Pains after using tablet?

#1

I have a Wacom Intuos 3 6X8 tablet, after using it for awhile in many time, I keep getting pains in my middle finger. Last night, I was using it for a project for a long time and now my middle finger is aching again. What more, my right wrist seems to be weakening too. I thought the pen is suppose to be egronomic. So, would it be because there’s something wrong in how I use my tablet?

#2

I’d just hazard a guess that it’s repetitive strain injury. It doesn’t matter how user friendly objects are, you’ll eventually need to take a break and rest your fingers.

#3

I have an Intuos3 6x8 wacom tablet too (a5), and yeah I get some pains, my fingers tire, and some times I get this warm feeling in my hand, feels sort of tingly. Just take a rest or a break or something. Try some other mediums of art.

#4

if your getting pain in your fingers it suggests you are holding the pen wrong.

 you should grip the pen very lightly  between 1"-3" from the tip
 
 do not hold it below 1" from the tip and do not hold it tightly( a good  way to tell you are holding the pen to tight is your fingernails will turn white near the tips)-  doing these things will cause unnecessary fatigue. 
 
 take a break from drawing every half hour and shake your arms and hands out
 
 
 adjust your wacom tip pressure so you dont need to dig into the wacom for the heaviest lines.

you can also change the type of grip you use- i presume you use the pen grip (because of the finger pain)

[[img]http://img92.imageshack.us/img92/7199/dsc0003ms9.jpg[/img]](http://imageshack.us)

is this how you hold your pen?

another view so you can see how the fingers are.

the grip i use is the brush grip (same grip i’d use to hold a paint brush)

[[img]http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/8787/dsc0005nz6.jpg[/img]](http://imageshack.us)

i’ll point out the main difference in case you didn’t notice it. the middle finger does not grip the pen, instead the pen rests on the side of the middle finger.

 if the pains persist after these changes you should consider consulting a doctor
 
 
 
 rat
#5

Thanks for replying guys.

And Rattsang, yes, I’m using the pen grip and sorta in the way like you showed. It seems to be source of the problem, also that I tend to hold the pen tightly too. I’ll try out your advice and see how it works. Thanks for the thorough explanation.

#6

no way, I was thinking of the exact same thing last night and was wondering if there was something about this or if I’d get up and ask.

after using my tablet (9x12 ituos 3) my hand was practically numb, and I grip the pen extremely tightly. A year ago I cut my thumb open on a bandsaw and caused chronic nerve damage to the thumb so its already numb to begin with, but damn >_>

I’m gonna try that “brush style” method of holding it later tonight when I draw and see if it helps, will post update on the matter.

I wish I was amidextris >_>

#7

i get sorta crampy when i use it for anything other than painting, otherwise i’m fine - my first guess is you are holding it way too tightly, a gentle hand is as helpful with the somewhat thick intuos pen as it is with any other drawing implement

#8

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