How to avoid hand pain when writing a lot

Have you ever been able to write an essay for a while and then your hands get tired? While this annoyance may seem like a trivial matter, the wrong posture and grip can actually cause problems in the long run. To write as comfortably as possible and avoid hand pain, it’s a good idea to spend some time learning writing techniques and pain relief tips.

Table of Contents

Practice correct writing technique

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Choose an easy-to-write pen or pencil. In general, you should choose a pen with a slightly larger diameter and soft cushion in the grip position.

Make sure the pen is smooth when writing, without losing focus or dragging across the paper.
Avoid buying pens that rattle or leave ink dots when writing.
Light pens are easier to balance, so are ideal for long periods of writing. With pencils, try choosing a darker type that can be used with less force, such as a 2B pen. ^{[1] X Research Source}

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Hold the pen loosely. Don’t squeeze your fingers around the pen or grip it too tightly. You don’t need to hold the pen tightly – just run the pen across the page. Imagine you are writing with a quill. Don’t forget that the ancients used to write with quills for many hours, and they certainly didn’t hold the pen tightly. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Hold the pen back up, leaving a little space away from the nib. ^{[3] X Research Sources}
Fountain pens are ideal for most people, because you don’t have to press too hard on the page.
Avoid using a ballpoint pen if you’re not comfortable, as the design of ballpoint pens requires you to press harder when writing. Ballpoint pens are also often produced cheaply. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

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Write slowly as you begin to hold the pen in a new style. If you’ve held the pen incorrectly in the past and have just adjusted it, start slowly. Muscle memories take a while to take effect, so you should only learn to write faster once you’ve gotten used to the correct grip and your handwriting is neat. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Don’t get discouraged and switch to the wrong spelling even though you can write faster.

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Gently press the pen onto the paper. Choose a good pen so you don’t have to press too hard, then move the pen gently and evenly across the page. If you prefer to use a pencil, try using the softest pencil.

Try using gel pens or water-based ballpoint pens. This is a worthy investment if you regularly write for a long time. Some gel and water-based inks also flow smoothly enough that you don’t have to squeeze and press hard.

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Use your whole arm when writing instead of just your fingers. Writing is different from drawing! You need to keep your hand and wrist steady while moving both arms using elbows and shoulders (like when you write on a whiteboard). Avoid using the muscles of your fingers – this may sound counterintuitive, but in fact the fingers should only be used to hold the pen. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

The most common way to hold a pen is to place the pen on the index and middle fingers, using the thumb to hold the pen in place. Another way to hold the pen is to place the index and middle fingers on top, the thumb holding the pen. ^{[7] X Research Sources}
Another less common way of holding the pen is to clamp the pen between the index and middle fingers, holding the pen in place with the thumb.
Calligraphers (experts in fine handwriting) usually hold the pen with their thumb and index finger, resting the pen lightly on the tip of the index finger.

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Review and evaluate your pen grip. You may not have paid much attention to how to hold a pen since your early elementary years, but now you should.

Is your hand in a neutral position? You should try to keep your wrist straight, do not bend or bend your wrist when writing.
Do you have to stretch or strain to reach the page or table top? Move the table, chair, and paper until it feels comfortable.
Are other things around the workplace comfortable? Is the height of the table and chairs right for you? Can you see and reach the page without straining or stooping? Are other essentials (like staples or phones) within reach?
Do your wrists, arms, and elbows have support, at least when you stop writing?

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Practice correct posture . Sit up straight, shoulders back, chest forward, avoid leaning over the table. If you lean over the desk to work, your neck, shoulders and arms will get tired very quickly.

When you have to sit and write for a long time, you should change your posture. Sit back and forth in a chair, trying to lean back from time to time.
Maintain the correct posture for proper breathing – slouching can lead to a decrease in oxygen levels, as you will then be using the top of your lungs instead of the bottom of your lungs to breathe, and that’s how you breathe. inefficient due to reduced gravity. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Take a break from time to time

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Take a break to relieve your body of stress. You should add more time to write. Unless you’re working on a final exam and you don’t have a choice, get up and go for a walk for a minute or two every hour (or less). Relax your hands, arms, and wrists during breaks.

Take a walk outside if you have time.

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Put down your pen every time you stop writing. For example, when you take a moment to think about your next thought, put down your pen, relax your hands, lean back in your chair, or even get up and go for a walk.

Take advantage of quick hand and finger exercises during the break.

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Limit writing time per day. If you’ve been writing for hours, take a break and come back later, even the next day. Try to spread your writing time over several days if possible. This is not easy to do when you study and work, but you should apply it every time you have the opportunity.

If you need to write a lot, try writing in short bursts instead of writing all at once for a long time.

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Join other activities the next day. If the day before yesterday you had to write continuously because of a test, essay or important ideas to take notes, the next day you should exercise a little. Go outside for a walk and get some fresh air to relieve stress.

Reducing stress by getting outdoors and participating in other activities is an especially important step in writing and helps writers avoid running out of ideas.

