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Sounds like you need to learn proper typing form. Ergonomics are important for long-term health.
Also using somethikg to get your wrists to a comfortable hight can help... and daily wrist stretching
I type with all ten fingers but I'm also almost 40 and took typing classes as early as second grade, I haven't had to even think about form in decades.
typing classes where a thing in the 2,000s as well except we got to learn how to type well by shooting down asteroids
43 and same. They don’t teach typing anymore. I have a teenager getting ready for college and we’re spending the next year learning form so she can function on her own better.
Yeah, I think future generations are turning more to their phones, so that's kind of killing the development of typing skills. And not just those. I met a young man working at an apartment complex we were considering, and no one was in the office, so we were annoyed and confused. We didn't know if they'd be back in a bit or if they were closed because there was no sign. We finally caught him on our way back, and he said the reason he didn't put the "be back soon" sign up was because it had a little analog clock so that clients could see when they should return. He told us he can't read an analog clock. And that, along with typing, has not gone away. There are multiple uses for telling analog time. It's not like I wanted him to use a pager and a rotary phone. These are skills they used to teach in third grade and kindergarten respectively. What happened?
My son argues that "pecking" is faster that learning how to type. I get it I was like that as a kid too. I was forced to learn to type with my first Data Entry job. It's exhilarating. For more than just agronomical gains you will get from learning it, it's a sense of freedom. You fly above the keyboard rather than be grounded in it (where is that D key at?) It's slow to start but it picks up speed quickly.
This sub may have been stupid before I joined, but it certainly isn’t straying away from it.
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Your wrists should be raised and the palm of your hand slightly curved. Your fingers should be doing very little of the motion; most of it should be your hand and arm (I mean, physiologically, your fingers \*can't\* do any of the motion; they're just bone and tendon pulled by muscles further up your wrist. But if you drop your wrist to rest it on the keyboard and then move your finger, you're straining those wrist muscles that \*do\* move your fingers). Your hands should also be relaxed, and you should make sure you're facing the keyboard face-on.
I'm going to assume that you have a health issue that keeps you from using 10 fingers typing. Try looking into a wrist wrest or even braces.
"I am doing something wrong. Is it normal to have a different outcome to doing it correctly?" Just learn to type. Will take you a week max to develop proper typing habits. It's not a particularly challenging skill to adopt.
Learn your home keys, I use every finger I've got on a 40% keyboard. Also make sure your keyboard is at the correct angle for your wrists. I can type solidly for a few hours and then my fingers get tired before my wrists do. I did most of my writing on a typewriter (it was cheaper to get ribbon for a thrift store machine than a whole computer) so I went through a huge adjustment going to a pc/keyboard.
That's carpal tunnel syndrome. Get a pad from Amazon on which to rest your wrists. I promise you, it makes a huge difference.
I type with 10 fingers. Often I have used an ergonomic keyboard, where there is wrist support and slightly angled sides of the sets of left and right keys, like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Natural-Ergonomic-Keyboard-Business/dp/B079YZHFL1 It took a little bit of getting used to, but while I've been working now on my laptop, I will admit it's more natural to use that ergonomic keyboard. It can also be set upon your lap so that your shoulders are also completely relaxed.
Yes, maybe a typing course for hand placement, you don't want bigger issues later. Now if anyone can suggest anything for the burning pain between my shoulder blades when I am on a roll, I would appreciate it. I was thinking of that posture holder thing...
Posture holder things that u strap on and hold your body in a specific position are reducing the muscles and therefore worsen your posture over time. They should only ever be used if advised by a doctor. What you can do is a lot of physical training and regular posture changes even if it is just stretching every 30 minutes or similar. Having the keyboard on the right hight (in upright posture 90° angle with your elbows I believe, better double check that) and the screen on the right hight (also check that I always forget it) you will automatically use a better posture.
There are a bunch of free programs available if you want to learn touch typing. It’ll only take you a few weeks if you put some time in every day. Before I learned touch typing, I used maybe 4 fingers all on one hand, and I didn’t have any pain after long writing sessions.
https://www.typing.com/student/lessons
Use this. Typing using 10 fingers is a massive improvement.
I can't imagine trying to type out a novel one finger at a time.
I mean, is there any other way?
The issue is not writing with 10 or less fingers, but you have an ergonomics proplem.
Alternatively (ro complementary) you have an underlying medical condition that — on its own — is not causing you trouble, but as soon as you start working with a keyboard, it triggers pain.
