Hey guys, can you please give me some advice? Whenever I play a Dick Dale style song, my right elbow experiences moderate to severe pain. If I had to guess, I would say it is Cubital Tunnel Syndrome. I don't have the pain when I play other songs, only when I play Dick Dale, etc...

Ivan's trick of covering almost the entire pick with my fingers, so the tip barely sticks out has helped a little. Also, if I intentionally tell myself to relax while I am playing, that helps a bit. I have lowered my guitar while playing standing up, any more and it would be too low for me. Any advice from you guys would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

MooreLoud.com - A tribute to Dick Dale.

Yeah. Give the double picking a rest. It could just be an overuse problem. Give it a week or two, then work back into it. Dont force it. Fatigue is one thing, lasting pain is another.

"You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been"

How tight do you grip the pick? I know what you are saying, I switched many many years ago and I have so little stress on my fingers/wrist/elbow/shoulder when I double pick. It used to be super tense and I got sore/tired fat.

Yes, all wrist.

I just picked up the mandolin, what a sophisticated instrument! And you can play fast...

Heat, massage and NSAIDs (e.g., ibuprofen, aspirin) are the usual medical methods. The easy ways of applying heat are often overlooked, such as wearing a sock over your elbow. Choose a sock with a smooth surface to face your skin (turn inside out if needed), and cut off the toe section. Use the entire rest of the sock, not just a short section. Wear it while sleeping and at other times if you can. This sock method has worked quickly for several elbow arthritis and tendon problems I have had, and better than velcro-based elbow supports. Just pick a warm sock, or maybe two socks on top of each other.

Also pick (plectrum) choice can strongly affect effort in rapid picking. I prefer picks that are stiff, very thin, and snap back to shape quickly. Picks that are completely rigid and will not flex at all are tiring and wearing.

Insanitizers! http://www.insanitizers.com

Last edited: Feb 10, 2017 12:19:10

Special thanks to Squid for the sock idea, genius! the shape of a sock fits the elbow perfectly. I haven't played guitar for months because of my elbow injury, I keep thinking it's healed, then I pickup a coffee mug and yahoo!

I'm using Fenbid Forte 10% Gel (Ibuprofen) It's a cheap over the counter product, hopefully you can find the equivalent in the states. It works fast and I can recommend it highly.

Cannot agree with Danny more on this one!

Seriously, skip the double picking if it hurts. There's plenty else you can do on the guitar. Don't push your luck friend.

I have had some slight pains in the past and if you do not address them they will impact your playing and arm usage more than you would care for!

The Me Gustas
https://themegustas.com

Last edited: Feb 11, 2017 13:10:33

JakeDobner wrote:

crumble wrote:

Special thanks to Squid for the sock idea, genius! the shape of a sock fits the elbow perfectly.

Get a compression sleeve!

Thanks Jake, I've tried a couple of those but they weren't very comfortable long term, I've been using kind of elastic bandage tube mostly. I'm using a sock at the moment and I have to say it's pretty darn good.

Sounds like medial/lateral epicondylitis or golfer's/tennis elbow. It's an overuse injury. I had a bad case of it from improperly loading my elbows during squats. If it tendonitis, it will not go away on its own.

There are two methods that worked for me. Either I did a 5 day ibuprofen protocol taking 800mg x 4 times a day. So, 3200mg for 5 days and stop.

The other method isn't pleasant. It used to be used on horses, called pin firing. The idea is you create an inflammation larger than the subacute inflammation, and in the healing process it will heal the entire structure. You do this by doing high volume chin ups. Video below explaining.

I am not a doctor nor is this medical advice. I'm just a guy on the internet.

Is it the triceps insertion point on the olecranon process? I've had that, and it went away after doing the protocols mentioned above. A round of ibuprofen might do well to flush out any inflammation.

Ibuprofen will have an analgesic effect at first, but the accumulation of taking it for a few days will have an anti-inflammatory effect.

A doctor is going to either inject it with cortisone, which is catabolic to the surrounding structures. Or they're going to tell you it's a surgical procedure. What did your PT friend say?

Also: Are there trigger points you can identify? What kind of pain is it? Does it hurt to full extend the triceps?

Last edited: Mar 03, 2017 17:36:17