writer's cramp

[mrcharly-YHT]

When I was a kid, I suffered greatly from writer's cramp. I'd get it after a single line; this caused me a lot of problems at school. I also spent my time out of school working on the farm and had hands like hams.

Fast forward 30years - I've started doing a lot of heavy work around the house (between last weekend and this I've moved 3ton of concrete rubble by hand). Writer's cramp is back. I write with a propelling pencil and hence don't press hard on the page.

Anyone else had similar experiences?
   
If there is a solution to writer's cramp out there I'd love to hear it.

[pcolbeck]

Is it not a tension thing rather than pressing hard on the paper? Much like the cramp that afflicts guitarists etc. Try practising to only grip the pencil as hard as is absolutely necessary and relaxing the rest of your hand and arm.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Possibly. I really really don't know.

[Kim]

If there is a solution to writer's cramp out there I'd love to hear it.

Keyboard?

Unless you're handwriting for the fun of it (and is it really that fun, if it causes pain?), once you leave school it seems to be entirely possible to get through life without writing anything more lengthy than the occasional sticky label or back-of-the-envelope calculation.

(Disclaimer: I'm biased, not being a natural handwriter.  I can do it neatly and without pain, but it's excruciatingly slow.  This caused no end of problems at school.  Being able to write without drawing each letter by hand was a revelation, and other than when doing maths, I never looked back.)


Otherwise, perhaps the pencil is too narrow.  Try something thicker, or one of those grip thingies?

[Fab Foodie]

Fountain pen?
I can no longer write with a biro for any length of time and am OK just about with a soft propelling pencil, but I can scribble-away for hours with a half decent fountain pen.

[mrcharly-YHT]

I need to take notes in meetings, when I go to ask questions of various people, etc.

Fountain pen - yeah that was a solution I used to use. Might need to go back to it.

[Kim]

I need to take notes in meetings, when I go to ask questions of various people, etc.

That sounds like a job for the late, lamented Psion 5

Fountain pen - yeah that was a solution I used to use. Might need to go back to it.

I always preferred those (or a really good rollerball) to a pencil for writing.  It glides across the page more smoothly, so perhaps causes less hand tension?

[chrisbainbridge]

I would hazard a guess that this is not true writers cramp but a cramp like feeling when writing.
I suspect that it is a form of chronic compartment syndrome of the small muscles in the hand.  If you have moved several tons of material by hand your hands will be swollen and the small muscles very much so.  Holding a small pencil (mainly a small muscle action) will then lead to problems.

If it is just one muscle then surgical release is very helpful.  However when it is the whole hand this is not really possible.  I would then recommend a much larger pencil.  Try using a squash ball or similar jammed onto the shaft of the pen. 

If you have to take notes then I would explore voice recognition.  Dragon dictate on the app store is remarkably good for taking and transcribing these sort of notes but needs a good connection.

[mrcharly-YHT]

That does sound like it.

When a teenager I did try those triangle things that slid on a pen - but they aren't very large, not compared to the squash ball that you suggest. The 'cramp' is largely in my little finger and muscles down the edge of my hand. I can feel it sort of coming on just when typing.

Dictation isn't really practical - and I only have a write  a few words for my hand to start to seize up!

[chrisbainbridge]

Alternatives
how old are you?  could be your neck.

Could also be a trapped nerve at elbow.

I would try the squash ball size and report back to us so we can pretend to know what we are talking about and give facile advice!