#carpal tunnel

[druid-for-hire]

[images ID: three images of a comic titled "one must imagine sisyphus happy" by druid-for-hire. it is a visual narrative beginning with someone with wrist pain (depicted by bright orange nerves) working at a drafting table. the reader is shown the same wrist as the person uses it for many everyday tasks such as carrying a grocery basket, pushing elevator buttons, typing, and doing dishes, until the pain dissolves all the panels into chaos. the person then performs several physical therapy exercises until the pain subsides. they sit back down at a desk with their laptop, sigh, and begin typing. a small spark of pain reappears. end id]

a fun little piece i made during the semester and submitted into our school comic anthology! (which you can buy at the Static Fish table at MoCCAFest in NYC ;] ). it's about artists and injury

[cityan1mal]

As a therian with Carpal tunnel who has to constantly wear a brace. It's comforting to k ow that there are dogs who get carpal tunnel and have to wear braces aswell!

Look at them go! That's me!

[thoughtportal]

Try these exercises to build hand strength and improve tendon gliding theough the carpal tunnel

{source}

[zjasperwrites]

A Non-Exhaustive List of Tips For Managing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

If you type, write, draw, craft, or do anything with your hands, you are at risk for carpal tunnel! If you're developing any pain, or have none but want to take preventive measures, feel free to try these. I'm not a doctor, but these help my case of severe CTS!

This advice may not apply to everyone, but these are all things you can do without receiving medical care. Yet know that options like pain prescriptions, steroids, and surgery are possible for relief.

Give your hands a break when necessary and feasible. Even just implementing one rest day a week can be extremely beneficial.

Stretch your hands, fingers, arms, and neck regularly. This video can get you started.

Look into a hand massager. I use this one. If your pain is severe, I find massaging before stretching is most effective.

Vary your positions. You can reduce strain by trying differing neutral angles of arm/wrist position while working. Elevation helps.

Use ergonomics. Ones I use include an ergonomic mouse and mousepad, and this support pen from PenAgain.

Explore temperature therapy. Both heat pads or ice packs can be helpful depending on your needs and preferences.

Work on grip strengthening. If you already have CTS pain, be careful, but some wrist/finger exercise can help. I use this tool.

Train yourself to work more gently. Lighten your grip on writing tools, slow down and don't press so hard while typing.

If you already have pain, GET WRIST BRACES. Sleep in them to start, then wear them during the day if needed. You can also...

Try out k-tape. I personally get more pain if I use a brace 24/7, so this k-tape wrap is nice for day-time support.

Look into finger splints too. Finger hypermobility or exertion can strain wrists much more quickly, especially when typing.

Compression gloves also help. These are my "lowest tier" for support when my pain is mildest.

Get comfortable with voice-typing. Adjusting to this can be hard, but its an excellent way to keep writing without hurting yourself.

Especially if you have severe pain, consider tools marketed at amputees. Obviously be mindful of the resources you take up, but accessibility tools are for anyone who needs them. When my pain is at my worst, I am unable to use my arm/hand and can't even raise it, so tools to facilitate one-handed use are helpful.

And finally, not so much a tip, but a warning. Most likely, you'll get CTS pain in your dominant hand first. When that happens, do not switch to your non-dom hand and continue on. That hand is not in the clear, its next. Implement treatment and management in both hands, and use your non-dom hand when necessary while not overworking it either. Don't let yourself fall into denial because you can "get by" without adjustments. I promise the initial ability to keep working without inconvenience is not worth developing CTS in both hands lol.

If anyone else has advice please add on! I live as a walking warning to my husband who crochets to take care of his hands, so here's to hoping I can help others too!

[yelhsaqi]

WAIIITT FOR MEEE

IM COMIN

[monzterzack]

hi, my name is Zack and i need some help to cover my bills this month :(((

I’ve been in excruciating pain this last few months, but art is my only way of income so i havent been able to take a long break to let my wrist heal at all

i also need to add that the current landscape of social media and commissions relies on my ability to pump out art and content as constantly as possible, so i have been pushing through the pain for months now just to stay relevant and find more jobs to do

im really overworked and hurt from this, and right now my wrist is giving me so much pain i cant ignore it anymore nor push through it

i still am 350$USD behind on my debts, so im begging again for some help, as i cant cover them

im sharing my paypal in case anyone wants to help me out :(((

i advanced some of my comissions, and i also managed to finish one fanart piece to try and stay relevant this month, but other than that i will forcing myself to take a break from everything until my wrist doesnt give me sharp pains and palpitations

thank you so much if you read it all, and double thank you if you decided to help me, im really sorry for asking again for help

