Hand problems

I've been having some elbow/hand nerve problems (which appears to be cubital/carpal tunnel related) in case you wonder why things here have been a bit slow (though, perhaps they are anyways). It's unfortunate that it took a dire lesson such as this to teach me to treat my hand/elbow right. It appears to be getting better though, and I'm having a doctor check it out soon. It's difficult to make an appointment during vacation time.

24 comments:

biomechanic said...

Sorry to hear that.

I was really hoping that the silence meant you were working on some awesome but as of yet unrevealed project...

Get well soon!

-=Y=- said...

"Get well soon!"
I agree :)


I cant wait for your next post with your art/ideas.

Unknown said...

That's really concerning news, but I'm glad to hear you're taking it seriously and making sure to take care of yourself.

I guess it's time to try practicing with your other hand for a while.

Anonymous said...

Take your time and heal up.

Galspanic said...

Yes, take time. That kind of issue can really be aggravating, and it can relapse pretty easily if you get impatient.

Someone said...

I hope you get better soon!

Tamás said...

Get well soon!

Unknown said...

Best of luck and hope you get well soon. :)

Dobro said...

Wow that sucks.

I've had a hand problems for years now. Went to a number of doctors, tried a number of things for years. I was afraid to use my arm because of the pain but it turned out I needed to strengthen it. Got a gym membership a few months ago and my arm/hand hasn't felt this good in years.

Good luck man, hope it works out for you.

Tony Hsieh said...

You definitely need to take care of yourself. Hopefully you won't need surgery; maybe better ergonomics can pull you back from the brink.

I hope you get well soon.

Your art and your thinking has been inspirational to me.

Arne said...

Thanks for the support. The hand doesn't appear to be getting worse (been going up and down). It's clear that healing might take quite some time.

Unfortunately I just dropped my glasses in the asphalt, so now I can't use the computer/TV for a week or two either. There goes my plan to procrastinate. Hmm... books?

Booked a time for LASIK.

Dragkin10 said...

Ah, so that's why you've been silent. I've been missing your work. Don't push yourself because you feel like you need to give us your awesome art though, we don't want your arm to get worse. Take a rest until you feel like your able to work again (I feel really strange writing this, after all, I'm not doctor, hah).

Mid-boss Mars said...

Man, I hope that you are well soon. you're the only inspiration I have left, please keep arting.

devilfish said...

There's one guy of digital art, called Daarken, encountered same problem some time ago. Here's a big post about it: http://daarken.com/blog/2010/04/04/tunnel-syndrome-x3/
Maybe it'll help you.

Sauro said...

I hope you heal it soon!

Arne said...

Thanks. I'm not sure if I'm getting better. I've been taking it easy, but working puts a strain on the hand and I have to abort. I can draw maybe an hour or two per day if I chop the time into little segments. I wrote a program to help me with the breaks.

Working with the tablet is by far the most exhausting. Typing or drawing on paper is not as bad. It seems like the best I can hope for now is that this thing slowly goes away over the next 3-6 months. If it doesn't... well, I don't really have any other skills :/

Algebra librarian said...

I recommend this. I had wrist injuries from work awhile back, and that helped a lot.

Samuel said...

I really love your art. It's very inpiring. Hope you get better soon. Try this software to heltp you with the breaks: http://www.workrave.org/

Anonymous said...

Is it actually diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome?
There are surgical procedures for this condition.
They drill out some cartilage.. it does the job.

I really miss your art updates. :(

Anonymous said...

Hey Arne,
I'm a huge fan of your art.
The sheer amount of your ideas and redesigns is impressive! I'd love to see some Graphic Novel by you in the future.
You're definitely one of the few artists out there with an unique and coherent style.
Didn't know where else to write this and I think you can use some encouragement.. get well soon !!

Equis Stenchman said...

Hey Arne,

I fought with carpal tunnel for a while and when I finally went in to see the doctor he gave me some advice that I'm surprised I dont hear more often. When you sleep your wrist goes limp and that basically means eight hours (well five to six if your sleep sucks like mine) of your hand being in a perfect position to produce carpal tunnel.

The solution is so easy it's stupid. Go out and buy a pair of wrist braces. They're relatively cheap. Then, wear them while you sleep. That eight hours of damage just became eight hours of healing. You eventually (a week or two) wont even have to fight it while you're awake.

st3ady said...

get well soon Arne! take care of ur wrist, take a break from everything! us fanboys can wait, your health cannot!

Aten said...

Arne, I've been working in games for like 15+ years now, doing the same repetitive movements over and over day in day out. A lot of people, myself included, have suffered from this over the years. A good company will let you have time off to recover but it will usually take a long time to go away (months) and you have to make sure you keep those small movements to a minimum in the meantime. I wore a wrist support back then and also got a mouse mat to raise my wrist off the desk. Eventually the pain went away (and hasn't been back since).

Hopefully you'll get over this in quick time, as I've been a big fan of your work for many years!

Arne said...

Thanks for the advice! I've been trying to follow them, and the hand are getting a bit better, but some days I just can't resist working because I feel fine, and it gets worse again :/

I draw on an inclined table now, and it helps a bit. I haven't found a way to work comfortably with the wacom though.

Maybe I should get one of those mouse mats with boobs on it, huh?

I wore braces for a while, but they pushed on the carpal. I need gloves with inlays which go on the side I suppose...