In either case: ask a professional. An ergonomist and/or a physical therapist.
To help them, I suggest setting up your phone to record snippets of how you work, otherwise they pretty much have to visit you in order to diagnose what is wrong with your work posture.
----
Now you may be thinking: "I want to try out things myself first, before I ask a professional."
Also look up exercises for your wrist. In many sports and hobbies like fencing and crocheting there is a decently high risk for wrist injuries wich is reduced by those exercises.
I’m old. We had to learn typing in high school. On typewriters. Fantastic skill to have. When I’m on fire I can write 30-35 wpm original work. Get an old copy of Mavis Beacon. Probably a couple bucks on eBay
Yep. I'm class of '85. I got the basics on an IBM with the ball. Then in college I wrote enough to develop speed.
I wouldn't say I type "properly" but I do use a lot of habits I learned in typing class, like reading your fingers on the middle row and focusing more on the words on the screen than the keyboard. The way I see it is the closer you are to typing "properly" the easier if a time you will have. Just building that habit is the hard part.
I write with 10 fingers amd never had any problems.
No, my wrists don't hurt and I even have arthritis. If you use all yourfingers, you won't need to move your wrists that much especially if your hands are a similar size to the writing portion of your keyboard. Size up or down as needed, if you have small hands they make very compact keyboards, big hands get a bigger keyboard etc
You should definitely learn to type with all ten fingers, I can type for hours a day and my hands don't hurt in the slightest afterwards.
I definitely use all ten fingers and would highly recommend learning to do so! It not only helps your wrists but also will improve your typing speed massively. That said, I did have some wrist issues on and off for a while. As it turned out, my chair was an awkward height, which meant I had to hold my wrists at a weird angle to type. After hours of that they ached like a bad word. So it is probably partially your typing method, but it might be more than that as well!
Get an ergonomic keyboard if you have problems with this. There are many designs. Go to a computer store if you can and try some. I have a friend that uses a split one, looks really weird and almost sci-fi. Logitech and Microsoft has some good ones. Also get one with good-feeling mechanical switches. Personally I don't have this problem for some reason, but I know others who do.
This. I touch-type with all ten digits, which is certainly helpful, but between writing, my job, age, my phone, and gaming, my wrists started going crazy last year. I got an ergonomic keyboard, and it helped a lot. But also, I got an ergonomic mouse. It’s vertical-ish so you hold your wrist at a much different angle, and I think that helped the most. Good luck!
I can't add images here, but there's a meme from the Simpsons where an old dude says "pathetic" and that's kinda how it feels to read this 😅
I don't get pain because I type in a flurry, then stop and think, type some more, fret and obsess, repeat. Plenty of downtime.
I use all 10 but I also had computer class in middle school where we had the home row drilled into us. Im also haunted by a poster of a chicken sitting at a computer with big bold letters saying, "NO PECKING" 🫠🫠🫠 I've never really run into issues as far as comfort, but having a cushy pad for your wrists to rest on helps 🤟🤟
mine do, compression gloves help me tho
Get a compression sleeve for your wrist.
Buddy, you probably have an ergonomics problem. Get that sorted before you think the problem is typing itself.
It's called touch typing and the answer is it gets a bit uncomfortable if you do intensive non stop typing for prolonged time, still best way to type though.
I wish I had the dedication to write long enough for my wrists to hurt. I have occasionally hurt my wrist overdoing it with PC gaming. Yeah you should learn to type it'll give you less wrist pain I bet, plus your method sounds painfully slow. I'm sure it won't be that fun having to pick up typing later in life, but it's like riding a bike, once you learn it you'll know it permanently
I strongly suggest researching ergonomics and taking a proper typing class. If your typing is causing you pain, you're simply doing it wrong. It's not normal to experience pain after typing for a while.
As a middle-aged person who types for a living, I doubt the problem is four fingers vs ten. More likely it’s about repetitive strain using bad positioning. For me, having a laptop on my lap or very close to my body leads to problems. This could be caused by the typing, or the mouse/trackpad usage. For example, I use a split-key keyboard https://a.co/d/00EBnpeV And a vertical mouse similar to: https://a.co/d/0c2h9L4k Also, I adjust my chair and table height to keep my arms parallel to the ground and my wrists flat. Ergonomics and angles of your body and wrists make a huge difference!
