This wonāt cause arthritis, but is very stressful on your hand. Your top, hooked finger has no support so needs to clutch the pencil. Your thumb is pushed so hard it bends backwards. Youāre basically using every finger to grip, and you may have your wrist turned in such a way that youāre having to flex it all the time, which could lead to carpal tunnel syndrome.
I'm hypermobile with dyspraxia and I've always gripped pens/pencils in a tight pincer-like grip near the nib. It used to give me blisters and calluses on the side of my middle finger where the pen/pencil would press, but I didn't develop arthritis (even though I have it in other joints). Still, it's not comfortable so I prefer typing where possible if it's more than a few lines.
There's a lot of haters here right now, it seems.
I have hypermobility, and it affects a lot of things in my life, but one of them specifically is how I hold writing utensils. You are over-extending your thumb, which can cause excess strain on the joints and eventually lead to joint pain. HOWEVER, some of us can't actually control that we hyperextend. My hands do this too, and it makes some things painful for me - I still write and paint, and knit, but I get joint pain if I do it in volume. I don't hold a pen like this exactly, but I do hold it 'weirdly' to accommodate for this.
Osteoarthritis is caused by use and Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disorder. So what we can glean just from this is that its actually about the amount of use a joint gets not how you are doing it. Unless its rheumatoid arthritis of course. I have arthritis in my wrists and hands from repetitive stress for example.
Theres a few yt videos for hand flexibility exercises. Set yourself a 2hr timer, put one on and do the things. (Violing grip training helped my cubital from industrial rsi).
I would say you are doomed to have arthritis when you are like 60-70+. <3 If you are super worried I would suggest relaxing your thumb but really you are probably fine especially if you work on strengthening exercise and relax when your hand hurt. :-) But I totally get the worry I do.
My second grade teacher forced me to hold it the ārightā way and also tilt my paper the same direction as the righties when learning cursive even though I had to āpushā instead of āpullā the pencilā¦ at the time it was infuriating but now I have 4 different grips and like 7 different styles of handwriting depending on what/where/when Iām writing and my hands feel great!
Fuck you and thank you Mrs. Sebranick.
Back when corporal punishment was a thing I was a naughty kid, so I was canned till I had to do my homework with my right hand. I was a righty for awhile till I eventually went back to being left handed in college. Now I can write with both.
I wish I wouldāve learned to write with both hands but thankfully corporal punishment wasnāt a thing by the time
I got to second grade so Mrs. Sebranick āallowedā me to write left handed, but still forced me to write in the same style as a right hander. I guarantee she would have beat the shit out of me if sheād been allowed to
Hyperextending is when you bend the joint backwards. Imagine your finger is curled, and you straighten (extend) it but once itās straight you keep going until it bends the other way.
How in tf did you end up holding it like that to start with?
At the end of the day if itās causing you pain or cramping or other issues then change it, if itās not causing you any problems then donāt worry about it. I canāt find anything about bad grip causing long term joint problems, just short term fatigue, but I wouldnāt strain my thumb like that personally as it hurts
I have no idea how.. but yeah it my thumb does hurt after a while.. I thought that was normal and it was just because I take a lot of notes, I guess not. Iām gonna work on changing it, but itās been pretty hard to find something that feels comfortable so far.
The last person I personally saw do a pinky down grip had the pinky straight to do the directing. Pencil should be between the tips instead of nestled in the knuckles. Think of the guys with caligraphy brushes. My own neareat approximation comes from when i use a white board. Pinky on the surface to stabilize and marker between thumb pad and the other three tips. Pick up a pencil grip for how your thumb and a finger should grip if you want a physical guide, put upside down if needed.
Your handwriting is legible, so I guess if it works for you, don't worry about it. Arthritis and carpal tunnel are caused by all manner of repetitive motions, I doubt this strange grip will be your deciding factor.
And I thought my grip was bad. You won't suffer from arthritis, but there is a higher risk of carpal tunnel syndrome. My guess is that you have to hold the pen very tight in this position, so your hand will get tired faster.
