Shoulder pain when I draw sitting down, is it safe to continue?
https://www.reddit.com/r/ArtFundamentals/comments/sc3cdn/shoulder_pain_when_i_draw_sitting_down_is_it_safe/
2022-01-25 03:00
Moniglaughlin
I started Drawabox in the last week or so and I've been working through lesson 1. After I got past the superimposed lines exercise and onto the ghosted lines exercise, drawing at my desk started causing me a considerable amount of pain in my shoulder. It's burning pain, and it lasts. I tried hot rice bags and Ibuprofen to no effect; once the pain gets aggravated it will stick around until my shoulder is rested for some amount of time. It doesn't feel like I'm dying or anything, but the pain makes it impossible to draw from the shoulder, and it can get aggravated now by just a few lines.
I noticed that I could do the same motions standing up without the same pain though. My shoulder still feels sore, but not like something is wrong, and I attribute it to using new muscles. I've done the ghosted planes, tables of ellipses and ellipses in planes exercises standing up without noticing any pain as bad, although my shoulder is quite sore. I don't know why this happens. My best guess is that is seems like I have to raise my shoulder up slightly to be able to draw at the desk because of the level of my chair.
Yes, I know that it would be ideal to see a doctor, and I'm working on it, but due to pandemic and insurance circumstances I do not have a primary care physician and finding a new one is out of the question right now. Believe me, I've tried and am still trying. I know that not everyone on the internet is a medical professional, but I was wondering if anyone had any knowledge about things like this, or experiences in similar situations. I'm tired of doing nothing and desperately want to continue to learn how to draw, but I know that I only have this body and I don't want to hurt myself forever doing something dumb. If anyone has any insight or advice, I would deeply appreciate it.
If it's relevant, I have a family history of rheumatoid arthritis and likely am experiencing cubital tunnel syndrome.
Uncomfortable
2022-01-25 06:51
As soon as I read that you're experiencing a burning pain in your shoulder, it became clear this question fell well outside of the kind of support we're able to provide. It'd simply be irresponsible to let members of the community weigh in, as it really is just going to amount to comments from well-meaning but largely unknowledgeable people on the internet.
The first thing you should do is stop drawing. While it's normal to encounter some soreness (dull pain akin to having worked out), anything beyond that scope is reason for concern. Next, you might consider asking about this on a more medically-related subreddit. Obviously actually speaking to a proper medical professional is best, and it's pretty much all I would recommend - but I understand that in your situation that becomes... complicated. We actually have similar situations here in Nova Scotia (getting a primary care physician even before the pandemic was basically impossible), so we generally go to walk-in clinics. Be sure to check if that's an option for you, but I'll continue with this response assuming that it's not.
While I haven't had a chance to look too deeply, you may want to check out /r/AskDocs. At the very least they have people tagged as physicians, nurses, and lay people, and it's a larger community than ours so hopefully you should be able to get some useful thoughts on your situation.
Best of luck - and remember, do not continue to draw until you've gotten some kind of answers. You're absolutely right - you only have one body, and it is not worth damaging it. One of my teaching assistants struggles with wrist issues, due to having gone too hard on trying to learn guitar, and not listening to his body. It's a consistent source of regret for him, though one that hopefully he can address with physiotherapy.
Moniglaughlin
2022-01-25 07:12
Thank you for taking the time to respond sir. Its a very fair assessment. Walk in clinics have their own exposure related concerns for me but Ill be going to one as soon as I can to get a proper diagnosis. Ill stop drawing until theres a solution.