My Drawing Hand

Folks who have been here a while or have followed me over the years on social media know about the problems I've had with my hand (and arm, and shoulder, and neck). I answered a question about my drawing hand in the comments section of my last post, and ended up going into detail, so I thought I'd repost it just as general information, with some additions.

I have carpal tunnel syndrome in my hand/wrist, from the repetitive motion from drawing/typing over time. I also have degenerative arthritis in the right side of my neck and some neurological issues in the arm etc. I'm taking pain meds and other medication for it, and I see a pain management doctor for steroid shots and trigger point injections (which feel weird as heck). I need to go back but work has kept me busy and I keep pushing it off. I made a note to call for an appointment but I have a lot of notes on my desk, so, that's a sign I need to clean the studio. That's a different topic.

I also need to get back to the stretching exercises I learned while in physical therapy. When the situation is bad , like it has been lately, I wear a wrist brace most of the day except when I'm drawing or eating. I also wear it while sleeping.

There are things I can't do anymore because of my hand/arm, Sarah won't let me shovel snow (also because I'm out of shape and am old enough to be in the fabled "heart-attack-while-shoveling" age range). I can't lift certain things or use my arm in certain ways. My hand will go "dead" sometimes, and I've had a weird situation where my ring finger and pinky go numb and move towards my other fingers on their own. When this happens I can't control them, I have to wait until they return to normal. When things are at their worst I have pain from my waist up through my shoulder and down the arm to my hand.

I am not complaining, I'm just explaining. My problems are less than a drop in the ocean compared to others out there, especially those in pain living in horrific conditions. I know people who are dealing with very serious issues. I know fellow artists who have had worse problems with their hand and wrist, who have had to have surgery in order to hold a pencil or a paintbrush again. I'm grateful this is all I am dealing with at my age. It's just that it does affect my ability to draw, type, write and sometimes sleep, and in the past it's affected my work, schedule and ability to make a living. The last two years or so have been a lot better since I started treatment for it.

I wasn't born with any issues concerning my arm or hand, but I have had some things happen on my right side over the years that I'm sure haven't helped -- a car accident at 19 (I was rear-ended by a car full of Farrell high school football players, I'm certain the driver was drunk), I was paralyzed for a few hours after a football tackle (I was playing in a no-equipment tackle game, which was dumb), and I used to crack my neck all the time and one day I wrenched my neck very badly (also dumb, at least it got me to stop cracking my neck).

Young folks who draw (or breathe) need to watch how they take care of their hand and bodies. So does everyone, actually. Take breaks, stretch, watch your posture, don't crack your neck (since I live on Shaolin Island, I should say, "Protect Ya Neck"), avoid car accidents and don't play tackle football without equipment. Also be careful how you stage dive and watch out for flying elbows and booted-feet in the pit.

Adding this from the comments section:

Back in the day a lot of us worked alone without any professional advice or glimpses into the profession. I developed terrible posture while drawing on a surface until I was in my 20s. I still lean over too much and draw too much without considering my posture, my hand, etc. Just simple breaks help a lot, and there's searchable information online about health tips for artists ad writers. I should look that subject up more often myself, but you get too bogged down when drawing to remember. Maybe make notes or set alarms to take breaks.