Aches & Pains / Question
Published: November 10, 2008
Dear TeenHealthFX,
This may sound like a stupid question but it's imperative that i find an answer. i am a junior in high school, and my work load has tripled this year. I am in ap classes that want everything entirely hand written, and i write for about seven or eight hours each day. the muscle between my thumb and index finger constantly swells and hurts. it's like writers cramp, only all the time. if you feel the area and compare it to my left hand it's considerably bigger and i can't seem to make it go away. i REALLY need to be able to write without the constant throbbing and pain. thanks for the help i could really use it! :)
Signed: Hand Muscles Constantly Ache From So Much Schoolwork
Dear Hand Muscles Constantly Ache From So Much Schoolwork,
It sounds like you are straining the muscles in your right hand from all of the writing you are doing. Seven to eight hours is certainly a significant amount of writing to be doing every day and can cause subsequent pain in the hand used for writing. Using the same muscles for long periods of time can strain and overwork them causing pain and inflammation of the muscles (which is the swelling you are noticing).
FX recommends that you meet with your primary care physician so that he/she can examine your hand, ensure that the writing you are doing is the main cause of your symptoms, and come up with a treatment plan to reduce the pain you are experiencing. Your doctor may recommend that you meet with a physical therapist or massage therapist for treatment that will help to heal your hand muscles. Your doctor may also recommend that you do certain exercises to strengthen the muscles in your hand once the muscles have healed. Finally, your doctor may recommend (and write a note to the school stating so) that you should be allowed to do more of your work on a computer or laptop at school because you are prone to hand injuries from the amount of writing required each day.
As far as a home remedy, if the area is swollen and inflamed, FX recommends that you use an icepack on the area to reduce the swelling. While icing your hand can help ease the pain and swelling, FX suggests that this not be the only solution that you use for the problem. It is important to meet with your doctor so you can get suggests on how to properly heal your muscles and how to prevent this kind of injury in the future.
If you don't have a doctor and live in northern
Signed: TeenHealthFX
Persons aged 15-24, who represent only 14% of the 
