thumb pain(repetitive stress injury

[EthanBrackett]

Ive an injury from playing guitar on my thumb, it has gotten better since i noticed it a about 4 days ago. I beleive this is from my bad hand posture when playing chords or fast stuff on the higher frets. Ive an attached picture of where the pain is, in blue. I was hoping somebody could tell me more information about this type of injury, and what i can do for it. I have been taking Ibuprofen and iceyhot cream to help. and ive been laying off practicing although i can still play with some discomfort on my SG which has a more rounded neck than my V though this has been a problem before with the SG aswell.

[RaysEpiphone]

Try some exercise, light-moderate upper body training a few times a week and warm up before you go crazy on the fret-board!

[kidblast]

My only real advice here Ethan is to have your primary care doc refer you to an orthopedic Doc.

 

They'll be able to asses your condition and perhaps have a get well plan for it.

 

If it's REAL bad, you can probably find out about a cortisone shot.

 

I have some carpal in both wrists.. right is worse. The shot in the right wrist really helped, for quite some time in fact, and even after it had worn off, the condition has not returned to the extent it was. (this was back in 2005 or 2006)

 

It may not for the faint of heart, my ortho commented that most people turn pale when they see the needled.. I just said "screw that, just do it..." I must have a high threshold for pain because it wasn't really as bad as it looked.

 

 

In the end, I was glad I did... it offered a lot of relief for my condition.

 

Of course, resting it will help, but over time, it's probably just going to resurface unless you stop playing, and my educated guess is you aren't about to do that.

 

If you are just getting to this point, maybe getting it checked out will help to minimize complications down the road.

[Guest Farnsbarns]

My only real advice here Ethan is to have your primary care doc refer you to an orthopedic Doc.

 

They'll be able to asses your condition and perhaps have a get well plan for it.

 

If it's REAL bad, you can probably find out about a cortisone shot.

 

I have some carpal in both wrists.. right is worse. The shot in the right wrist really helped, for quite some time in fact, and even after it had worn off, the condition has not returned to the extent it was. (this was back in 2005 or 2006)

 

It may not for the faint of heart, my ortho commented that most people turn pale when they see the needled.. I just said "screw that, just do it..." I must have a high threshold for pain because it wasn't really as bad as it looked.

 

 

In the end, I was glad I did... it offered a lot of relief for my condition.

 

Of course, resting it will help, but over time, it's probably just going to resurface unless you stop playing, and my educated guess is you aren't about to do that.

 

If you are just getting to this point, maybe getting it checked out will help to minimize complications down the road.

 

This. There are certain things for which you don't rely on the internet. Medical advice is at the top of that list.

[zigzag]

Guy goes to his doctor and says, "Doc, it hurts when I do this."...

[Namvet]

I have pain in my thumb as well as middle finger. Doc said I had a mild case of carpal tunnel in my left wrist and gsve me a wrist brace to wear while sleeping. Helps some but as Farns said, only your doctor can tell you how to treat it.

[L5Larry]

There are certain things for which you don't rely on the internet. Medical advice is at the top of that list.

 

Just where do you think Doctors go for advise?

[Guest Farnsbarns]

Just where do you think Doctors go for advise?

 

Hopefully, med school, then text books. If your doc comes on guitar fora for help yo might wanna find a different one!

[bonzoboy]

After over 40 years of playing guitar,I've found out much too late that doing stretching exercises before and after playing for any length of time is imperative.Over 2 years ago I started to have pain and stiffness in both of my hands after even a short period of playing.Since then it has gotten progressively worse and is now to the point that at times my hands are literally useless and are so atrophied that I can't do up a shirt button.I finally got to see a neurologist and he has confirmed carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel syndrome in my right hand but there are other issues going on including Raynauds Disease and an as yet unidentified neuro-muscular condition in both hands but strangely enough the left doesn't have carpal tunnel.I have to undergo a cold water immersion test on my hands to positively diagnose Raynauds and have a CAT scan on my brain to see if I may have suffered a mini stroke,but I'm sure that's not the case and most likely has to do with an impinged nerve and/or muscle.

 

The problems with my hands are compounded because of my often marathon guitar practicing that often went beyond 10 hours a day and my day job which was in the medical technical field and I had to use tools and other equipment that not only was heavy but vibrated or shook while they were being used.All of this has worked against me in the most detrimental way and now playing guitar for any length of time causes severe pain,cramping and muscle fatigue.I can't emphasize enough the importance of taking care of your hands,if you are as serious about playing as I am/was,exercise and stretches are absolutely necessary for anyone who plays guitar,especially for long periods.It helps too,just to massage and knead your hands from time to time throughout the day just to limber them up.If you also work with tools and equipment that vibrates or oscillates,it's also important to treat your hands to regular stretches and exercises.

 

I'm currently getting chiropractic,acupuncture and massage therapy from accredited professionals and that helps but I can't avail of the therapy as often as I should because my insurance puts a cap on the number of treatments that they'll cover.A musician's hands are their most important asset and the utmost of care should be taken with them or you could very well end up in the predicament that I have found myself in,and believe me,there's no easy way out or quick fix if you injure or mistreat them in any way.

 

As for medical advice and information on the internet,the famed Mayo Clinic has an excellent website where you can find info on just about any questions you have pertaining to any subject to do with illness or the treatments of just about any maladies.They present their information in a concise yet easy to understand manner and they cover each subject in great detail.You can be assured that the info you glean from the Mayo Clinic is current and correct because the Mayo Clinic is staffed by medical professionals who are giants in their respective fields.

