Too many artists suffer from repetitive strain injuries (RSI). In addition, too many artists know too little about:
- how to avoid RSI
- how best to deal with RSI
Too often, health and safety issues for artists relate purely to hazards associated with art materials. In my opinion, there is far too little focus on the hazards that certain working practices can have on your anatomy.
This post looks at what is RSI, why artists gets it; how to make it worse and how to make life more tolerable if you get it - and hopefully recover from it.
At the end there are some references to other websites where artists talk about the impact of RSI.
What is RSI?
RSI stands for repetitive strain injury.
RSI is an umbrella term for a range of muscular skeletal disorders rather than a condition. It's a general term used to describe a related set of problems associated with a variety of very specific injuries or disorders affecting muscles and/or tendons and/or other soft tissue which have very specific names.
- Type 1 RSI relates to a specific disorder which a doctor can diagnose. These have recognised treatments.
- Type 2 RSI is a more generalised disorder where diagnosis in terms of a specific condition is more difficult.
RSI for Artists generally afflicts some part of the arm - the fingers, wrist, forearm, elbow, shoulders - and can also affect the neck and/or upper back.
RSI Symptoms include:
- intense pain
- dull aching or tenderness
- stiffness
- throbbing
- burning
- tingling
- numbness
- swelling
- weakness / reduced dexterity
- cramp
- inability to grip or lift
Dealing with the intensity of the symptoms can make people very tired.
My particular version of RSI is called
tenosynovitis - see NHS page on
Tendonitis and other tendon injuries. It runs from the index finger of my right (drawing) hand across the back of my hand, across my wrist, around the back of my forearm into my elbow and then up my arm. I have a semi-permanent swelling on the back of my hand below the index finger knuckle which is where the injury is particularly bad.
The practical impact is:
- I can't grip anything in my right hand either tightly or for too long.
- I can only draw using certain techniques eg hatching is very easy; drawing small changes in line very precisely is not
- I can't use my right hand continuously for too long - I need to take lots of short breaks
- I must use a soft keyboard. I'm completely unable to use a keyboard which has any vibration as I'm in agony very quickly if I do.
- Sometimes I have to wear a brace which maintains my palm and wrist in one position - but allows me to flex my fingers
 |
My new wrist splint - the last one was very well used!
On the whole I need this less now as I'm much better at protecting myself |
(
Note: I'm not going to try and describe all the conditions in this post - however I am going to link to decent websites which do provide more authoritative information)
Other common RSI or RSI related conditions
I've referenced the relevant NHS information site which provides an introduction and information about causes, symptoms and treatment
- Bursitis / Tennis elbow: The sac of fluid around a joint is injured due to a spain or irritated due to overuse /repetitive strain. This leads to swelling. See NHS Choices - Bursitis
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: This is where the Median Nerve which passes through the wrist becomes irritated. Symptoms include tingling, numbness and pain of the thumb and/or index finger, middle finger or third finger. Dexterity becomes reduced. See NHS Choices: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Dupuytren's contracture: This condition causes the hand to close - with fingers being towards the palm of your hand See NHS - Dupuytren's Contracture
- Ganglion - a fluid-filled lump or nodule can be caused by repetitive strain. They often develop on the wrist. See NHS - Ganglion cyst
- Epicondylitis – inflammation of the area where bone and tendon join, such as the elbow. It causes pain and tenderness on the outside of your elbow and pain when twisting or lifting or bending. See NHS - Tennis Elbow (lateral epicondylitis)
- Shoulder Pain eg Rotator Cuff disorder (which I experienced recently) - Normal movement is reduced and painful. Inability to lift or twist the arm. See NHS - Shoulder pain
Other conditions which can also be related or affected include:
- Osteoarthritis - the most common form of arthritis which often affects the small joints of the hand. Symptoms include joint pain or tenderness. There is no cure but you can reduce its impact and treat symptoms. See NHS - Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis - an auto immune disease which damages tendons, cartilage and bone. Symptoms involve throbbing, stiffness and pain. See NHS Rheumatoid arthritis
How do artists get repetitive strain injury?
Artists get RSI for the same sorts of reasons that other people with vocational activities get RSI.
The most common reasons for RSI injuries are:
- repetitive strain - overuse of the muscles / tendons in a way which is continued
- poor posture and/or holding the same posture for too long without a break
- working for too long without a break
- poor and/or cold working working environment
- use of tools which require force or can cause a strain
- vibration of tools held or used
Basically if you exhibit bad posture and keep using the same muscle groups over and over again, day after day for long periods
- sooner or later you will find that you start to get aches and pains;
- those aches and pains will in due course become more painful;
- if the tendons or tissue becomes inflamed and/or if the nerve(s) become involved you will experience intense pain;
- if you continue and don't take appropriate action you may experience paralysis and/or a total inability to perform normal functions.
The other most common reason is that artists don't get enough education in why certain working practices make them a "sitting duck" for RSI.
You may also be predisposed (like me) to problems if you have a connective tissue disorder.
How do artists make RSI worse?