[sensiblehuman]

hello, others out there (if you are). even typing this hurts, so i'll make it short.

i'm a painter (of pictures) and recently i've been overdoing the work (hours on end, fine detail stuff). now my hand and wrist are very painful, and i can barely grip anything. taps are hell. handwriting, and holding a brush, hurt. there is a small bump - inflammation ? - on the bony part of the back of my hand, which hurts if i press it. (so don't press it! yes, i know.)

anyway, i've self-diagnosed it as tendonitis because it's happened quite suddenly, and my question is this - will this go away of itself, in time? i'm wearing fingerless mittens, because the warmth seems to help (and anyway, it's freezing over here in the UK).

i'm very depressed about this, as painting is my life - and about the only thing that keeps me sane at a time of considerable stress. does anyone else have this particular kind of pain?

[donthomasj]

Dear sensiblehuman: From your history, I agree that this could potentially be tendonitis, but that is impossible to answer without doing a physical examination. Tendonitis of the hand can also cause a lump on the back of the hand called a ganglion cyst. The treatment for tendonitis would initially be... decrease hand activities (to include painting) until it heals, wear a wrist splint to rest the hand, use heat or ice (which ever feels best), and consider taking an over the counter pain releaver if not told not to do so by your doctor (make sure you don't have any problems which are contraindications to taking the medicine listed on the package before taking the medicine). If these measures do not help within a couple of weeks, then I would recommend that you see your doctor for a complete evaluation so that a definitive diagnosis and guided treatment plan can be given to you. The vast majority of patients when treated for overuse syndromes of the hands (such as tendonitis), can resume their occupation/work after proper therapy. What you do not want to happen is ignore it for too long, keep working through the pain, not treat it correctly, and let it worsen over time which can absolutely make it more difficult to treat successfully in the long run. Good luck!

[sensiblehuman]

dear Don Thomas (J),
thank you so much for your comprehensive reply. by sunday the inflammation and pain had grown much worse, so i did see my doctor, who confirmed tendonitis and tied my arm up in a sling. i've been taking paracetomol, but can't take ibuprofen unfortunately. however, last night - tuesday - the pain and inflammation began to subside, and i think it's on the mend, though clearly it'll take a while yet.

doing things one-handed is far more difficult than i'd ever realised, but seems to have paid off - except that my other hand is now beginning to protest! sigh. i should stop typing now, i think... :-)