If You Play Guitar Everyday, Please Read This!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Buck62
  • Start date Start date
Another damned coincidence! Just stumbled onto this....

Two nights ago, after a pretty long practice, I went to bed shortly after, but couldn't sleep because my left hand kept hurting in the area of my index-finger knuckle. My wrist is still a little tight even today. I played very lightly last night and it didn't seem to irritate it or cause a repeat of the previous nights pains.

Where would I find a good stretching technique?

So much for the "no pain, no gain" mentality.
 
shit dude, i used to have a tendinitis feelin thing in my picking arms elbow. this solely cuz im a lefty, but managed to learn right handed guitar, but there was one problem, since i didnt have that wrist moving technique that people aquire from per say writing? i would play by moving my fucking elbow when playing fast licks... after a few times of realizing how much i was fuckin myself up, i kinda resolved it... when i play standing up, i just sag the guitar a little lower, so my arm is fully extended, and i cant do anything BUT play with my wrist... kinda is helpin, AND im learnin to write with my right hand haha. rock on folks
 
I have helped a few people through tendonitis and playing.
Two things to consider...
1. raise that guitar or bass so your hand is in line with your forearm. You should not be curling or hyperextending your wrist.
2. relax your shoulder and let you elbow fall away from your side. If you keep that elbow tucked in you'll have to cock your hand. Again, keep that hand in line with the forearm.
If you are still suffering, go see an occupational therapist that is well versed in osteopathy.
2b. Attack the strings gently. I play pretty hard and do big bends (5ths and beyond) and I use as little energy as possible.
Try fretting a string as lightly as you can without getting buzz. Any more pressure is a waste of energy. I'm not one for economizing when it comes to gear but,when it comes to my body, I'm laz... I mean energy conscious.
Stack
 
I played the drums for tewlve years, got tendinitis in both elbows, wore the elbow and wrist bands, finally had to quit drums, woke up evrey morning after a gig in severe pain;then I went to bass guitar, after seven years the knuckles and joints in my right hand started swelling, got arthritis from finger picking, tried the flat pick, worked for awhile but it got so bad that I switched over to guitar, been playing guitar since 81', now my joints in my left fingers especiall the index, get sore (from arthritis) I'm in constant pain, so...I use this stuff called BioFreeze, rub it in, and it helps alot. I already take a steady stream of pain meds and anti inflammatories, I have a fractured twelth t12 vertebrae(motorcycle wreck) that also has arthritis and severe right side neuropathy...yes I am older than dirt, but one thing is for sure as long as I can draw my last breath I'll be playing that guitar, even if it's plucking the E string and going ba ba ba. Musicians probably suffer the most occupational arthritis than any other profession.
 
Green Manalishi said:
I really love reading stories about overcomming adversity to follow your dream. And not alowing anything to stop them.

18 years ago... I cant believe it has been that long, I lost my ring finger on my left hand to an accident at work. It was ripped, not cut clean, so the doctors couldnt re-attatch. Of course, for a guitarist, at the time it was a nightmare. I tried switching to a 'lefty' and Gibson was going to make a lefty Les Paul for me. But after a couple of tries on an acoustic, I knew there wouldnt be any way possible to re-learn backwards.

I just altered styles, and now (still playing right hand), I'm better than ever. But it's taken alot of practice.
Click to expand...

I met a kid a couple of years ago who played right handed with only three fingers on his left (chord) hand. That didn't seem to stop him any. He was a hell of a guitar player. I guess if you want to do something bad enough, you will find a way.
 
DarkCide said:
I notice my hands swell (Become huge) everytime I do some weights at the gym. Could this be the begininng of a serious problem?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I notice my groin swell (becomes huge) every time I look at the girls at the gym. Is this a serious problem?
 
when it comes to buying lighter string guages, i think I'll lay low on that for a while even though my chord hand gets numb during playing for long periods. i used .009s at one time and i kept destroying them. 10s are sturdy enough....and my playing style has changed from the 3 hour cover band to 45 minutes of whatever. maybe an hour and a half but thats about the extent.
 
Interesting topic to say the least. I have been playing for close to 25 years and in that time period have experienced some wrist and finger pain. There is nothing worst than playing a gig in pain. I learned early on the importance of stretching the muscles that are used in playing and performing. Begining with, what I consider the most important, the fingers. Than the wrist, elbows, shoulders. If your the active mover while performing like myself, include the neck, back and legs. This may seem like over-kill, after all we are talking guitar not football, but it's just as important. Players take the time to re-string, set- up, clean and plug in to jam, with out hesitation, but fail to stretch. That would be like running a few miles with stretching. The little muscles in the fingers can only take so much. When I first started, I knew I was going to play the rest of my life, so it's been worth the whooping 2-3 minutes to stretch prior to playing. I haven't had the pain since doing so. TIP: If you begin to experience pain, stop and let it heal. It's hard, but you'll extend your playing days to years. Good luck.
 
