Pain in fretting hand/arm...

[ah.clem]

There are other threads about this on the forums - I have been involved in some of them. You could search for them and might find more tips.

I have an arthritis problem that affects playing, but I have found ways around it. I will offer you the suggestions that have worked for me.

1. Get your GP to examine you for RA and OA - there are specific tests to indicate the presence of either or both.
2. If needed, follow up with a rheumatologist.
3. IMPORTANT -> Find an Occupational Therapist in your area that specializes in hand work.
4. Get a referral or an appointment to/with that person.
5. Take your guitar to the appointment and play so the therapist can see what you are doing.
6. Do any and all exercises and wear any braces the therapist prescribes.
7. Stick with it, sometimes you have to push to get a solution.

This has all worked for me. I have a small brace for my right hand that keeps the bone from shifting due to wear and causing sharp pain while finger picking. I have forearm braces for both arms that I use as needed, usually at night. I have bone spurs that have torn the rotator cuff in my right shoulder that I am having surgery for in a few weeks. All of these things have interfered with playing instruments, but the outline above has made it possible to play and continue playing (the surgery will put things on hold for a few weeks but I expect to end up playing with a lot less pain as a result).

Also, I switched to TI Jazz 12s - lower tension than the strings I was using, but still sound good on my archtops.

Good luck, man!

[BirdSong]

I use LaBella 15-56 flat wounds on my Heritage Super Eagle and I've never had a problem. The guitar has very smooth action. I play between 2 hours to 6 hours a day depending on gigs. Lighter strings just don't work for me. They sound slappy and thin.

Wow. Couldn't imagine. I've been using 10's for 40 years - though I do mostly chord melody and rarely use a pick. Then again, I use my nylon 90% of the time anyway - and I have no idea what size those strings are ..... whatever size "medium tension" is LOL. You big string players must have vice grips for hand shakes .

ah.clem
There are other threads about this on the forums - I have been involved in some of them. You could search for them and might find more tips.


I have an arthritis problem that affects playing, but I have found ways around it. I will offer you the suggestions that have worked for me.


1. Get your GP to examine you for RA and OA - there are specific tests to indicate the presence of either or both.
2. If needed, follow up with a rheumatologist.
3. IMPORTANT -> Find an Occupational Therapist in your area that specializes in hand work.
4. Get a referral or an appointment to/with that person.
5. Take your guitar to the appointment and play so the therapist can see what you are doing.
6. Do any and all exercises and wear any braces the therapist prescribes.
7. Stick with it, sometimes you have to push to get a solution.


This has all worked for me. I have a small brace for my right hand that keeps the bone from shifting due to wear and causing sharp pain while finger picking. I have forearm braces for both arms that I use as needed, usually at night. I have bone spurs that have torn the rotator cuff in my right shoulder that I am having surgery for in a few weeks. All of these things have interfered with playing instruments, but the outline above has made it possible to play and continue playing (the surgery will put things on hold for a few weeks but I expect to end up playing with a lot less pain as a result).


Also, I switched to TI Jazz 12s - lower tension than the strings I was using, but still sound good on my archtops.


Good luck, man!

Excellent advice. Taking the guitar to the Doc is something I never would have thought of. If I ever have problems in the future, I will make sure I remember this point. I've been good for the last 10 years or so due to wearing a strap at all times and correcting my positioning, but you never know.... anything can come out of nowhere at my age.

[larry graves]

Light strings are bound to sound slappy and thin if your using 15s. Light strings work best on solid bodies, you seriously have to change your playing technique, as I have already stated you develop a lighter touch. It's not carved in stone that to play jazz you have to use cables, I've played heavy strings a lot longer than most on this site so I know! Lets hope your still playing 15s when your 76rs old, or playing the guitar period.....

[achase4u]

Thanks very much for the new replies. Ive since gone to the doc. She thinks my problems are more nervous system/muscular. I have some dequarvains and myofascial stuff. Im wearing a brace at night and my teacher suggested wristbands while playing which helps. I wear a strap also at the suggestion of my teacher. I still seem to have issues though . I'll see if I cant keep fixing things.

I dig the sounds I get with TI flats - I use deangelico strings 12s - a little tighter than the TIs but I like the round wound tone. If thomastik just made a set of roundwounds with the wound G Id be a customer for life. I don't always like the flatwound tone.

15s are enormous, but not unheard of. Allot of the cats back in the day used big ole strings. 13s were common - I heard rumors of Wes using up to 16 for a high E...

Playing straight ahead jazz and my acoustic(both with short scales) I just cant seem to get a workable sound with less than 12s... however I do try to find the lowest tension strings I can...

I guess were all made differently. Ive always had problems with muscles burning out fast and getting chronic weakness in certain ways. My left arm on top is burning as I type this(relaxed as possible with a light touch keyboard)Maybe something else genetically going on. My uncle was bedridden with MD... Im much more lucky than that though.

[achase4u]

Also - I used to do the marching band/corps thing on snare (beating a tight Kevlar head with large sticks) my opposite hand gave way eventually with this when I was 16.

I heard of guys practicing with railroad spikes on their drums... not good. People do some funny things...

