Writing, typing and piano practice "hurt his arms."

[chilliepepper]

Whenever it's time to do any writing, typing or piano practice, my son comes down with a serious strain of Tired Hand Disease known as Tired Arm Disease.

 

Serious question. Do you think this needs medical attention, or would More Exercise of the Writing, Typing and Piano Practice Muscles be a better treatment plan? His current exercise regimen (most days) includes a page of Pentime cursive, a math lesson (usually 45 minutes worth which includes some writing but not that much), 15 minutes of typing practice (which we often don't get to), and 15 minutes of piano practice.

 

Thanks!

[maize]

Do the arms hurt when he engages in any activities of his choice--climbing, bike riding, eating, playing video games?

 

If not, I would not have medical concerns.

 

It is possible that his hands and arms are tense when writing or practicing piano; if so you can work with him on learning to relax during those activities. Tension is quite common and is not helpful for either.

 

Beyond that you could suggest that he needs to strengthen his arm muscles, the remedy being ten push-ups for every complaint.

 

I'd try relaxation first though.

[MomatHWTK]

Could be legitimate strain due to poor positioning or tenseness. I would research repetitive strain injuries. I developed wrist injury from poor writing position. 

[chilliepepper]

Do the arms hurt when he engages in any activities of his choice--climbing, bike riding, eating, playing video games?

 

If not, I would not have medical concerns.

 

It is possible that his hands and arms are tense when writing or practicing piano; if so you can work with him on learning to relax during those activities. Tension is quite common and is not helpful for either.

 

Beyond that you could suggest that he needs to strengthen his arm muscles, the remedy being ten push-ups for every complaint.

 

I'd try relaxation first though.

 

Nope...no issues with activities that he enjoys! ;)

 

But yeah, it could well be tension. He is quite tense about schoolwork in general.

[chilliepepper]

Could be legitimate strain due to poor positioning or tenseness. I would research repetitive strain injuries. I developed wrist injury from poor writing position. 

 

That's true. You are reminding me that I've been meaning to look into correct desk/chair height for kids related to their size. How do we make sure we get this right?

[MomatHWTK]

I have a little more time to write now. Ergonomics is the field that addresses proper body positioning for work, etc. If your elbows are bent at the wrong angle or you are holding your pencil too tightly- these things can cause nerves to be pinched and cause pain or even lost function. 

 

Here's a visual guide: 

http://www.ergotron.com/tabid/305/language/en-US/default.aspx

 

If your child is at the 'wrong' height when playing piano, or tensing up (or both) I can believe it troubles him. My oldest and middle son both have a HUGE amount of trouble with handwriting. They do Ok with typing. Hand strength can be an issue, too. 

 

http://www.ot-mom-learning-activities.com/hand-exercises-for-kids.html

[PeterPan]

I'm having a little trouble here telling if you think you actually have a medical problem or not.  My dd had complaints of hand pain for years.  So are you saying he's a complainer and you want to know if more work will help his attitude?  Or are you actually asking whether more of the same will make actual physical problems better?  

 

For actual physical problems, depending on the age and what's going on, it is probably time for an OT eval.  Both of my kids have had them and both needed OT.  My dd's pain with writing improved within 1-2 months of OT, and the answer was NOT more writing.

 

So if you think you actually have a physical problem, get an OT eval and get it figured out.

Edited October 10, 2016 by OhElizabeth

[chilliepepper]

I'm having a little trouble here telling if you think you actually have a medical problem or not.  My dd had complaints of hand pain for years.  So are you saying he's a complainer and you want to know if more work will help his attitude?  Or are you actually asking whether more of the same will make actual physical problems better?  

 

For actual physical problems, depending on the age and what's going on, it is probably time for an OT eval.  Both of my kids have had them and both needed OT.  My dd's pain with writing improved within 1-2 months of OT, and the answer was NOT more writing.

 

So if you think you actually have a physical problem, get an OT eval and get it figured out.

 

I don't know if it's a medical problem. I'm asking other parents if they think it sounds like one, or if in their experience this is usually just a kid not wanting to do their work.

 

It sounds like you think it may be medical. I do have him scheduled for a behavioral evaluation at our pediatricians' practice; do you think that would be a good context for bringing up this issue, or does an OT eval need to be a separate appointment? The nurse that scheduled the appointment mentioned ADHD/ADD as one of the main things they screen for, but said that we could also discuss the arm issue and the doc can evaluate whether OT would be needed.

[Guest]

It can absolutely be an issue. Can you see the tendons in his hands? Is he grasping with a claw grip to write? Are his shoulders and elbows locked or raised? I have my kids hold a 2 inch pompon in their writing hand to help keep their grip loose and it still tightens if I'm not watching closely. That can definitely cause hand fatigue. So can a keyboard that is too high. 90 degree elbow bend and hands gently drifting downward off of that is the way to go. Anything tight, tense, or the wrong angle can cause real damage and definitely wears the hand out faster.

 

Now, he could be a whiner. But I'd be using fluid pens and trying to watch his ergonomics first before assuming so unless this only pops up on assignments he hates.

[PeterPan]

Go ahead and get the referral for the OT eval.  

 

You mentioned he's tense with school work.  I'd go ahead and get his eyes checked by a developmental optometrist (COVD.org) while you're at it.  Sometimes vision problems cause them to tighten their grip.  My dd has ADHD *and* she had vision problems needing VT *and* she got OT.  I wouldn't assume it's just one thing.  These are all pretty normal things to check.  

 

It's good that you're getting evals as well.  Is that behavioral with a ped or a psych?  With a ped is worthless except for a med scrip.  What you need is a psychologist referral.  Since you homeschool, you WANT the info from the psych report to help you make changes to how you work with him.  A ped diagnosis of ADHD can be incorrect, can miss co-morbid things going on, and doesn't give you information to improve how you work with him.  You REALLY want a psych eval.  

[MomatHWTK]

Ahhh... It is my ADHD boys who have trouble with handwriting and tensing up. Don't know if there is a scientific connection, but definitely anecdotal evidence from this house. 

[rainbowmama]

Are you teaching him piano or does he have a teacher? If he has a teacher, I would mention this complaint. Poor technique and posture can cause pain. 

[Arcadia]

You are reminding me that I've been meaning to look into correct desk/chair height for kids related to their size. How do we make sure we get this right?

Look at page 22 (for the desk/chair height), and 58, 59 (for the hand exercise) of PDF

https://www.education.tas.gov.au/documentcentre/Documents/Handwriting.pdf

 

My DS11 had tension in his hands sometimes, his is more of being so intense he forgot to relax when writing, playing his cello or my piano. His arms does not tense up when typing.