Like others, I highly recommend typing with all your fingers. Also get one of those wrist rests, they make a huge different and are much more comfortable. I tried one at work and never looked back. You can also do speech to text. I use that sometimes on Microsoft Word. I will turn on dictation and just talk out whatever I'm working on. This is a great option when my brain is too scrambled to type or write the words out. Then I go back and edit/delete. It doesn't fully replace typing, but it can give your hands and wrists a break sometimes.
the edge of the laptop sometimes gives me what i can only describe as "laptop cut" but all good. work within your means
Keyboards (unless you’re using a high-end ergonomic mechanical number) have gotten worse, going for sleekness over comfort with long-term use. I learned to “touch-type” as they called it on an IBM Selectric; never had a problem with wrist/hand pain (plus I was younger). Now, however, a few times a year I need to wear a wrist brace for a few days because of inflammation from contorting my fingers to be able type on my ThinkPad or Apple bluetooth keyboards for extended periods.
je ne pense pas que le problème vient de la manière de taper sur un clavier, malgré que le fait d'utiliser plus de doigts comme si c'était un piano est plus pratique.......... je pense que c'est beaucoup plus un problème d'articulation...!?
No, but I'm 34 and have been typing with all ten fingers for most of my life
I don't know if writing on my computer is the main cause of my wrist.
But this really helps with my wrist pain when I have it:
MTZION Red Light Therapy for Wrist Infrared Infrared Light Therapy Belt
Hope you find something that helps!
Ergonomics are no joke. Do not continue working on a PC if you have pain. You will eventually do permanent damage.
See this free guide from the US government:
I am completely pain free when I write because I have a proper ergonomic setup.
My son argues that "pecking" is faster that learning how to type. I get it I was like that as a kid too. I was forced to learn to type with my first Data Entry job. It's exhilarating. For more than just agronomical gains you will get from learning it, it's a sense of freedom. You fly above the keyboard rather than be grounded in it (where is that D key at?) It's slow to start but it picks up speed quickly.
I'm 67, almost 68. I don't have a problem with it. I taught myself touch typing, but I didn't do that much of it until the early 1990s, when my job became heavily PC-based. (I'm a software developer.) That's when I got good at it. I imagine maintaining good posture has a lot to do with not injuring your hands or wrists while typing.
Do you know proper typing form??
I took a touch-typing course. Best class I ever took. That helped. I used to have some tendency towards wrist pain, but I found that a better chair, reasonable chair and keyboard height, and an excellent keyboard (IBM Type M or UniComp equivalent are the best) kept the problem almost theoretical. Before I had things set up right, I'd sometimes switch which hand I used for the mouse, since my mouse hand always suffered the most. Haven't had to do that in years, though.
I got a good elevated keyboard and learned to touch type and now I'm good. I used to type exclusively on a mac laptop with a low profile keyboard, and my form was terrible lmao. Look into touch typing, there are tons of free resources to learn online! After a couple weeks of dedication it'll change your life a little.
I've typed with 10 fingers, since I learned to type. I'm a gamer and I write, so you can imagine how much ticking I do on a daily basis. Still, 0 pain. I'm guessing it will improve if you started typing with all 10, but would it go away? Who knows. Do some wrist exercises too, they do help.
You need to learn to type better. I got arthritis and it doesnt make my wrists hurt
You know; they used to sticker up keyboards so you'd learn to type blind; i often realise that when i'm paying attention to my keyboard i often make more mistakes than when i'm just focussing on the writing
I almost exclusively type on my laptop, and have never run into wrist pain that stayed beyond a quick stretch. I do have some issues with my fingers, so they can ache a little after a few hours, but they kinda always do that.
Yeah that would definitely take a number on your wrist. Typing for long enough with any amount of fingers will start to bother your hands but learning to type with 10 can prolong how long that takes to happen. I don’t know how wide your keyboard is but try to delegate just one side to each hand most of the time to stop reaching over so frequently.
I can type with all ten fingers but that's just because I took typing classes when I was younger and then I spent maybe the last 15 years furthering my skills by typing pretty much all the time. Although, now I'm painfully aware that my left pinky hovers mostly while I'm typing unless I need to tab or caps lock. Like suddenly being aware I breathe through my nose.
Sounds like you are not typing in an ergonomic way. This could range from the height of your chair in relation to the keyboard, to using the keyboard legs, and even that wrist pillow a few inches behind your keyboard. You may need a better keyboard too... because one finger ir 10 fingers, youre still hurting at the wrist, not the finger/knuckle.