I am having an increasingly difficult time simply holding a book open in a way that doesn't hurt my neck, back, hands, or elbows.
I have had some success addressing neck/back pain with simple PT exercises (I love Precision Movement on YouTube and even paid for their app recently). But it's not perfect, and I'm still having a lot of trouble with my hands getting crampy, tired, and achy just from holding a book open. And my elbows often start to get tingly and painful (doc says I have cubital tunnel syndrome).
Anyone have tips for getting more comfortable? I think I'm addressing the muscular/nerve issues adequately with my doctor, but I would love any tips from people with similar issues. Especially while I'm still rehabbing my problem areas.
As an aside, I found out recently that the cramping and pain I get at the base of my thumb is sometimes called "reader's thumbs", because those muscles are often what you use to hold a book open. Especially those big fat paperbacks 🙂
And for anyone reading this that doesn't have these issues, I strongly recommend addressing them AS SOON as you start to notice them. I did nothing about it for years until it got unbearable, and I wish I had addressed it so much sooner. I'm not sure how this applies if you're having issues due to something like arthritis. I'm kinda interested to hear about different causes of reading pain and what has worked/not worked for others!
by muskox-homeobox