Okay, enough with the egregious "W".
We know, we know... he won. :(

I haven't had a repeat of that week of strange hand sensations in the night. The strange sensations have since moved south, and I awaken with warm nether region sensations.

But seriously, I've been playing (and typing) more than ever lately, and have not had a repeat... :confused:
 
djc said:
I met a kid a couple of years ago who played right handed with only three fingers on his left (chord) hand. That didn't seem to stop him any. He was a hell of a guitar player. I guess if you want to do something bad enough, you will find a way.
Click to expand...

Les Paul
Tony Iommi
Django Rheinhardt
Leo Kottke
would all agree with you. For all but the most extreme cases, there is hope. One of the best local bass players around here had to have surgery. Two years later, with an adjustment of his playing style and position (he plays like a classical guitarist- a very ergonomic position) he is playing as good as ever.
A bassist I used to play with has rheumatoid arthritis. Not much he can do. :(
Awareness of this is a good thing. Thanks for the post, Buck.
 
I have been playing guitar now for 20 years or so, give or take several years here and there. Several years ago when I was doing the “pro” musician thing, I developed cramping and painful stiffness in my finger joints and wrist after playing gigs and after rehearsal sessions. The pain would remain even days after practicing. This situation helped me decide to get out of the music thing altogether for a few years, picking up the guitar only once in a while in a token gesture to try to help me feel like I was still a guitarist.

...Anywho, after a three-year guitar-playing hiatus (focused on school and work), the pain subsided completely. I began practicing in earnest again about 2 years ago and have practiced almost daily since then. At this time, I have not had any return of the cramping or joint problems like I had in the past. What I attribute this to is the fact that I *always* do chromatic warm-ups to a metronome before I do any sort of "serious" practicing. I also try to force myself to do these warm-ups daily, even if I'm not going to do a serious practice. I never used to warm up before serious practicing, and by "serious practicing" I mean working on new tunes, licks, phrasing, scales, and such in which I'm trying to push myself into new techniques and skills.

A couple of weeks ago, at the suggestion of my father (who's an M.D.), I began taking glucosamine and chondroitin (G-C) daily (do a Google search to get the description of what these are). I'm not one to take any type of pill or cure unless there are easily recognizable benefits. At this point, it seems that the G-C has helped my skinny fingers and joints have more endurance and less fatigue when practicing. I plan to give it a couple of months before I decided whether the G-C has actually helped at all or not.

my $.02.

-mr moon
 
If you practice a lot, try a nylon string guitar. Set up right, a nylon string only requires the lightest touch to play well and it's wider neck will make the average electric guitar neck seem like driving a Ferrari when you switch.

I try to practice at least one hour every day, am 56 years old, and am not bothered with any wrist or finger problems YET.
 
Frank Story said:
If you practice a lot, try a nylon string guitar. Set up right, a nylon string only requires the lightest touch to play well and it's wider neck will make the average electric guitar neck seem like driving a Ferrari when you switch.

I try to practice at least one hour every day, am 56 years old, and am not bothered with any wrist or finger problems YET.
Click to expand...

Wait till your 58!

Good advice, I've got something like 48 years of playing time with no serious problems, yet last night I used a strat all night instead of my usual hybrid acoutics and my hand was sore.......all I can think of is that the solid body puts me out of position and the lighter strings.

Best thing is to find a comfortable position and technique for your style. It's like the guy who goes to the doctor and says; "It hurts when I do this" and the doc says; "Well, don't to that"
 
Add Pete Townshend and myself to the list of guitar players who have tendonitis problems to deal with. When I developed tendonitis in both wrists, I learned from the osteopath and the therapist who treated the problem that to prevent recurring episodes I should avoid excessive hyperextension of the wrist. So I had them check how I was holding my guitar to look for positions to avoid. They immediately noticed that I had gotten into the sloppy habit of hooking my left thumb over the neck--contrary to how I was taught to play in the beginning. I consciously forced myself to brace my thumb against the back of the neck and noticed the difference--hooking that thumb over the fretboard forces the wrist to hyperextend while holding it behind the neck relaxes the wrist.
I also shake my wrists and fingers loose between songs--a technique I picked up during my days of high school wrestling to loosen up.
 
