This post is dedicated to artists, but also for those who do a lot of repetitive work with hands like writing/typing or .
Cover Image- an old hands study done by me. Based on one of classical artbooks, sorry I don't remember which.
We often see articles about how important good posture is for health. However, hands or wrists are rarely mentioned. For those of us who do art daily, taking good care of our hands is crucial. However, this is also becoming a global problem as more of us use electronics daily. Even you may have experienced an occasional wrist discomfort when typing over a long period of time.
When I started working long hours on digital art, I started noticing more and more strain on my hands, especially wrists. Eventually discomfort turned into pain and I had to start taking long unexpected breaks. The way I drew on my Wacom Bamboo tablet was different from how I used to do traditional art. I had less space at my work desk and unknowingly I started using my wrist more.
In traditional art the most recommended way to draw is by moving the elbow not the wrist. This allows you to draw more fluid and controlled lines. This habit is the reason I got the idea to try out wrist support band. The band constrains the wrist which forces me to use my elbow instead of wrist when doing digital art for long hours.
I bought two different types of wrist bands as I didn't know what the difference was. I got them in a variety shop at the sport section (quite cheaply). There are also medical ones in pharmacies, probably better of quality. Those are more expensive here, but probably worth the longterm investment. I'm currently satisfied with mine, but will try those in the future.
I tried each of the bands for about a week on my right hand as I'm right handed. In the end settled on the thumb support one for my drawing hand and the regular band for keyboard one.
Actually at first I didn't realize how much the wrist bands actually helped. After a longer break I forgot to wear them for only week and the pain returned. The bands help me tremendously, but I still think that exercises and stretches are a long term solution.
The following are some very common stretches that I highly recommend. They are extremely simple, but effective. The following is a video with an awesome demonstration by Adarsh Williams
Here is a list of additional exercises. Find a few that work for you and remember them.
Extended arm
To stretch in the opposite direction:
Extend your arm with your palm facing up toward the ceiling.
With your free hand, gently press your fingers down toward the floor.
Gently pull your fingers back toward your body.
Hold for 10 to 30 seconds.
Additionally if you feel tension you can tense the muscles as hard as possible for 10- 15 seconds and release. This works for any part of the body and can be done in bed before sleep.
Occasionally, when I feel like my elbow is pinched, I have my partner help out. Please do this with caution as I couldn't find this exercise online. I learned this at a sports training and it provides me instant relief.
How to do it: keep the hand outstretched straight and have the partner grab the middle and ring fingers. Next they need to shake the whole arm up and down for a couple of times, with a slight force. It may take a few tries to learn the right force amount.
Other than avoiding pain another reason why always taking care is of wrists so important is to avoid developing carpal tunel.
Carpal tunnel syndrome causes pain, tingling, and numbness in your hand from pressure on the median nerve in your wrist.
Source
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Lastly, the following are a few items I use to improve arm and grip strength also great for fingers. The first is a knitted stress ball made by my brother. It's excellent as it's easier and more fun to use than the hand grips, those are to the upper right with a bit of yellow. Lastly the small marble balls are for rolling in hand, I feel that those have the most effect on the fingers, improvising flexibly and control.
Thank you for reading! Take care ♡