Hand Exercises for Letter Writers

Photo provided by Rebecca Connor
(also the hand model)

Yes! A reader-requested topic. Tina, this is for you!

After finishing writing her Giftmas cards, Tina's hand was in a bad way. She posted about it on Facebook & tagged me, suggesting that I do a post on hand exercises for letter writers. It's long past the time now for marathon Giftmas card-writing (unless you're really behind or starting really early), but it's never too late to start preparing for your next session.

I have wrist issues (more at end of post), and I've been meaning to check out some ways to help my poor wrists, but you don't need a repetitive strain injury (RSI) to get achy hands - anyone who overdoes it can get sore. Marathon card-writing is just one way. There are plenty of other hobbies with repetitive motions that can require stretches and/or exercises: gaming and needlecrafting (knit, crochet, etc.) are just a couple of examples.

Disclaimer

Part of my outgoing Xmas
cards for 2015

I'm not anywhere close to a medical professional. What I'm doing is relaying things I've read that made sense, and linking to some sources. What you do with this info. is entirely up to you. I recommend that you do your own research and, if you have actual pain that doesn't go away, see a doctor. I put off seeing one for a very long time. I even figured out a new way to write that required very little use of my thumb*, but actually seeing a doctor would have helped get me relief earlier: there are treatments and simple tools that are good for RSIs, arthritis, etc.

This post is about strategy as well as exercises, because I think both are important and because I'm not qualified to write an entire article about exercises (see above).

Strategy
Make sure you're sitting at a table/desk with both chair & writing surface at a comfortable height. (I always write better at a desk/table, but most of the time, I'm using a clipboard on the couch. Old (bad) habits die hard, I guess.)

This year, I started out at a table.
(I didn't stay there, though.)

Observe your writing style, particularly how you hold your pen. If you find that you're writing with a death grip on it, look for a larger barrel or a cushion grip to make the barrel larger and easier to hold.

Take a look at your pen & how it writes. Besides how comfortable it feels in your hand, look at the ink flow. Does the pen skip or does it require more pressure, which can add strain? Try a bunch of different pens. They don't have to be pricey: my favorite pen for writing & addressing cards** costs $2, and the fountain pens I use for writing letters are under $5 (plus ink). I'm also a big fan of Sharpie pens, which cost around $3 each. Of course, you can spend more: what's important is that you can write smoothly, with as little pressure as possible.

During your writing session, take regular breaks and do some basic stretches.

There is also this concept of starting earlier and working in multiple sessions, but that's just crazy talk.

Exercises
Check out this web.md article about hand and finger exercises, which I'm going to start trying (the site sucks; sorry about that). Some will loosen tense muscles and some may help strengthen your grip. #9 specifically mentions holding a pen and writing. Note: if you have - or think you have - an RSI, take care (see disclaimer): the ring finger stretch (#6) irritated my carpal tunnel and one exercise has a notation to not do it if you have a thumb joint injury.

Just a few minutes on YouTube revealed that there are a TON of videos from all kinds of people claiming to be professionals, and a lot of them seemed to contradict each other. I liked this video - although it is geared towards gamers, the strategies and stretches seem common sense and low-impact (some of the stretches on other videos scared the shit out of me). Dr. Levi suggests taking regular breaks, submersing hands in warm water, and stretching regularly. 

Fun with ortho splints

My Wrist Stuff
I have De Quervain syndrome (right hand), plus carpal tunnel (left). I also sucked my thumb*** into my college years (unconsciously). I cope pretty well now because I no longer do the kind of work that led to the aggravation, refuse to work at a self-injuring pace, and learned how to do certain things (like mousing) with my weak hand, so I can switch if I start having issues. I have not been able to learn how to legibly write with my left hand, but maybe someday. (Have you ever tried it? It makes me very tense and anxious and makes me sympathize with left-handed children (like my dad) who, decades ago, were forced to learn how to write with their right hands (mostly for religious whack-job reasons).)

With all of the precautions I take, I have more issues with my hands while I'm sleeping than when I'm writing, so I sleep in thumb-stabilizing wrist splints (not as extreme as those pictured here, whew) and only wear one during the day when needed. My doctor doesn't seem to be concerned at all with me exercising my hands/wrists, but I'm going to try - if I can do it without pain.

Footnotes

*I call this my "injured thumb pen hold." Can you see how little my thumb is involved in holding the pen? (The quality of the original video from 3½ years ago was too poor, so I've recreated it. Pardon the ink stains.)

**The Pilot envelope address-writing pen comes in 3 point sizes. If you get them all (recommended), don't worry about the fact that there isn't a word of English on the label to tell you which is which. Look at the little oval on the pen cap. The broad (shown above) is black, the fine point has a black border and the extra fine has no border. It only took me two years to notice that (there is a tiny code on one sticker that also tells, but the pen cap is sooo much easier)!

***Probably not a factor.