[gilly-moon]

Just something I made last year after my carpal tunnel diagnosis

[leidensygdom]

i don't know who needs to hear this but, if you're a digital artist, please make sure you adjust your pen pressure and brush settings so you can draw comfortably without applying an ungodly amount of pressure

A lot of times I watch videos of people drawing where you can really see (and hear) the artist pressing the pen HEAVILY against the tablet for every line. And, while this is also a great way to break your tablets quicker, it's also NOT good for your hand. Your brushes should be adjusted to work in a way where you don't need to do much effort to get a line down! You're gonna get some awful carpal tunnel otherwise!

It's okay to have brushes where you need to do an extra bit of pressure to get a thicker (or more opaque) brushstroke. But that shouldn't be how it normally works. Fiddle as much as you need and make sure your tools are adjusted to your needs.

Take care of your hands!

[sweetlittledudes]

we as a society don’t talk about this enough

[pixelchills]

Arm health update:

My arm is still pretty bad, but I've learned to draw without aggrevating it, which is good. Can't say the same about writing, though.

The position my arm needs to be in while I'm typing is really bad and becomes painful very quickly. I've been unable to type on PC or tablet for a couple of months now. My studies are completely on stand-by. My fics are completely on stand-by.

After writing for 1 hour the other day, my arm got so painful I couldn't use it for anything for the next two days.

Drawing is fine. Slow, but doesn't hurt, because I can rest my elbow on the table and my wrist is straight. But as soon as I twist my wrist to type, my elbow joint gets caught in a nerve, and I will suffer if I type for too long. The pain has spread from my elbow and wrist to my fingers, shoulder, and neck.

I'm seeing a doctor again next week, and unfortunately it seems like a surgery is the only option we've got left.

I've been trying to do my school work and write my fics using my phone or just typing with my left hand, but it's nearly impossible to do it for long especially when your thoughts are so used to running just as fast as your ten-finger -typing.

I really hope this would be over soon. I've been fighting with this pain for almost two years now.

Just wanted to give you guys an update.

[ettadear]

i love myself as i am, but sometimes i really just wish i wasn’t disabled. i hate that i’d do anything not to be. my dad said that he knows it’s “uncomfortable.” but uncomfortable is tying your shoes a bit too tight. wearing pants 1 size too small. taking a test when the classroom is too hot or too cold. uncomfortable doesn’t make you suicidal. uncomfortable doesn’t make you give up once in a lifetime opportunities you’ve been working towards for years. my pain is not “uncomfortable.” it’s hell.

[kaisarionn]

Congratulations to GHOST for winning “Best Rock Album” at the AMA’s! We’re proud of y’all!

[jaquerabbitart]

Erosion.

[March 6th, 2024]

[becauseanders]

i hate you ehlers-danlos syndrome i hate you pots i hate you chronic migraines i hate you brainstem auras i hate you central nervous system complications i hate you degenerative disc disease i hate you hypotension i hate you osteoarthritis i hate you fibromyalgia i hate you tmj disorder i hate you carpal tunnel i hate you mcas

[fictionandmusic]

chronic hand pain vibes

drawn w/ both hands (alternating when they started hurting) & toes

[yardsards]

a couple of free computer accessibility tools that come in handy for me that others might not know about:

HERE is firefox add-on that lets you add subtitles to any video. yes, this includes videos on shady piracy sites. this is not software that auto-generates captions, mind you; you will have to download subtitle (SRT) files from other websites. HERE is my go-to site to download srt files for tv shows, but there are other sites available if this one doesn't have the show/movie you are looking for

HERE is a piece of software that lets you map keyboard/mouse functions to a video game controller. makes gaming easier for some people like me who are missing fingers, have wrist problems, have fine motor issues, etc. and find using controllers to be easier than using standard mouse-and-keyboard controls. the site will give you a free trial of the software and later ask you to pay, but if you email them and tell them you have a disability, they'll give you the full software for free.

feel free to add more examples to this post!