I got carpal tunnel syndrome from taking notes from uworld.. lol

[shigella123]

I'm getting so tired of taking notes down from Uworld that I can't even use my hand for other things anymore. It hurts so bad. I have been taking notes by typing and writing from uworld, drawing charts and other things couple times. So, now I think I have carpal tunnel syndrome. I wish I was both right and left handed, lol, so I could use my left hand at this point. There is a lot of info not in FA and there is no space left in FA to put in and having separate notebook is more time consuming to flip through when you are looking for something.

So, I stopped taking notes. I just draw the diagrams and go through charts and read the educational objective.

What other way can we go through uWorld without taking notes as my hand is killing me now? Any ideas? Plz help ...

I think I will search for other people's uworld notes online to go through.

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[Moose A Moose]

Lol. May cut into EC activity...

 

[wb1]

I'm not sure if you are using too much pressure when you write-try to use a super fine lead pencil and see if you frequently break the leads.

I would suggest using half-fignered gel gloves designed for mountain bike for typing/using computer in general. try using mouse with both hands. it's easy to train your left hand to use the mouse without changing the configuration. you will thank me later for the gel gloves!

btw, what the hell is world?

I'm getting so tired of taking notes down from Uworld that I can't even use my hand for other things anymore. It hurts so bad. I have been taking notes by typing and writing from uworld, drawing charts and other things couple times. So, now I think I have carpal tunnel syndrome. I wish I was both right and left handed, lol, so I could use my left hand at this point. There is a lot of info not in FA and there is no space left in FA to put in and having separate notebook is more time consuming to flip through when you are looking for something.

So, I stopped taking notes. I just draw the diagrams and go through charts and read the educational objective.

What other way can we go through uWorld without taking notes as my hand is killing me now? Any ideas? Plz help ...

I think I will search for other people's uworld notes online to go through.

 

[caligirl583]

Hey shigella
I had a similar problem with carpal tunnel because of over-typing. I switched to handmade flashcards for Uworld wrong answers, which seemed to help. It would also be a good idea to wrap your hand at night or use a brace. I also found ibuprofen helpful in keeping the pain at bay when it was really bothering me.

 

[shigella123]

I'm not sure if you are using too much pressure when you write-try to use a super fine lead pencil and see if you frequently break the leads.

I would suggest using half-fignered gel gloves designed for mountain bike for typing/using computer in general. try using mouse with both hands. it's easy to train your left hand to use the mouse without changing the configuration. you will thank me later for the gel gloves!

btw, what the hell is world?

Thanks for your suggestion.. I have a brace/splint on my right hand. I might try the gel gloves you mentioned too. And with *uworld* I meant USMLE world question bank. 🙂

 

[shigella123]

Hey shigella
I had a similar problem with carpal tunnel because of over-typing. I switched to handmade flashcards for Uworld wrong answers, which seemed to help. It would also be a good idea to wrap your hand at night or use a brace. I also found ibuprofen helpful in keeping the pain at bay when it was really bothering me.

Yeah, I have been taking Ibuprofen and have a brace on. What's handmade flashcards and where do you get them? I'm sure I'm not the only one suffering with this...

Wouldn't handmade flashcard require me to write the notes down on the cards? I have been looking online for other peoples notes and didn't find much around. So, I will have to continue to use my hand until the exam is over.

 

[tartrate]

I'm getting so tired of taking notes down from Uworld that I can't even use my hand for other things anymore. It hurts so bad. I have been taking notes by typing and writing from uworld, drawing charts and other things couple times. So, now I think I have carpal tunnel syndrome. I wish I was both right and left handed, lol, so I could use my left hand at this point. There is a lot of info not in FA and there is no space left in FA to put in and having separate notebook is more time consuming to flip through when you are looking for something.

So, I stopped taking notes. I just draw the diagrams and go through charts and read the educational objective.

What other way can we go through uWorld without taking notes as my hand is killing me now? Any ideas? Plz help ...

I think I will search for other people's uworld notes online to go through.

I've had to deal with RSI as well. Switching hands might not help as much as you idealize, as you will quickly develop symptoms in the other hand as well (at least for me it did, and I've heard of similar accounts from other people).

I had to tailor my learning based on my physical characteristics as well, which mean a lot less note-taking and a lot more underlining of books. It might feel a bit weird at first, but why don't you try transitioning into a system with less note-taking? Your health first, then studying, because you cannot effectively do the latter optimally without the former. Medication was suggested above; you can also try doing certain stretches to open up your carpal tunnel. PT may help too.

As for making your own flash cards as suggested above, you're still using your hands (writing instead of typing). And I'm not sure getting other people's notes would help, since everyone's learning and knowledge base is different. Someone who was a biochemistry major who did research on glycogen storage diseases would obviously have a different set of notes than someone else who studied engineering. So in other words, this search of yours may be not such a good use of time and effort (just trying to save you the trouble here).

 

[shigella123]

I've had to deal with RSI as well. Switching hands might not help as much as you idealize, as you will quickly develop symptoms in the other hand as well (at least for me it did, and I've heard of similar accounts from other people).

I had to tailor my learning based on my physical characteristics as well, which mean a lot less note-taking and a lot more underlining of books. It might feel a bit weird at first, but why don't you try transitioning into a system with less note-taking? Your health first, then studying, because you cannot effectively do the latter optimally without the former. Medication was suggested above; you can also try doing certain stretches to open up your carpal tunnel. PT may help too.

As for making your own flash cards as suggested above, you're still using your hands (writing instead of typing). And I'm not sure getting other people's notes would help, since everyone's learning and knowledge base is different. Someone who was a biochemistry major who did research on glycogen storage diseases would obviously have a different set of notes than someone else who studied engineering. So in other words, this search of yours may be not such a good use of time and effort (just trying to save you the trouble here).

Hey,

I agree with you, our health should be a priority. I have found other ways to go about note taking because I didn't want to use anyone's notes. It might sound funny, but I record myself now. Only the questions I get wrong or don't understand and listen to it as much as I can. I think that's way better than writing all those notes. My wrist feels a lot better now after I stopped using it so much for the notes. I hope you are doing well too.

 

[bikeanyok]

I might try the gel gloves you mentioned too. And with *uworld* I meant USMLE world question bank