Kristal Lee

Hop over to New Kids on the Writer's Block. I'm talking ergonomics.

http://www.officefurniture2.com/2010/12/

Photo: tennismd.com

Months of chronic elbow pain, unremitting after ice and heat packs, anti-inflammatories and pseudo-rest, prompted me to trudge over to the orthopedist's office. Diagnosis: lateral epicondylitis, commonly known as "tennis elbow."


Whaddaya mean, doc? I'm a writer, not a tennis pro.



According to the fine doctor, I have overtaxed a tendon that runs from my elbow to my middle finger, a common injury to tennis players but not exclusive.

Photo: gmoneysack.blogspot.com

Hmmm, I wonder how I managed to accomplish an injury stemming from one finger. Ironically, the bird finger. Now there are times I want to flip off a driver who's cut me off, I rarely give in to that temptation. So, I studied my habits and can say I still have no idea how I did this. It doesn't appear that I use the middle finger any more than the others. If had to pick one with the most repetitive use, I would have placed my bet on the index finger. Yep, that would be the one. It points, dials, scratches, flicks, turns pages, and opens snail mail. 


Whatever the cause, I've renamed this phenomenon "Writer's Elbow" because I sure didn't get this from playing tennis.

The cure? A wrist splint. Yes, a wrist splint. Not the elbow brace I'd been wearing. 


How long? Six weeks. I almost croaked. Actually, I think my voice did croak a bit when I repeated back to the doctor, Six weeks? Are you kidding?

Ummm, no. He wasn't. Six weeks in a brace with anti-inflammatories as needed and a warning that if this fix doesn't work, a cortisone injection will surely follow. Crap! I've heard those things hurt like the dickens. My brain went into avoid-shot-at-all-cost mode.


The first night I wore the brace to bed I had a nightmare about the top of my hand splitting open and large toad frogs leaping out of the hole. Freaky. Even for a paranormal writer.

In folklore and mythology, frogs often symbolize transformations and self discovery. Think of the Frog Prince, a parable of animus integration and metamorphosis.


Okay, my dream was probably more of a response from my brain alerting me that the brace was too heavy and tight, but it's much more interesting to ponder it from an allegorical perspective.

Although dream frogs are generally positive symbols, their leaping could represent a bad habit of hopping from one thing to the next without completing the former. Ouch! That's how 2010 turned out for me. Skipping from one writing project to the next, leaving a string of unfinished manuscripts. At least until NaNoWriMo came along and I committed to finishing one, Howlin' Hearts.

2011 is the Year of Completion for me. Even with Writer's Elbow to contend with I'm determined to finish what I start and not start something else until I do. Perhaps this dream was a warning to be diligent despite unforeseen circumstances. So, I'll wear the brace and rest the finger. I've got nine others I can use to type.