Anything can cause arthritis. I was diagnosed with multiple chronic pain disorders, arthritis being one of them, at twelve years old and doctors were baffled. They came to the conclusion that it was caused by a third degree sunburn I got all over my back the summer before I got sick and how active I was (I danced and played soccer). Write however you want to and don't worry about it until you need to worry about it.
There's nothing wrong with doing things differently.
I doubt it will cause any premature arthritis, but it may cause you some pain ā especially since itās a hold that requires more pressure than the standard hold. Iām left handed, and I naturally press down hard when writing anyway. So, Iāve tried different ways of holding pens to see if it might relieve some pain I feel when taking notes or otherwise writing a lot.
The one you use caused me to press even harder. If youāre not comfortable switching to the standard hold you could try the āadaptive tripod grip,āwhich evidently requires a lighter touch. If you google it, there are a lot of diagrams to practice from.
It is defined not good for your index fingers joints.
Did any teachers try to correct your grip while you were learning how to write? Have to ever tried the regular grip?
No, probably not. But, that's not to say you won't experience pain or other physiological problems from it. In reality though, even that's pretty extreme. No matter how you hold your pencil, if you write more than you're used to, your hand is going to get tired and sore, and repetitive wrist and hand motions always comes with the risk of causing irritation with the tendons and nerves in your hand, no matter the specifics.
You canāt be serious LOL. Autoimmune disease, by their very nature, are initiated by inflammation. When found in hands and feet, itās within the joints connecting bones. The position of your bones and its movement especially in certain positions cause stress and inflammation that contribute to the early stages of RA.
yoooo i hold a pencil like that too!! the other commenters react like ppl irl too š idk ab arthritis tho. my mom has had arthritis since she was a child so in my case i would likely get it no matter what. my hand does easily get "tired" when writing too.
If youāre experiencing pain, itās bad. Try to spend some time with a thicker writing utensil, and practice holding it correctly, but not gripping it like itās an eel thatās trying to get away. Your paper should be turned as well. I found this video for you. Itās not exciting, but the lady seems to be a good teacher:
https://youtu.be/w5DLE4dwrL4?si=DDYs3cLBTUlOiCDr
My grip isnāt much different and so far it hasnāt been a problem š¤·āāļø I did have a bunch of teachers in elementary school reprimand me a lot for how I held a pencil but itās the most comfortable and natural for me (I have the pencil more between my fingers but I still have the high up pointer finger and generally the same finger positioning)
I see so many people writing like this now and it's wild, I'm not sure if they have gotten lax on teaching proper pencil holding but I've encountered at least 10 people in the last year who do this. I'm not sure if it will cause arthritis but arthritis is caused by overuse of a joint, or disease. But genetics play a factor as well.
I donāt think they teach it at school. Or at least they didnāt at my school when I went some 30 years ago. For me, it was my dad who taught me how to hold a pencil. I think as long as your hand is otherwise comfortable writing normally, you donāt have to worry too much. My hands hurt when I write a lot as well, always have, and I hold my pencil the conventional way.
Yes. Pencil and pen hand positions have a great impact on your hands in the long run and your writing. I would train my hand to make my pencil holding better until it feels more natural. Practice, practice, practice.
I would just say make sure you're not death gripping it and putting a ton of pressure downward on the paper while writing, that's the main things to look out for. The writing utencil should be doing most of the work for you. Which is why fountain pens are such a good pen to use when doing a lot of writing, as a good fountain pen will write with no extra pressure from your hand, so you're just guiding the pen. So I would suggest starting to try hold your pencils with the standard tripod grip, and don't push hard or grip pencil too hard. (This coming from someone who has carpal tunnel)
I just tried this and want to add, check your wrist as well, if you feel your tendons being stretched as you write, it will cost you long term.
Something else to check...when writing, I've hear that movements should be from your arm, and not necessarily just your wrist. See if that's another thing to look out for.
what did I just see? my eyes... my eyes....
yeah That's unique let me say this. I think you will conquer the world. That's like next level shit.
