THE PAINS OF BEING A MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTIONIST

Being a medical transcriptionist has many rewarding benefits.  It offers one an opportunity to make money while working from home, it offers one a chance to work in the medical field and assist in the care of the patients, and it offers one the opportunity to advance and grow into a very interesting and rewarding career.  However, being a medical transcriptionist can also be a pain.  As the matter of fact, it can be a major pain. Although it is not a physically demanding job and does not require any heavy lifting, your body can experience many different pains and medical problems as a result from being a medical transcriptionist.

Medical transcriptions requires one to be able to sit for extended periods of time in front of a computer.  It is possible for the medical transcriptionist to sit and type (or edit) at a computer for hours and hours and not move anything more than the foot on the foot pedal and the fingers on the keyboard.  This can be very damaging to the body in many different ways.

The best way to take care of your body during work is to stop working for 5 or 10 minutes every hour and do a few simple exercises or activities.  Below are various pains that many medical transcriptions experience and some simple exercises and activities you can try that may eliminate or ease the pains of medical transcribing. 

One of the most common pains that a medical transcriptionist can experience is wrist and hand pain.  When the wrist and/or hand is engaged in a repetitive motion, it can develop carpal tunnel syndrome.  This is often seen in medical transcriptionist who have been typing every day for hours and hours for years.  Signs and symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome of pain, numbness and tingling in the wrist and hand.  With medical transcriptions, it is also common to experience this in both wrists at the same time.   Carpal tunnel syndrome is usually cured by surgery and this type of surgery can end up impairing the medical transcriptionist for a long time, maybe even forever.  Sometimes, it can even destroy your career.  However, carpal tunnel syndrome and hand/wrist pain can be avoided by doing a few simple things throughout the work day.  One is to give the wrist a break at least once an hour.  Stop typing and start stretching.  Do some hand exercises.  Get a stress ball or a hand griper and squeeze it for 5 minutes.  Take some time and massage your wrist and hands.  These few simple steps will not only slow down or stop carpal tunnel syndrome, it will also make your hands feel much better.  After all, your hands are one of  your most valuable tools in medical transcriptions.  You need to keep them healthy and in working order at all times.

Just as your wrist can have pain and problems, so can your feet and ankles.  One does not think much about their feet as a medical transcriptionist, but just as your hands are engaged in repetitious motion on the keyboard, your foot is also engaged in repetitious motion on the foot pedal.  Some medical transcriptionist experience pain, numbness and tingling in the feet and ankles and this can possibly lead to a condition known as tarsal tunnel.  This is the same thing as carpal tunnel, but occurs in the ankle.  Pressing that foot pedal nonstop for 8 or 10 hours a day can cause your foot to feel tire, achy and can lead to bigger problems such as tarsal tunnel syndrome.  When you are on your break, you should stand up and take a short walk.  Stretch your ankle and flex your feet.  Give yourself a foot massage.  Just like you have to take care of your wrists as a medical transcriptionist, you need to also take care of your feet and ankles as well.

Another common pain of being a medical transcriptionist is in the back.  Sitting all day at a desk, slumped over a computer puts a lot of pressure on one's upper, middle, and lower back.  Even sitting straight up will put pressure on the back.   Face it, sitting is not as easy as it looks.  This pressure can eventually lead to worsened problems such as pinched nerves, problems with the discs and definitely muscle pains.  It is very important to take care of your back while you are working.  When you work in a place that requires heavy lifting, they usually go to great lengths to assure you are picking things up properly so that you do not hurt your back.  The same is true for medical transcriptions.  You need to go to great lengths to take care of your back.  This includes standing up and stretching at least once an hour.  Stand up and reach for the sky, then bend over and touch your toes.  Do this 3 or 4 times an hour.  Getting a back massage a couple of times a week can also help your back feel better as well.  Sitting for long periods of time is very stressful on ones back and it may not be visible until your stand up.  

Ever wonder if staring at computer affects your eyesight? Well, no need to wonder any more.  The answer is yes.  Although it will not usually cause blindness, staring at a computer screen can lead to astigmatism, near sightedness and strain on the eyes.  It can make your eyes feel tired and weak.  It is very important to take care of your eyes while working.  When you take your break, rest your eyes.  Close them and let them rest for a few minutes.  Try putting a warm towel over your eyes.  Look away from the computer.  Take a look at a magazine or look out the window at the weather.  By removing your eyes from the computer, you are less likely to experience tired eyes or future eye problems.  

Medical transcribing not only can affect outer body parts, it can also affect inner body parts as well.  One body part that can be affected by excessive medical transcribing is the stomach.  Do you often find yourself munching on snacks while sitting at your computer? Candy, cookies, potato chips, or even healthy snacks such as carrot sticks, celery, or fruits.  All of these things can do damage to your belly.  Many times the medical transcriptionist will snack throughout their entire shift.  Over time, this can lead to increased weight gain, fatigue, or gastrointestinal problems such as GERD, irritable bowel, upset stomach, or even ulcers.  Many transcriptionist will also drink excessive coffee, soda, water, or other drinks and like food, this can lead to weight gain, fatigue, bladder problems, kidney problems and other problems.  It is very easy to fall into the habit of eating and drinking while working.  In this case, one must be disciplined and limit the dietary intake while working.  It is ok to have a snack or two during the work shift, but limit them to break time only.  Eat a healthy meal for lunch and have a light snack on break.  It is good to keep a bottle of water close by, but try to limit the water intake to 1 or 2 bottles per shift.  Taking care of your gastrointestinal and genitourinary system while working is very important.  Don't fall into the habit of overeating and overdrinking while working.  Your body will thank you for it later.

Lastly, know your limit.  Do not work more than your body will allow you.  If you feel fatigued, then take a break or call it quits for the day.  Just as the doctors are taking care of their patients, you need to take care of your body.  Treat it right and take good care of it and in the end, it will reward you.   By following these few simple steps on a daily basis during your work shift, you will feel much better and eventually you will be more productive and enjoy your career as a medical transcriptionist. 

If you are experiencing a pain or symptom that will not go away or a pain or symptom that is exacerbated by sitting and working all day on the computer, it is very important to get an evaluation from a doctor.  A doctor will be able to tell you what is going on and offer options for treatment.  You should a medical checkup at least once or twice per year.  Staying a step ahead of your health is one way to be a very highly productive and successful medical transcriptionist.