person. You are exactly the kind of person a supervisor hates to have in their pool of transcriptionists and you are probably mad at me because I am an Editor and you can't cut the mustard as one. I would say you have a bad attitude because some editor at your job probably picks on your work daily. I see US MTs every day who don't even know how to spell English words much less medical ones. So just get off the nurse thing, nobody said she was going to work for your company or taking your job so just get over it. I also never said anywhere in any of my posts that she had the qualifications, I just asked a question......
Physical Therapy
I have a physical therapist interested in me doing his transcription.  It is a small office, they only work about 3 days a week, and I was wondering what to charge him per line? I currently work for an eye dr. making .11 a line and a service for .09. I may have to travel once a week to pick up tapes?(hope not) Any feedback is appreciated.
is it B-max or D-max can someone help? this is radiation therapy
is it B-max or D-max can someone help?  this is radiation therapy
Bio-Identical Hormone Therapy

Check out this site for natural hormone replacement.  www.womensinternational.com (There isn't anything international about this pharmacy - in Arizona).  Anyway, you can learn about natural hormones here, get referrals and books and just some really good information. 


p.s.  I get my hormones through a naturopathic doc (ND), but some holistic docs (MD) give them out too.    


 


What?! You are WRONG? Physical Therapy - more than that.
Pharmacy - WAAAAY more than that.  In fact, I don't think ANY of those pay $12 to $18 an hour.  You really should open your eyes and look around.
DH would be outpatient, and then physical therapy.
He has decided not to have surgery, at least not now.   He would be out of work 3 weeks without short-term disability and only 1 week of sick pay, plus he says we can't afford surgery.   While that is true, if you need it, you need it.  I think he's as much scared as anything.  The only surgery he has ever had was a vasectomy under a local and he refuses to take anything stronger than Tylenol.    He isn't hurting now, no swelling, etc. so it isn't like he is in daily pain.  I've tried to talk him into the surgery because we've met our deductibles and while it isn't that much we would have to start over with that, but I can't make him do it. 
Been in therapy and on antidepressants in the past

and ended up worse off than I was to start with, especially since my therapist told me that he didn't believe I had been sexually abused and that I was just seeking attention.  What a slap in the face that was.


I'm just in a rut.  This happens about every couple of years when life just seems to gang up on me.  


Physical Therapy Transcripiton

Hello! I'm looking for any of you that are experienced as Physical Therapy transcriptionists. Can anyone give me a head's up about transcribing in this specialty? I've done psychiatric for the past five years and am pretty sure I'll get this position I've applied for at a local clinic. Any support, resources, etc. would be fantastic!


Thanks in advance to all,


 


Terry


We aren't a therapy group here.
 Some of you need to get off it!
hormone replacement therapy
I have been on Premarin 1.25 mg since my 20's (surgical induced menopause) and on 0.9 mg for the past few years, am 53 and have absolutely no menopausal symptoms and no side effects of any kind. It is worth it.
how about couples therapy? Sounds like they will use it.
x
Have you considered Physical Therapy?
Or occupational therapy? There is a great need for it, it helps people, and you generally don't kill anyone (grin). While it takes a master's degree to be a physical therapist, the assistant is a 2-year degree.

I have an application in to the physical therapy program at my university, and I'm a little nervous because I'll be turning 50 my next birthday. On the plus side, I won't have children surreptitiously sticking the cat into a Ziplock bag while I'm trying to study this time.
Need some physical therapy websites
Just got a call for transcription for 2 physical medicine doctors and 5 physical therapist and they want me there tomorrow.  I'm looking for some websites for terminology/word list/samples that I can review.  Thanks.  Wish me luck.  This is a temp to hire position both onsite and at home.  Sounds good to me.  
I had thought about massage therapy...SM

I've been working in the office lately and the wellness department and employee health offer massages to employees and you can use payroll deduction to pay.  It's something like $10 for a 15 minute chair massage and $30 for a 30 minute table massage.  For the 15 minute massage, I could take a 15 minute break and run up and get a massage! 


Maybe I'll give it a try.  Maybe even worth a drive in once or twice a month for a massage when I'm back working at home!


Physical therapy website

Have been trying to find a good PT website. I Googled and did not find what I was looking for, which is a site that lists tests, like "cat and camel" and so forth.The sites I have found are not user friendly.


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.
Please excuse my typo above - physical therapy
nm
Physical therapy format needed...

I just started a new account which is typed in a form in Word.  It is not very efficient.  Can anyone suggest where I can find a basic format for transcribing physical therapy evaluations. 


Thanks


forgot to mention the massage therapy is
xx
IF by PT you mean Physical Therapy -- it's EASY! I love PT, don't get it where I work now tho
x
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