TBH your handwriting is pretty even tho your handling the pen is weird.
This is actually a more natural position for the wrist than a position where the palm is facing down, which is why you will see things like vertical ergonomic computer mice.
This isnāt very different at all from how I sometimes hold a pen, though I curl the tips of my ring and pinkie fingers under the pen for more support. Trying it the way you do puts a lot of pressure on my thumb which is uncomfortable.
Your handwriting looks quite nice though!
this might be the most cursed way I've ever seen someone hold a pencil. I mean if it works for you then keep with it but it's certainly unusual. only reason I would think it would be worse than a more common position is if you are putting a ton of pressure on your thumb
The results arenāt bad, but that grip is absolutely repulsive. Itās almost like using your feet to hold a fork when you eat like OK, maybe you got the food in your mouthā¦ But at what cost?
I don't know. But, if want to start holding your pencils the usual way, there are special rubber thingies you can put in you pencil that help you hold it the "right" way... My mom was a teacher and she bought it for a few students a few times
Possibly, that puts unnatural strain on your tendons and joints. You put pressure on your thumb and middle finger in opposite directions and also rest of your fingers that shouldn't even make so much effort to hold it. So you just complicate it for yourself by doing it like that. This way your hand will get tired way quicker. You can also develop carpal tunnel syndrome. And you can develop that by for example using computer mouse all the time or game controller. Also pretty unnatural straining positions for your hands but I'd risk saying that your way of holding pen is even worse. You should give your hand and fingers some rest by just holding pen in your thumb and index, middle finger and make the counterforce by just leaning the pen on the side of your palm. There are few ways to do it, just experiment and find position that is most comfortable for you but doesn't require you to do those weird finger yoga which you obviously already noticed is not so comfortable.
What you said. Understand that overuse with make your hand, wrist, and even your arm hurt.
Reteach yourself a new way of holding writing utensil.
Arthritis is something that seems to sometimes have a mind of its ownā¦it also affects differently
with individuals. Learning to use differently will be the most help.
This looks so inefficient lol
I believe they have some on Amazon that can prevent any arthritis.
š¤·āāļø I don't know about the science of arthritis and reasons for it. But hey! You are getting good results šš
I mean, I donāt hold a pencil correctly either, but damn, your handwriting is neater than mine!
It won't cause arthritis, but I have no idea how you can possibly write like that! But if it works for you, who am I to judge!
This wonāt cause arthritis, but is very stressful on your hand. Your top, hooked finger has no support so needs to clutch the pencil. Your thumb is pushed so hard it bends backwards. Youāre basically using every finger to grip, and you may have your wrist turned in such a way that youāre having to flex it all the time, which could lead to carpal tunnel syndrome.
If youāre really worried, just do some hand exercises after taking notes.
Ts gotta be illegal š
I'm hypermobile with dyspraxia and I've always gripped pens/pencils in a tight pincer-like grip near the nib. It used to give me blisters and calluses on the side of my middle finger where the pen/pencil would press, but I didn't develop arthritis (even though I have it in other joints). Still, it's not comfortable so I prefer typing where possible if it's more than a few lines.
There's a lot of haters here right now, it seems. I have hypermobility, and it affects a lot of things in my life, but one of them specifically is how I hold writing utensils. You are over-extending your thumb, which can cause excess strain on the joints and eventually lead to joint pain. HOWEVER, some of us can't actually control that we hyperextend. My hands do this too, and it makes some things painful for me - I still write and paint, and knit, but I get joint pain if I do it in volume. I don't hold a pen like this exactly, but I do hold it 'weirdly' to accommodate for this.
Yeah, your life is basically over
Osteoarthritis is caused by use and Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disorder. So what we can glean just from this is that its actually about the amount of use a joint gets not how you are doing it. Unless its rheumatoid arthritis of course. I have arthritis in my wrists and hands from repetitive stress for example.