[Munk]

I have had many issues in hand and wrist and tried much with somewhat success incl. operation. Recently I changed to 11s, and now it’s a lot easier to play more difficult stuff without getting a bill. Time will show if it’s also a way to play 12s later without any pain. Another powerful treatment is after having played to fill a bucket with cold water (can add ice cubes). Then add 10-15 drops of peppermint oil, stir and put down the forearm for 10-15 minutes.

[yebdox]

You may have adhesions in the soft tissues of the wrist and/or forearm that have formed from overuse and won't resolve on their own, in spite of rest, better mechanics, reduced string tension, etc.

These problems can usually be addressed and resolved in most cases with the right soft tissue treatment approach, including, but not limited to Active Release Technique or Graston Technique. You can find a PT or DC trained in ART by going here:

Active Release Techniques: A.R.T.

I assume that your problem will likely resolve with the proper care, but it doesn't surprise me that it is lasting a while, if an effective treatment approach is not applied. If what you are doing is not producing steady progress, try another approach or therapist. Good luck

[achase4u]

Thanks very much for the replies!

The adhesions sound right. My chiropractor mentions these. I get them very easily it seems. I have knots all through my arm.

Maybe this is a solution... Thanks!

[count0]

You might want to check out the flextend:

Repetitive Strain Injury Exercise Programs

I had Cubital Tunnel syndrome, and it helped me get over it completely. It's best to rule out nerve impingement at the shoulder and neck first (bad posture), though, since that can cause symptoms in your whole arm, including every finger in your hand.

Just noticed the second link has porgrams specifically for DeQuervains.

[achase4u]

Oh neat.

How did this help you? Do you still have to use it?

[count0]

I'm not a doctor, but the idea is that it strengthens the opposing muscle groups (not normally used) in the hand and forearm, to counteract the ones that are strained and closed around the nerve. Here is another explanation:

What is Flextend and How Does it Work on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Basically, it's a glove with resistance bands that make you do the motion of opening your fist against resistance.

My problem was the ulnar nerve at the elbow, and it went away 2 weeks before I even finished the program. Apparently, it's used by a lot of PTs with great success as well.

Do some more reading on it and your condition and decide it it's worth it for you.. it's around $100.

[achase4u]

Interesting... might be good for me... worth a shot at this point since Ive tried many things...

Thanks!

[Ymel]

+1

Many, if not most of us, started out with cheap guitars that were hard to play and developed muscle memory that still has us pressing too hard years later.

Several years ago, I had a conversation with Norman Blake in which he told me that he has tall frets installed on all his guitars. He said that he doesn't want to feel any wood under his fingers when he frets. He has a very relaxed light touch in both hands.

Molmsteen Strat style??

I also have pain. I m wondering to swap from E nr 11 to E nr 10 set strings. My fretting is too heavy I guess. I found less pain if I hold the guitar at/on/in?? (i m not a native speaker, sorry) a steep angle like Joe Pass.
But thicker strings have better tone and i can feel more dynamics with them

[oldplayer2]

Had problem when I was not well hydrated.

Keep the arm warm.

Minerals in the diet

Keep working at it.

[loydb]

I'm also struggling with this as I've begun lessons again. My pain appears when I'm playing low on the neck doing chords that require the little finger and ring finger to be on the low E and A strings while the index and middle fingers are on the B and high E position (think G7, or C with a G in the bass kind of stuff). I've been working with my teacher to keep the thumb better positioned on the next to make it easier, and am having to tweak how I hold the instrument.

I hadn't thought of ART, it really helped me out with an ankle issue. I'll also try adding a strap.

[oldplayer2]

As an oldplayer, I had pain in the thumb when playing practicing from Carcassi. I did not have as much pain when playing chord melody pop music. I thought that the problem was in a thumb joint because seemed to be the location of the pain. Certain positions caused pain mainly when held for long periods. I stopped playing and bought a vibraphone for my next instrument. I thought as a I got older I would still be able to play it with just a little arm movement if I wound up with joint problems. I still loved the sound of a classical guitar.

Years ago I carved the propeller for a model airplane. I held a razor blade for many hours while carving. I ended up with problems with the tendons in my right hand. I had squeezed the lubricants away from of the tendons. It was so bad that you could hear the sound from them when I moved my fingers. I recovered in a few weeks. In remembering this episode I got to thinking about the left hand thumb.

When working on the problem, I studied the pain. It did not seem to be in a joint. It was more on the top of the thumb. Thinking that it could be a tendon problem, and a lubricant problem, I massaged the tendon on top of the thumb by pressing and running the pressure back and forth, lengthwise from the wrist to the tip of the thumb. After a few minutes I stopped. This long area swelled up and slightly changed pink. The pain was greatly reduced. I think that the problem was and is poor lubrication and adhesions in the tendon sheath or whatever it is called. I have massaged this area just about everyday for the past many years, and I still play without much pain at all. I think that the pain is cause by improper working of the tendon sheath especially in certain positions and when held for long periods of time. In fact, almost forty years after starting classical guitar, I have started scales and Carcassi again with no noticeable pain.

I hope that this is some help to someone with pain. I think that massage and movement of the thumb and fingers their full range as exercise hopefully can give some relief.

[ashleyorm]

Not sure if you are still looking for information and treatment, but here is a link on De Quarvains and wraps to help treat before and after playing.
De Quervain's Tenosynovitis Treatment