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SurfGuitar101 Forums » The Shallow End »

Permalink Hand Problems

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Hello everyone!

I've missed all of you tremendously. Lurking here occasionally just isn't the same as being an active participant. But the upside is I've been playing a lot of guitar. A lot of guitar! Learning to play all the rhythm guitar parts for twelve Beach Boys songs at full speed is very rewarding. These are fun songs. Plus, I have to learn the bass part for Good Vibrations! I'm going to start that one real soon if I'm to be ready for the first Saturday in October and have everything locked in. This is fun!

But, and it's a big but... I suppose I was a lot rougher on my hands and wrists in the 1970's than I thought I was. I guess I fell off my motorcycle and landed wrong one too many times. And I wasn't careful since then until some time after I took up guitar again shortly before I joined sg101. Incipient arthritis isn't helping.

Here's what I mean. I just finished 20 minutes with "Fun, Fun, Fun". I'm still trying to get it to full speed, so I play it a lot. I stopped when my left thumb went tingly-numb and the pain in my wrist started intruding.

It's taken me years to get to where I can do what I'm doing, what with all the interruptions until last year. I want to keep playing, and not just the Beach Boys tribute at the Ventures Fan Fest this October and four or five songs at the Instro Summit next May.

Is any of this a normal part of practicing/rehearsing for those of us who aren't nearly young anymore? I truly hope it doesn't mean I basically waited too long to try to do this.

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

Last edited: Jul 31, 2014 11:00:25

Noel,
I can relate to your problem. I'm at a point in my guitar playing days when I'm just beginning to feel like I'm actually making significant progress and now I'm in the early stages of "hand problems". I have a progressive condition (don't like the word disease) that affects both hands and it is showing signs of getting worse. I've been to the doctor and have been told that it's an "age" thing and not much can be done about it.

My hope is that it doesn't progress to the point where it stops me from playing all together. For now, I'm still able to gig several times a month and play at home as much as I want. A year from now? Who knows"

Listen to your body, don't push it beyond reason and make the most of each day that you pick up a guitar. We are all mortal, we all age and need to appreciate what we have while we have it.

As your signature line says "keep givin' er all you've got". Nothing lasts forever.

Hi guys,
I'm a 54 year old bass player. About 10 years ago a car accident gave me some ruptured discs in my neck & back. The neck is the worst and affects my arms. Throw in a pinch of carpel tunnel from 25 years of working in factories and I've been having problems playing lately.
My slab bodied Precision bass has become impossible for me to play. The Ash body is way too heavy & the P-Neck is just thick enough to give me wrist troubles.
I've recently switched to a Squier Jaguar with the extremely light Agathis body. After doing some serious modifications to it, I have it sounding very, very good. I thinks it'll work for me. It has the thinner Jazz style neck on it too. I can play it for hours.
I've read that 'Duck' Dunn of Booker T. & the M.G.s, switched from the P-bass later in life due to his many years of playing the same style instrument as well.
Living is not for the weak of heart!

Here's my Jaguar. Changed out the potentiometers, added a Strat style jack, and that sweet racing stripe!
image

thunderbass wrote:
About 10 years ago a car accident gave me some ruptured discs in my neck & back. The neck is the worst and affects my arms.

+1 on this. Tingling in the hands is a prime indicator of neck problems. I was also in a car accident years ago, and couldn't figure out why my left hand was weak and kept going to sleep 6 months later. The hand specialist I saw knew immediately what was up, and sent me to the neck guy---voila, Ruptured C 5/6 disc. I avoided surgery through lots of PT, and only now after 25 years has any symptoms reappeared (which I chalk up to old age and decrepitude). Moral of the story, have your neck checked out, and be real aware of your posture when playing/practicing.

I came across this a while ago and have been wanting to post about it.

image image image

Never tried it, so I don't know how efficient and practical it is, but it looks interesting.

No affiliation.

Old punks never die... They just become surf rockers.

Last edited: Jul 31, 2014 17:18:33

Noel--my friend, you are getting old. age wise I mean! injuries add up over time, even minor ones. our bodies aren't permanent. they wear out
this is why I play a squier Duo-Sonic. it's light and short scaled. I had problems a few years back--left hand, fingers, thumb would go numb after 10 to 15 minutes worth of playing. I switched up numerous guitars and it didn't help. went to the doctor finally. he wasn't much help. I stopped playing for awhile. mental pain, I love to play.
struggled with this for a few years, still looking for the right guitar.
after I retired the condition got better! quickly! I was delivering mail with my left hand; once I stopped the real strain on my hand was gone. switched to the Duo-sonic and I can play for as long as I want.
I'm not saying switch to the DS, I'm just saying you may need to really look at what you're doing with your hand. it may help, may not.
you got my support dude!!
Thumbs Up Thumbs Up

Enjoying the surf,sun and sand!!

reventlos wrote:

thunderbass wrote:
About 10 years ago a car accident gave me some ruptured discs in my neck & back. The neck is the worst and affects my arms.

+1 on this. Tingling in the hands is a prime indicator of neck problems.

Ah-ha! It turns out that, sometime in the early to mid-eighties, I experienced a forced over-rotation injury to my neck. It has felt and sounded like a ratchet wrench ever since. I have had my neck checked out several times since then, when it really bothered me, but it's nothing that can easily, read safely, be fixed.

I need to an overhaul. Big Grin

And Rob, Randy, Lee and Zero, thanks, too! Us old guys have to stick together, or we'll fall apart separately. Big Grin Big Grin Big Grin

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

Last edited: Jul 31, 2014 19:07:54

Anyone practice wearing a wrist brace?