[L5Larry]

If your doc comes on guitar fora for help yo might wanna find a different one!

 

"Guitar Forums" was not the statement here, it was "internet information"!

[EthanBrackett]

Thanks for your help guys, the pain is much less now then it was when i posted this. I've been taking Ibuprofen and using icey hot rub on my hand. and the pain has decreased by allot. I've also been holding (as if i was making the OK hand symbol) a 2-1/2 welded steel ring, which helps to stretch the hand out to the proper position when playing, and using a stress ball to work my hand muscles out when i cant feel much pain. And it has helped allot. I've also noticed my hand seems a bit quicker, and my vibrato is slightly more accurate!

 

--The reason why I asked on the forums was due to the chance that somebody else had experienced the same issue, As i was told along time ago by my first guitar teacher improper hand position will cause injury, Im much more careful now when playing cords and such, and i'll catch myself if i using improper position now.

[jdgm]

And if you don't allow your hand muscles time to completely recover from the strain you will end up permanently injured and unable to play at all. This at very least a few days. Exercises etc are great but recovery means resting for long enough so the hand muscles can heal. Best wishes.

[stein]

This. There are certain things for which you don't rely on the internet. Medical advice is at the top of that list.

^this^ is actually some darned good online advice.

 

And it's in responce to other good online advice.

 

Go figure.

[stein]

Just where do you think Doctors go for advise?

This is true, too.

 

Totally true, in that, IF a Doctor is actually taking the time, (or any time) and effort to check something out, that's actually a good thing.

 

But I sure as hell don't want no 'online Doctor'.

 

But then again, the way things are going, what poeple choose to do these days (like buying guitars, for example), some might not do it at all if they can't do it online.

[L5Larry]

Well, my smart-*** remarks have jinxed me.

 

Last night at rehearsal our music director handed out the Stan Kenton arrangement of "Malaguena". As the Kenton band did not use a guitar player, sometimes the score includes a guitar part, and sometimes not. If not, I'll write a guitar part for the song, if it has "room". This arrangement has no place whatsoever for a guitar.

 

So.... not to be left out of the fun, I came up with the idea to open the song with a solo guitar piece that would end up with a taste of the standard flamenco style "Malaguena" as we know it. As I was practicing it today I got so much pain in my left forefinger, I had to stop playing. I hope maybe it's just hand fatigue of having played a few hundred jazz chords last night, or maybe just unfamiliar finger/hand position. We'll see.

 

This thread combined with my foray into Spanish/flamenco realm reminded me of a VERY sad (and scary) story of world renown classical guitarist Leona Boyd. After many, many, years of practice and performance, she has been diagnosed with Focal Dystonia affecting her right hand.

 

I'd never heard of this affliction until a friend of hers told me about her condition. Unlike carpal tunnel, this is a brain affliction that refuses to allow certain muscles to function properly.

 

Here's the Wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focal_dystonia

[EthanBrackett]

Well, my smart-*** remarks have jinxed me.

 

Last night at rehearsal our music director handed out the Stan Kenton arrangement of "Malaguena". As the Kenton band did not use a guitar player, sometimes the score includes a guitar part, and sometimes not. If not, I'll write a guitar part for the song, if it has "room". This arrangement has no place whatsoever for a guitar.

 

So.... not to be left out of the fun, I came up with the idea to open the song with a solo guitar piece that would end up with a taste of the standard flamenco style "Malaguena" as we know it. As I was practicing it today I got so much pain in my left forefinger, I had to stop playing. I hope maybe it's just hand fatigue of having played a few hundred jazz chords last night, or maybe just unfamiliar finger/hand position. We'll see.

 

This thread combined with my foray into Spanish/flamenco realm reminded me of a VERY sad (and scary) story of world renown classical guitarist Leona Boyd. After many, many, years of practice and performance, she has been diagnosed with Focal Dystonia affecting her right hand.

 

I'd never heard of this affliction until a friend of hers told me about her condition. Unlike carpal tunnel, this is a brain affliction that refuses to allow certain muscles to function properly.

 

Here's the Wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focal_dystonia

 

 

hurts don't it? hot water soaking

[stein]

I hope maybe it's just hand fatigue of having played a few hundred jazz chords last night, or maybe just unfamiliar finger/hand position. We'll see.

 

I'd never heard of this affliction until a friend of hers told me about her condition. Unlike carpal tunnel, this is a brain affliction that refuses to allow certain muscles to function properly.

 

Here's the Wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focal_dystonia

Well, sinse this IS the place for quality online smart-*** answers, here is my unqualified advice:

 

First, ease up by limiting yourself to about 100 chords per night. We'll skip the 2 aspirin stuff, but 2 martini's or equivelant...

 

See post #5: If that finger hurts, DON'T USE THAT FINGER!

 

If that doesn't work, and you suspect it's that in your head thing, do this: figure out the names and voicings of all those chords without that sore finger. That should be good for another couple hundred chords to make up for the ones you cut back on. It will also fill your head so much there won't be any brain space left for a disease or syndrome to tell you something hurts.

 

If things get worse, discontinue use. Also, if you have thoughts of depression or suicide, do not play death metal. Play Blues- cut back to no more than 3 chords, wrap the sore finger in a slide, and retune as needed.