Re: tendonitis in hands from painting

In Reply to: tendonitis in hands from painting posted by Neil on 06/26/00 at 5:23 PM:

I have had bouts with that as a youth when I was building...such as being unable to voluntarily release my hand from a hammer. I would have to physically unwrap each finger with my other hand. When you need to accomplish something you just put your focus in your work grit your teeth and go for it like your ancestors had to. In '92 I ripped my bicep tendon off my lower forearm throwing a hide-a-bed into a pickup. I was very pissed off at the time 1) because I had to do this errand 2) didn't want the thing anyway. I felt a pop in my arm about mid throw and it snapped back like a rubber band. People were watching, I felt sick to my stomach and undid the pickup tailgate the correct way, slid the couch in with one hand and then had to drive the borrowed truck to make a delivery then returnn it. I drove by reaching over to shift with my left hand. My right hand could grip if I held against my body. I unloaded the same way and returned home. Didn't tell anyone because I was still sheetrocking the house for remodel and coming guests, as well as to keep my studio open and deliver contracted work to my customers. I got the sheetrocking done by using the same hand-to-body method to carry. I also had full grip when my arm was extended. To make a long story short I hid my problem, put my studio and presses up for sale and waited to seek medical attention till the particulars were covered.
When you are a sole proprietor and have people dependent upon you you are the heart and soul of your business, so I know your turmoil.
Upon going to the Orthopod I was told my arm was permanently useless because I had waited months too long for reattachment..the bicep had traveled and attached up in my shoulder and the loose ligament had attached in a weird pucker mark to my skin. When you resemble a pro ball player or a large trucker, people expect things from you, and I was essentially disabled that way. A new orthopod new of an experimental tendon donor transplant tat had been done in dogs and I decided to be a guinee pig. He transplanted an achilles leg tendon from a cadaver because it most closely resembled my bicep tendon. As the transplant decayed it helped form a lattice for my own cells. Anyway it worked reasonably well and I resumed a normal life.
When I was injured I found varying brush grips and stance helped immensely. I typically hold my brushes between my 1st two fingers as an extension of my hand for large work and use a perpendicular signwriter approach for fine stuff. Putting my stuff on an inclined bench helped relieve some fatigue as well. I also used my other hand frequently.
I lost a thumb tendon in a bar incident and was forced to do most of an entire thesis that way as an undergrad so I had some practice. You might bind your arm to your body for shoulder tendonitis to reduce movement. Maybe even make a giant 2 x 4 maulstick with clearance blocks on thye end to span your painting like a modern barrel stave, the you could lean across on your forearms for another position or two... AND DON'T UNDERPRICE YOUR WORK! At least $50 an hour MINIMUM!! That should relieve the riff-raff from hasseling you for your time and keep your important work separated while you recover. Get an extra employee to cover and be nice to your secretary..a good secretary can cover immensely despite a production decline(I say this now in hindsight! I was too stubborn at the time!)
 
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