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

Hand problems - that's a subject I can relate to from experience... No

In the mid-to-late 2000's I suffered a string of tenosynovitis ("trigger finger") injuries. This is the inflammation of the fluid-filled sheath that surrounds a tendon - imagine the ferrules on a fishing pole, with the line being a tendon, which are the things that allow the flexing and extending of your fingers.

To make a long story short, this condition is made worse by overuse of the hands & fingers. My hand surgeon told me that the two occupations that are prone to this condition are auto mechanics and musicians. Both of which I've always done in my spare time.

I had two stints with The Surge and before that, The X-Rays which is the band that became the The Surge in 2004 after a change in drummers. The first stint was on bass, the second on rhythm guitar. During that time I underwent two hand surgeries and had I not left the band the second time toward the end of 2012, I would have needed a third surgery as extensively playing barre chords (weekly band practices + gigging) was causing yet another trigger finger. At that time I also ceased doing heavy mechanical work on cars, something I had done as a hobby since before I was of driving age.

While my live playing is now restricted an occasional bass gig, as long as I stick to mainly lead guitar and bass I haven't experienced any more flare-ups. I do miss the rush of being onstage quite a bit. But my guitar playing has actually improved significantly lately since I'm in "studio mode" now, and probably will be as long as I'm able to play.

Just as 'Video Killed the Radio Star', playing too much rhythm guitar pretty much killed the remainder of my live guitar playing days. But, hey, I had 48 great years doing it, so no regrets at all.

Noel, keep doing it as long as you can!

Jack
aka WoodyJ

The Mariners (1964-68, 1996-2005)
The Hula Hounds (1996-current)
The X-Rays (1997-2004)
The Surge! (2004, 2011-2012)
Various non-surf bands that actually made money
(1978-1990)

I'm with you Noel. Army career, lots of Morse code, competitive pistol shooting, too much mouse in the last couple years of work, and guitar all take their toll over time; especially on neck & wrist joints. The warranty is off & there was no extended maintenance plan available. It's a Mr. Miyagi kind of thing: "Find da balance."

What I do (now) is play every day (almost) but try to limit the time of extended playing to that "golden" time of the morning (different for everyone) when I can play things "properly" rather than just muddle through "I'm putting in 'x' number hours of practice today no matter what" - the latter tends to just get frustrating. (Old pistol coach said, "shoot it clean first, you'll go faster when you get bored.")

I can still noodle around later in the day but anything I'm serious about or that I want to record should be done in the morning. Otherwise I'll get on the radio at night to talk to someone in dits/dahs and the right hand will go all 'claw' on me. Too late; tells me I've already been mean to my body during the previous couple of days. (And I get what you say about incipient arthritis.)

So if nailing something musically is the prime directive, perhaps you can find the time of day best for you which yields a quality result without overdoing it.

Just a thought, but you're not alone in this.
Smile

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

Noel wrote:

Anyone practice wearing a wrist brace?

I broke my arm about 25 years ago and have 2 steel plates and 10 screws. Sometimes it flares up and I play with a wrist brace. Sometimes it helps to just take a day or two off. Mixing it up by playing some lead or songs with open chords can help if you find yourself unable to stay away from your guitar.

I hit black ice this past March and Fractured two bones in my left hand. Still cant bend my Fretting hand all the way. Two Casts and alot of pain. Doctor tell me I wont need surgery thankfully. Hope to get full range of movement within a year. I feel your pain. Seriously rethinkiing getting back on my bike.

image

Noel,
Try looking here.

Nerve flossing

It may help. Best wishes.

Last edited: Jul 31, 2014 22:52:33

I'll definitely take a look at all the suggestions and make the best of it. Thanks, everyone!

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

After taking all the advice from everyone I can apply at home, I laid off the song since that original post. I only played other songs that day that don't irritate my hand. My hand started calming down. And I mostly rested my hand the next two days. Then I played other songs sporadically.

Today, I played a lot and without discomfort. But I was only able to play "Fun, Fun, Fun" without pain twice at 80% of full speed. I was encouraged. Then, taking it up to 90%, my hand started hurting again after the second run-through, and my shoulder with it. The screwed-in bicep isn't helping. I stopped to let everything calm down again after five total performances of the song.

I guess I just have to play it occasionally, and at reduced speed, until I build up to it. Then it's full speed ahead!

It's the fifth of the ten songs (so far) I play in this set. I get one song off before it when I can rest my hand. Then I play it and another song before I get a song off again. I can manage that.

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

Last edited: Aug 04, 2014 13:51:01

About 20 years ago, I was experiencing wrist problems on a regular basis. I had switched to bass, one of those '83 P-basses with a wide neck. The pain came and went for a few years after that.

Bracing my wrist helped. I used one of those stretchy Ace bandages that wraps around and fastens with Velcro. I also have a cold pack that I can strap to my wrist and that's good for extreme emergencies. But when I practice, I will stop playing at the first sign of discomfort. "Playing through the pain" doesn't work with tendons, it only makes the damage worse.

If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.

As my dear 'ol mum used to say, a spoonful of cod liver oil each day keeps those a aches and pains at bay.

crumble wrote:

As my dear 'ol mum used to say, a spoonful of cod liver oil each day keeps those a aches and pains at bay.

Yum!

Surf_Skater wrote:

crumble wrote:

As my dear 'ol mum used to say, a spoonful of cod liver oil each day keeps those a aches and pains at bay.

Yum!

Smile Well, it can be bought in tasteless sealed capsules these days!
For anyone with joint pains this article might be of interest: Dailymail Online

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