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That dreaded pain in your hand when you've been writing too much

1

This is especially common in essay writing exams, which btw is my next one, and its such a bane when your exam is 2hrs+ long. Any helpful advice? I know there are hand exercises but those take more time than just wafting my hand (which is more effective to me personally). It seems that using a pen with a small diameter also helps me in that my hand can keep writing for a longer time without that pain.

As well as that ache in my hand in exams, I also get this ache in my neck when I look down at my paper for a long time. This seems to be because I'm tall but I can't change that so does anyone have advice on this as well?

It's really irritating from my experience.

Reply 1

milly.

12

I get that. I find dosing myself up with painkillers before the exam works quite well.

Reply 2

motiv3

9

i know exactly what you mean marsden...espically in history, R.S and english...espically when your trying to finish the exam in like 2-3 minutes lol.

What i tend to do is basically with the hand thing, let my hand dangle so the blood flows to it which reduces the pain for me...dont know if it works for others.

The neck pain thing...i cant really answer that one, because im quite short lol so i dont tend to get it..

Reply 3

Smile_Please

5

HeY I was just thinking that very problem as i was reading this, i have a massive indent on my middle finger, which is always a sign of exam times *sigh* i find taping up your fingers helps as well as wrapping something aroudn the pen, i think the best advice is just to lose urself in the exam (if thats possible) and then clutch hand afterwards! good luck with it all :smile:

Reply 4

SAZZY12345

10

omg that happened in my rs exam. my hand was so sore i wanted to give up.
i didnt do anything about it i just continued writing and it got really messy

Reply 5

Elitist

14

Rest for about 20 seconds or so and then carry on; it's usually towards the end of the exam so I don't think it should matter much. Even if it still aches a bit, continue writing; there's nothing much you can do. :frown:

Reply 6

TheBellJar

1

It's usually my little finger which takes the brunt of it all. I came out of my last exam with it swollen!

Reply 7

DarkWhite

17

State of mind. Rest your wrist for up to a minute, slowly flex it around, not vigorously, then forget that you ever had the pain. Also, for lengthy answers, take a moment to read the question and any other information very carefully without your pen in your hand. This will give it a good enough rest for the best part of the exam.

I got the pain right at the end of my English Literature paper, as in, the last 5 minutes :biggrin:

Reply 8

michaelbenson

12

I have this really weird thing where I like grab my pen and weave it inside and out each of my fingers, then tense my hand together. Heck, I don't know if this even works (seems to, might be more of a mental soother though), or if it was something I concocted in a minute of dire frustration at a hand cramp with 5 minutes remaining in my GCSE English Literature examination.

Reply 9

Nintendus

I type my exams due to having problems with this and unreadable handwriting.

However, when I do write I find it much more worthwhile to stop and flex indiidual fingers and the hand in general. Instead of trying to work through the pain. It also provides thinking time.

Reply 10

bigb99

I generally write really long, lenghty answers even for questions worth one mark... :s-smilie:

so I get this pain often. What I do is I crack my knuckles, then I take my compass and tell myself that everytime my hand starts to hurt I will stab myself. You'd be surprised at how much this method has helped me... lol. Also, I'm 6 foot 3, so I get that neck pain also. But no amount of stabbing helps me with that, so what I do is whenever I get the pain, I lean my head as far back it can go without me seeing the paper of the person behind me. I leave it there for like 30 seconds, then I continue writing.

Reply 11

johnboy91

When my hand starts to hurt I either try to work through(when there's hardly any time left in the exam) or I take a short break checking over my work. Usually does the trick for a while before I need to do it again

Reply 12

trixy17

I hate that lol i have a permanent indent on my index finger from the masses of writing i been doing these last few weeks!
In the exam i usually just shake my hand a bit. are you allowed water into your hall?a drink helps!!!
Painkillers...thats genius! never thought of it!thanx

Reply 13

adlondo

lol i'm 6'4 and i never get that neck pain thing, but that prob cause i sit straight, i think everybody who does essay type exams gets it, hell it kills my little finger it hurts even right now :P but i dont think dosing up on pain killers before an exam is a good idea :rolleyes:

you need your head clear. everybody has their own ways of getting rid of that pain, me i pull my little finger back and shake it that normally gets rid of it

Reply 14

kellywood_5

17

Shake your hand a bit and get on with it. Doesn't seem to be an awful lot you can do about it and it's worth having a sore hand for a while if you get the grade you want. I always get the indent on my finger as well, but apparently I hold a pen in a weird way (or so I've been told) so maybe that has something to do with it? I think I might grip it too tightly as well.

Reply 15

fabstar_786

DARN!!!! it's really painful...

i had 2 exams today, total timing of both was 4 hours 15 minutes...

(non stop writing)

and I have the same amount to go tomorrow!!!!

HELP!!!

Alright, i'll help myself and others here...

First, hold pen loose in hand...
second, when you write don't just move the wrist and hand, move the hold arm
Third, sit upright, straight,
Fourth, lean neck back for a bit, to one side for a bit, to the other for a little bit, look up (this should not take longer than 3 seconds or you are wasting precious exam time!)
Fifth, if you get an indent, then use a plaster there beforehand,
sixth, take painkillers beofre the exam (non-drowsy... the worst thing I think I did was to make myself fail by taking drowsy painkillers, or was it for hay fever.....and i'd revised and everything....but could not keep my eyes open)
Seventh just write even if your hand hurts, afterwards you can apply an ice or heat pack or some special spray or balm... (my friend uses deep heat spray), i use ice... just pick whatever you think is best and is readily available!

(edited 14 years ago)

Reply 16

Rainbow_Ninja

I feel your pain, I had a 2.5 hour history exam today and I nearly died x___X
Just let go of your pen and read through the question thoroughly, or check through your answer.
I always crack my knuckles as well but I sometimes get filthy stares lol :tongue:

Reply 17

18 Stars

Been there, done that today x_X Then I had DiDA after and a ****load of work for it, couldn't nearly feel my arm.

Reply 18

Felineyx

I always leave exams with an indent in my middle finger, a shiny little finger and a cramped hand, because I never held a pen 'properly.' I hold it far too close to the page, but it makes it legible.

Also - it's not only tall people who get neck pain. I'm 5'3" and I get this too, in every exam unless it's stupidly easy.

Reply 19

joe1976

I know where you're all at! I want to write a couple of timed practice papers but after half an hour I was aching and shifting pen position.....I thought I had better just stop and save my arm!!

I'm doing random 15 minute sections now but I'm scared this is my comfortable limit...:/

I have to question the integrity of any examination purporting to be testing your ability to store, process and represent digested information, theories and concepts; with such a heavy bias induced by physical discomfort!!!

That dreaded pain in your hand when you've been writing too much

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