Easier said than done, but if your hands start hurting, then just stop playing for a month or two. If it's your bread and butter then that's hard to do, but if you're a hobbyist you need to take care.

I had a friend who was a brilliant pianist who got really bad RSI and now can hardly use her hands let alone play piano. She didn't get it just from playing the piano, but from typing etc. as well, but she's facing the rest of her life being unable to do what she loved doing and taking serious painkillers as well.
 
Mr. Moon said:
I have been playing guitar now for 20 years or so, give or take several years here and there. Several years ago when I was doing the “pro” musician thing, I developed cramping and painful stiffness in my finger joints and wrist after playing gigs and after rehearsal sessions. The pain would remain even days after practicing. This situation helped me decide to get out of the music thing altogether for a few years, picking up the guitar only once in a while in a token gesture to try to help me feel like I was still a guitarist.

...Anywho, after a three-year guitar-playing hiatus (focused on school and work), the pain subsided completely. I began practicing in earnest again about 2 years ago and have practiced almost daily since then. At this time, I have not had any return of the cramping or joint problems like I had in the past. What I attribute this to is the fact that I *always* do chromatic warm-ups to a metronome before I do any sort of "serious" practicing. I also try to force myself to do these warm-ups daily, even if I'm not going to do a serious practice. I never used to warm up before serious practicing, and by "serious practicing" I mean working on new tunes, licks, phrasing, scales, and such in which I'm trying to push myself into new techniques and skills.

A couple of weeks ago, at the suggestion of my father (who's an M.D.), I began taking glucosamine and chondroitin (G-C) daily (do a Google search to get the description of what these are). I'm not one to take any type of pill or cure unless there are easily recognizable benefits. At this point, it seems that the G-C has helped my skinny fingers and joints have more endurance and less fatigue when practicing. I plan to give it a couple of months before I decided whether the G-C has actually helped at all or not.

my $.02.

-mr moon
Click to expand...


OK. It's been a couple of months now since my last post on this topic, so it's time for an update...

I honestly believe that the Glucosamine and Chondroitin (G/C) tabs that I have been taking every day have helped immensely!! True, I have incorporated warm-up excersizes in my daily practices and I do warm ups for at least 5 minutes before ~98% of band rehearsals and gigs, but I have NO after-gig or after-rehearsal pain or stiffness, which plagued me for years. The G/C tabs are available from Walgreens and other pharmacies, just be sure to get a recognizable brand (i.e. Walgreens. CVS pharmacy, etc.) so you're sure that your actually getting G/C rather than who knows what. These tabs are considered food supplements, and not drugs, so they are not regulated as rigorously as drugs, at least here in the states. There have been cases of folks buying off-brand supplements and getting nothing but powdered sugar …or worse!!:eek:

I don't sell these supplements, so I would not consider this message as spam... :p :D

-mr moon
 
Green Manalishi said:
I really love reading stories about overcomming adversity to follow your dream. And not alowing anything to stop them.

18 years ago... I cant believe it has been that long, I lost my ring finger on my left hand to an accident at work. It was ripped, not cut clean, so the doctors couldnt re-attatch. Of course, for a guitarist, at the time it was a nightmare. I tried switching to a 'lefty' and Gibson was going to make a lefty Les Paul for me. But after a couple of tries on an acoustic, I knew there wouldnt be any way possible to re-learn backwards.

I just altered styles, and now (still playing right hand), I'm better than ever. But it's taken alot of practice.
Click to expand...

that's awesome.
 
I get bouts of tendinitis too. Here's how I handle it (haven't had an attack in a few years now).

Give your fingers a vacation.

Buy yourself a parifin bath and use it. It's a basin that melts parifin wax. Put your hand(s) in turn into the bath. It's hot as hell! When you're done doing that, pull your hand(s) out and wrap it in a terry cloth towel. Sit like that for 20 minutes. Peel off the hardened wax.

You'll feel better in just a few days.

Carl
 
Krakit said:
I get bouts of tendinitis too. Here's how I handle it (haven't had an attack in a few years now).

Give your fingers a vacation.

Buy yourself a parifin bath and use it. It's a basin that melts parifin wax. Put your hand(s) in turn into the bath. It's hot as hell! When you're done doing that, pull your hand(s) out and wrap it in a terry cloth towel. Sit like that for 20 minutes. Peel off the hardened wax.

You'll feel better in just a few days.

Carl
Click to expand...

Carl,

Good suggestions! BTW: I love your sig file! ;)

"Only people who realize that they do not know everything take the time and effort to find things out"

-mr moon
 
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