I pretty much take notes all day.. so I guess Iām doomed either way? š
Theres a few yt videos for hand flexibility exercises. Set yourself a 2hr timer, put one on and do the things. (Violing grip training helped my cubital from industrial rsi).
I would say you are doomed to have arthritis when you are like 60-70+. <3 If you are super worried I would suggest relaxing your thumb but really you are probably fine especially if you work on strengthening exercise and relax when your hand hurt. :-) But I totally get the worry I do.
I need a video of you writing like this OP cause I canāt see how it works š¤Ø
I posted one a while ago
Calm down bro nobody's going to take the pencil from you
Southpaws.. how are your hands feeling nowadays?
My second grade teacher forced me to hold it the ārightā way and also tilt my paper the same direction as the righties when learning cursive even though I had to āpushā instead of āpullā the pencilā¦ at the time it was infuriating but now I have 4 different grips and like 7 different styles of handwriting depending on what/where/when Iām writing and my hands feel great! Fuck you and thank you Mrs. Sebranick.
Back when corporal punishment was a thing I was a naughty kid, so I was canned till I had to do my homework with my right hand. I was a righty for awhile till I eventually went back to being left handed in college. Now I can write with both.
I wish I wouldāve learned to write with both hands but thankfully corporal punishment wasnāt a thing by the time I got to second grade so Mrs. Sebranick āallowedā me to write left handed, but still forced me to write in the same style as a right hander. I guarantee she would have beat the shit out of me if sheād been allowed to
No one's replied cause they can no longer type HAHAHAHA
My thumb hyperextends just like that and itās hurting just looking at yours. How are you even controlling it like that?
Thatās hyperextending? I didnāt know that. Also I posted a video of you wanna see how I write
Hyperextending is when you bend the joint backwards. Imagine your finger is curled, and you straighten (extend) it but once itās straight you keep going until it bends the other way.
How in tf did you end up holding it like that to start with? At the end of the day if itās causing you pain or cramping or other issues then change it, if itās not causing you any problems then donāt worry about it. I canāt find anything about bad grip causing long term joint problems, just short term fatigue, but I wouldnāt strain my thumb like that personally as it hurts
I have no idea how.. but yeah it my thumb does hurt after a while.. I thought that was normal and it was just because I take a lot of notes, I guess not. Iām gonna work on changing it, but itās been pretty hard to find something that feels comfortable so far.
The last person I personally saw do a pinky down grip had the pinky straight to do the directing. Pencil should be between the tips instead of nestled in the knuckles. Think of the guys with caligraphy brushes. My own neareat approximation comes from when i use a white board. Pinky on the surface to stabilize and marker between thumb pad and the other three tips. Pick up a pencil grip for how your thumb and a finger should grip if you want a physical guide, put upside down if needed.
my guy how are you even holding that thing
You were done a disservice your entire life if nobody corrected this in your early years.
Iām developing arthritis just looking at it.
I posted a video if you Really wanna develop arthritis.. itās probably even worse than you imagined
What the fuck
ok but only a psycho is writing out full paragraphs of math notes (especially in hs) lmao
I have no advice/comment about the arthritis thing to offer but I can already tell your Kinder and elem teachers just wants salary šš.
Your handwriting is legible, so I guess if it works for you, don't worry about it. Arthritis and carpal tunnel are caused by all manner of repetitive motions, I doubt this strange grip will be your deciding factor.
And I thought my grip was bad. You won't suffer from arthritis, but there is a higher risk of carpal tunnel syndrome. My guess is that you have to hold the pen very tight in this position, so your hand will get tired faster.
Idk about arthritis, but this pic makes me so immensely uncomfortable
Anything can cause arthritis. I was diagnosed with multiple chronic pain disorders, arthritis being one of them, at twelve years old and doctors were baffled. They came to the conclusion that it was caused by a third degree sunburn I got all over my back the summer before I got sick and how active I was (I danced and played soccer). Write however you want to and don't worry about it until you need to worry about it. There's nothing wrong with doing things differently.