Relax your hands

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Raise your wrists as high as possible, fingers relaxed. Imagine you are hanging a ribbon from a clothesline high above your head. Raise your fingers, relax your wrists, and slowly lower your wrists as far as you can. Imagine you are smoothing the ribbon. Next, slowly raise your hand again as if you had a ball attached to your wrist.

Repeat the entire movement with the other arm about 5-100 times.

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Frequent stretching of hand/finger tendons. This exercise starts with straightening the fingers, then making a fist and extending the fingers again.

Repeat this movement several times, but alternately making three types of fists: fists with fingers extended, fists into fists, and fists with fingers bent like hooks. ^{[9] X Trusted Source Harvard Medical Schop Go to Source}

Consider medical treatment options

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Talk to your doctor if you experience frequent hand pain. If the measures you can take are not effective, you should consult your doctor. If most of your writing is at school or at work, ask if there’s a way around it. Your doctor can suggest solutions and help you work to handle your job better.

Some solutions include aligning your workspace to suit your size and work habits (such as a more appropriate height desk, sloping or raised table top), recording facilities, and more. and other ways of taking notes (such as transcribing or typing instead of handwriting).
Your doctor can also recommend an ergonomics specialist and make suggestions for improving your space and work habits.

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Splint your fingers if arthritis flares up. Splinting your fingers for two to three weeks can reduce inflammation during flares of arthritis. Measure your finger to determine the size of the brace you need to buy and attach it to your finger with medical tape. Make sure the sore finger is properly supported and aligned. ^{[12] X Trusted Source Harvard Medical Schop Go to Source}

You can also make your own with two straight, narrow objects (such as two pieces of cardboard), gluing one on the tip of your finger and the other on the end of your finger.
Seek medical attention if fingers feel pins and needles or are numb. These are signs that there is not enough oxygen and blood flow to the injured area.

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Wear a wrist brace to reduce inflammation. If you start to experience wrist pain, buy a wrist brace to help keep your wrist in a neutral position and reduce inflammation. You can also make your own wrist brace by wrapping your wrist with padding, such as fabric, and then securing it with a stiff object to the top or bottom of the wrist. ^{[13] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

Pharmacies and online providers sell a variety of braces.
Wear the splint for 2-3 weeks at night. Symptoms are often worse at night, because the hand is bent more when you sleep.
While not always effective, finger splints do not have the side effects of drug treatments.

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Buy non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). NSAIDs help relieve pain by blocking enzymes that cause inflammation. If possible, use a topical NSAID like Vptaren, which some experts say poses less of a health risk than an oral NSAID like Advil and Motrin.

NSAIDs are not effective in treating carpal tunnel syndrome.
Long-term use of NSAIDs for pain relief is often associated with stomach bleeding, ulcers, and an increased risk of heart attack.
Antichpinergic drugs such as Artane and Cogentin are preferable for the treatment of spasticity in writing (dystrophy of the hand.) ^{[14] X Source of Study}

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Ask your doctor about corticosteroid injections to reduce inflammation. Medicines are injected directly into the painful joints to reduce inflammation. The effects of the shot can last up to a year, although some people need more than one shot to be effective. ^{[15] X Research Source}

Steroid injections are commonly used to treat tendinitis, popliteal arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, elbow pain syndrome, and rotator cuff tendinitis.
Side effects of corticosteroid injections include: pain within 1-2 days of injection, hyperglycemia, thinning of the skin, lightening of skin color, tendon weakness, and allergic reactions in rare cases.

Advice

If your hand continues to hurt, relax for about 5 minutes. This may be enough to give the hand a rest.
Try a hand massage to loosen tight muscles.
Make sure your right arm is supported when you write. You will tire faster if you have to support the weight while writing.
Buy a document stand, a sloping writing desk, or a small writing desk to make working more comfortable.
Try different types of pens. Go online and look up “Ezgrip,” “Pen Again,” or Pilot’s “Dr. Grip.”
Stop writing from time to time. Set an alarm if you often work so hard that you forget the time. If the content of your notes stresses you out (either because it’s an important topic or because it affects your rankings), for example, take the initiative to relax your mind and body while you write.
Try using a different method of taking notes, such as typing.
If you use a computer to type, you need to keep your wrist in a neutral position and do not type too hard. Unlike typewriters, computers are most effective when you’re just touching them lightly, and you’ll be much gentler with your hands.
Try not to press too hard on the paper when writing. You will have more hand pain, the writing will not be beautiful and it will be more difficult to erase.

Warning

This article focuses on hand pain when writing, but other tasks that use fine motor skills can also cause hand pain. Sewing or other dexterous work will add to your pain.
The constant pain can lead to hand problems if you continue to write. If the pain is severe or doesn’t go away, ask your doctor to help you find preventive measures.
Heavy writing and similar activities can also cause strain on the back, neck, arms, and eyes, especially when the workplace is poorly organized. Do not ignore it if you feel pain in other places.

Steps