wrist pain?

digster

Has anyone run into troubles with their wrists? Like everyone, I've heard about carpal tunnel syndrome, but I've been playing for about five years, and recently my fretting hand has started hurting every time I start playing it. It hasn't yet become unbearable, but I can't seem to play for more than a minute without a very uncomfortable feeling, kinda running from my wrist up to the top of my palm on the thumb side of my hand. Is there any place out there that could give me tips on technique? I think if it was technique, it would only happen six years after I start. And although I'm a committed guitar player, I haven't been sitting around for hours each night. Maybe it's just a head thing, but it's been really bothering me lately. anyone that can offer some advice, thanks.

Thumbing My Way

I know what your sayin'

I've been playing for just over a year and my hand hurts and especially right in by my thumb, but this is only when i play like an F or barre chords.

girljam

i got carpal tunnel from the computer, solitaire to be exact and i had tendinitis from digging ditches. both are painful so there are exercises for this and they really help alot. you can find info on the internet. good luck and good health. keep on playing...

sj_2150

dont play for a little while...

harrisonmerwin

sj_2150 wrote:

dont play for a little while...

i 100% disagree with that. I play for hours a day, sometiems agressive, sometimes not, but the fact is im a worn in player. If i go on holidays, or just dotn have tiem to pick it up, you lose your strength. I will get sore wrists and forearms for the first day, but its just like strethcing or whatever, you have to train the specific muscle for the specific job. If barring chords gives you the sharp pain in your wrist-thumb keep playign them over and over. repitition is the best way to gain muscle. some of you may disagree, but this is almost a fact. Just try and play more if possible, sorry to hear about your pain

harrison

moster78

I had the same thing happen to me about two months back and I've only been playing for about 7 months or so. After it became a little unbearable I went to the doctor and he said it was tendonitis. Basically, his treatment was this, some prescription anti-inflammatory pain meds, grip exercises (those spring grip machines), apply some heat to my wrist before playing, and some ice when I was done and sleep with a wrist splint on. Pain went away pretty quickly after that. You could've just pulled something. Does it hurt all the time or only when you play? Mine was an all the time pain.

Pat H

do what the guy above me said

also, massage your hands after you've been playing for a while, and to prevent it from happening again warm up with hand exercises for 10-20 minutes before actually playing, and if possible, do work on stretching your fingers when you are not playing

Señor Bo

Definately warm-up your wrists and your fingers before you play to avoid further damage. I usually play for a couple of hours a day, i warm-up for 15-20 minutes and then cool down exercises for about 10 minutes after I'm done.

kigcat

when my band went in to the studio a few months ago i damaged my wrist as soon as we got there, i bashed it on a heavy studio door as we were carrying gear in. I then preceded to play for around about 10 hours straight.... the next day my wrist was killing me and it did for a few weeks after until i started wearing a support for it. after about 2 weeks it was ok again. I dunno if whacking it against the door or the 10 hours straight session did the damage or what but i know for a fact that at points during the recording i was playing very tensely and tightening up on my wrists. It still hurts sometimes if i tense up my wrist while playing for a long time but luckily im quite a loose player which i think helps alot. generally id say really try not too tense up your wrist and keep it loose, also warm up slowly dont just go for it straight away like a bat out of hell haha. also dont knock your bloody arm against heavy battoned studio doors either

Jeremy1012

harrisonmerwin wrote:

i 100% disagree with that. I play for hours a day, sometiems agressive, sometimes not, but the fact is im a worn in player. If i go on holidays, or just dotn have tiem to pick it up, you lose your strength. I will get sore wrists and forearms for the first day, but its just like strethcing or whatever, you have to train the specific muscle for the specific job. If barring chords gives you the sharp pain in your wrist-thumb keep playign them over and over. repitition is the best way to gain muscle. some of you may disagree, but this is almost a fact. Just try and play more if possible, sorry to hear about your pain

harrison

you should never, ever play through an injury, if it makes it worse you can bugger somethin up for good. Just because this works for you doesn't mean it couldn't properly wrck esomeone else's wrist

BinFrog

I had a recurring foosball wrist injury for around a year. Yes, I said a foosball injury.

who's_pearljam?

BinFrog wrote:

I had a recurring foosball wrist injury for around a year. Yes, I said a foosball injury.

I practically earned my way through college playing foosball in the early 70's! I know what you mean! It was that cross court goalie shot that got me! I had to quit playing foosball when I became a guitarist.

Digster, I found a thread that I wrote a lot about wrist pain. It's something that guitar players, and all musicians have to deal with if they play a lot.

The basics are:
Put as little pressure as possible on the frets, so you are using as little energy as possible

Try to keep your hand as in line with your wrist as possible so you aren't bending it too far

Learn to stretch and warm up before you play!

If you try to muscle your way through wrist pain, it'll definitely catch up to you in the long run. There isn't a pro guitarist out there today that hasn't either learned to play in better position, or somehow had to pay the price and deal with strain, tendonitis, Carpal Tunnel,, arthritis etc.

The Alexander Technique is something that a lot of musicians use. It's a system of balancing your body and making the most efficient use of it as possible to create the least impacy on you.
Ani Difranco is presently on hiatus because she i having major wrist trouble. I saw her last fall, and in the middle of the show, she was really in pain, and the audience was telling her to take it easy. She even sang a couple of songs solo with no guitar because of it.


http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=149555&highlight=carpal+tunnel

Oh, Jimmy

I get it from time to time. I play my guitar for an hour a day through the week, and for 10 hours on some weekends. Last week I bet I played my guitar for 30 or more hours. My wrists were fairly sore, but my fingertips were like hamburger. They don't bleed or anything, but since I switched to 11's on the Paul, I am havin trouble keepin callouses. My finger tips start gettin pretty stiff, but then the skin just shreds off when I play.

moster78

Now that sounds like it hurts.

Like I said, I had the same thing, just some tendonitis. I took it easy for a few days, applied heat before playing, iced it down when done, wrist splint at night to keep it immobile, some stronger than advil prescription anti-inflammatories and pain pills, and some grip exercises and I was good to go. It gets a little sore now and then, but nothing as bad as it was.

Anon

it'll happen after playing lots of bar chords and power chords incorrectly. You have to adjust your hands so that they are comfortable, and no longer hurt in a specific position

all4

Oh, Jimmy

moster78 wrote:

Now that sounds like it hurts.
quote]


If that is directed to me, I see it as a sacrifice to the Gods of rock. Those times when you get lost in the music and you can't feel anything but the rock goin through ya, its way worth it.

moster78

Oh, Jimmy wrote:

If that is directed to me, I see it as a sacrifice to the Gods of rock. Those times when you get lost in the music and you can't feel anything but the rock goin through ya, its way worth it.

I know what you mean. You just get into it and everything else be damned.