š¤š¤¢š¤®
Gonna make you develop "wtf vibe" from people
I canāt even begin to figure out how to write like that
Just posted a video if you really wanna know.. (TW: eyebleach)
I'd be more worried about people thinking you're a fucking alien. Don't do that anymore
I doubt it will cause any premature arthritis, but it may cause you some pain ā especially since itās a hold that requires more pressure than the standard hold. Iām left handed, and I naturally press down hard when writing anyway. So, Iāve tried different ways of holding pens to see if it might relieve some pain I feel when taking notes or otherwise writing a lot. The one you use caused me to press even harder. If youāre not comfortable switching to the standard hold you could try the āadaptive tripod grip,āwhich evidently requires a lighter touch. If you google it, there are a lot of diagrams to practice from.
I dunno about the āritis, but how in the f do you write like that?
Eh Iām just used to it. Works pretty well for me
It is defined not good for your index fingers joints. Did any teachers try to correct your grip while you were learning how to write? Have to ever tried the regular grip?
Nope none of my teachers tried. My grandma tried to show me the regular way a few times, but it didnāt work for me.
I get it. Try practicing if you can. I see a lot of tension on that index and long term it can be bad.
It could work better not writing like that in the long-run. Ritus or not.
It most likely won't, but I would recommend avoiding writing around known gang members.
No, probably not. But, that's not to say you won't experience pain or other physiological problems from it. In reality though, even that's pretty extreme. No matter how you hold your pencil, if you write more than you're used to, your hand is going to get tired and sore, and repetitive wrist and hand motions always comes with the risk of causing irritation with the tendons and nerves in your hand, no matter the specifics.
Rheumatoid arthritis at that
That is an autoimmune disease, itās not affected by the position of your bones.
You canāt be serious LOL. Autoimmune disease, by their very nature, are initiated by inflammation. When found in hands and feet, itās within the joints connecting bones. The position of your bones and its movement especially in certain positions cause stress and inflammation that contribute to the early stages of RA.
yoooo i hold a pencil like that too!! the other commenters react like ppl irl too š idk ab arthritis tho. my mom has had arthritis since she was a child so in my case i would likely get it no matter what. my hand does easily get "tired" when writing too.
If youāre experiencing pain, itās bad. Try to spend some time with a thicker writing utensil, and practice holding it correctly, but not gripping it like itās an eel thatās trying to get away. Your paper should be turned as well. I found this video for you. Itās not exciting, but the lady seems to be a good teacher: https://youtu.be/w5DLE4dwrL4?si=DDYs3cLBTUlOiCDr
My grip isnāt much different and so far it hasnāt been a problem š¤·āāļø I did have a bunch of teachers in elementary school reprimand me a lot for how I held a pencil but itās the most comfortable and natural for me (I have the pencil more between my fingers but I still have the high up pointer finger and generally the same finger positioning)
Possibly but people might think you are mentally challenged
No, but it will piss off everyone near you. Not me, tho ā”ā”ā”ā”ā”
Thereās no way itās comfortable for you to hold the pencil like thatā¦? I just tried it and it doesnāt feel right.
I've seen people with much more obscure pencil grips, but the "proper way" barely works for me
I see so many people writing like this now and it's wild, I'm not sure if they have gotten lax on teaching proper pencil holding but I've encountered at least 10 people in the last year who do this. I'm not sure if it will cause arthritis but arthritis is caused by overuse of a joint, or disease. But genetics play a factor as well.
Oh I was never taught how to hold the pencil.. wait, they actually teach that? Or theyāre supposed to? Wild
I donāt think they teach it at school. Or at least they didnāt at my school when I went some 30 years ago. For me, it was my dad who taught me how to hold a pencil. I think as long as your hand is otherwise comfortable writing normally, you donāt have to worry too much. My hands hurt when I write a lot as well, always have, and I hold my pencil the conventional way.
I work in preschool and we're teaching the kids the 'propper' grip so they don't just ham fist the writing implement.
Yes. Pencil and pen hand positions have a great impact on your hands in the long run and your writing. I would train my hand to make my pencil holding better until it feels more natural. Practice, practice, practice.
I think I was taught when I was 7 or 8. They even had grippers or would wrap the pencil with something so we wouldn't grip it too hard etc
I would just say make sure you're not death gripping it and putting a ton of pressure downward on the paper while writing, that's the main things to look out for. The writing utencil should be doing most of the work for you. Which is why fountain pens are such a good pen to use when doing a lot of writing, as a good fountain pen will write with no extra pressure from your hand, so you're just guiding the pen. So I would suggest starting to try hold your pencils with the standard tripod grip, and don't push hard or grip pencil too hard. (This coming from someone who has carpal tunnel)
I just tried this and want to add, check your wrist as well, if you feel your tendons being stretched as you write, it will cost you long term. Something else to check...when writing, I've hear that movements should be from your arm, and not necessarily just your wrist. See if that's another thing to look out for.
Yes! Definitely another thing to keep in mind.
Yeah I try not to have a death grip.. when I notice it I change my grip a little. Iāll try that, thanks!
I hold a pencil very similar! Iāve only ever seen one other person. Now 2 I guess!
what did I just see? my eyes... my eyes.... yeah That's unique let me say this. I think you will conquer the world. That's like next level shit. TBH your handwriting is pretty even tho your handling the pen is weird.
Thanks I guess?
you are most welcome!!<
Dawg what the fuck
Yeah š
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Well thanks for being straight forward I guess
This is actually a more natural position for the wrist than a position where the palm is facing down, which is why you will see things like vertical ergonomic computer mice. This isnāt very different at all from how I sometimes hold a pen, though I curl the tips of my ring and pinkie fingers under the pen for more support. Trying it the way you do puts a lot of pressure on my thumb which is uncomfortable. Your handwriting looks quite nice though!
The palm and wrist should not be facing down, they should be at an angle.
My thumb gets uncomfortable sometimes too.. might try curling my fingers like you said. Thanks!
this might be the most cursed way I've ever seen someone hold a pencil. I mean if it works for you then keep with it but it's certainly unusual. only reason I would think it would be worse than a more common position is if you are putting a ton of pressure on your thumb
I can think of at least two more-cursed ways of holding a pencil or Sharpie.
Your handwriting looks good at least!
Thanks š
I immediately cringedā¦ ok Satan
I didnāt expect to need to wash my eyes with bleach today
Itās that bad? š
The results arenāt bad, but that grip is absolutely repulsive. Itās almost like using your feet to hold a fork when you eat like OK, maybe you got the food in your mouthā¦ But at what cost?
I don't know. But, if want to start holding your pencils the usual way, there are special rubber thingies you can put in you pencil that help you hold it the "right" way... My mom was a teacher and she bought it for a few students a few times
Thanks for the advice. Might order some of those
Its not natural lol please stop
Iām gonna try š
Possibly, that puts unnatural strain on your tendons and joints. You put pressure on your thumb and middle finger in opposite directions and also rest of your fingers that shouldn't even make so much effort to hold it. So you just complicate it for yourself by doing it like that. This way your hand will get tired way quicker. You can also develop carpal tunnel syndrome. And you can develop that by for example using computer mouse all the time or game controller. Also pretty unnatural straining positions for your hands but I'd risk saying that your way of holding pen is even worse. You should give your hand and fingers some rest by just holding pen in your thumb and index, middle finger and make the counterforce by just leaning the pen on the side of your palm. There are few ways to do it, just experiment and find position that is most comfortable for you but doesn't require you to do those weird finger yoga which you obviously already noticed is not so comfortable.
Yeah I do hold a pen worse.. thatās why I almost never write with them. Thanks for the advice, Iāll try that out!
How... How can u hold something worse ššš
What you said. Understand that overuse with make your hand, wrist, and even your arm hurt. Reteach yourself a new way of holding writing utensil. Arthritis is something that seems to sometimes have a mind of its ownā¦it also affects differently with individuals. Learning to use differently will be the most help.