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Recently, I've seen a few threads in which posters relate stories of injuries that have either been caused by or have been worsened by their choice of gear. I'd like to build a thread that can become a resourse to those who experience physical issues that they feel might be attributed wholely or in part to their gear.
My most recent minor annoyance was some numbness in my pinky and part of my ring finger. Some material I found online suggested that I may have pinched a nerve in my elbow that led to numbness in just that part of the hand. The resources I consulted suggested a few exercises used to loosen the pressure between the nerve and bone; thankfully, the exercises seem to have had some success as the discomfort in my hand has dissipated.
What I think I had was a pinched ulnar nerve, otherwise known as Ulnar Nerve Entrapment. This happens when the nerve, starting as high as around the shoulders and leading down to the hand, becomes compressed at the elbow joint. This causes numbness which can lead to muscle atrophy if it persists for long enough.
The recommended course of action for said ailment was a sersies of stretches called Ulnar Nerve Flossing, in which the nerve is manipulated back and forth across the compressing joint in order to widen the tunnel through which it passes. Here is a video of the process for anyone interested.
What gear choices or setup preference predispose one to injury?
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09-08-2014 08:37 AM
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This article bears repeating here: Liona Boyd | GuitarPlayer .
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Thank you for that excellent contribution. It must be terrifying to be diagnosed with a mysterious condition that could potentially end your career.
Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
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To be fair, it was Alsoran who first posted the Liona Boyd article in another thread. So, he deserves the Thank You.
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Thanks so much for posting that video. I have had the same problem as you, and, it's a long story but I was prescribed to do nerve glides but my PT sessions ran out so I have been on my own with them, rather than receiving professional instruction. My condition seemed to be a little too sensitive to do the glides regularly, so I haven't tried in a while, and maybe I'll pick them up again after watching this.
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I have been having ulnar nerve issues on my left arm for months. My doctor suggested surgery until I found these nerve flossing exercises a few months ago. What a relief! My doctor said it could have been from playing the guitar and just having my arm bent for a long time could have done it, sleeping with my arm up, or even hitting it. I found some solutions to help it during the day, but my desk at my new job has brought the pain back.
Nothing specific to to the way I play though.
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I gave myself a hernia lifting my Fender Pro Reverb out of the trunk. After the surgery, I sold all my vintage tube amps and switched to a Polytone and then a Clarus.
Keith
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Great post! I am super careful about nerve & tendon issues with guitar. I had to give up piano because of similar sciatica issues, but guitar treats me much better. I am careful to do stretches/glides/etc every day. Best to keep one step ahead of trouble IMO. Lots of musicians suffer from similar problems. I know of couple of violinists who have it worse off yet . . .
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I bike ride about 100 - 200 miles a week. Some times my p inkies and ring fingers buzz a bit. I worry a bit about the future if it gets worse
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eh6794, a lot of great info on the web (even on this forum) about preventing paresthesia from getting worse. Look up ulnar neuropathy treatment and/or prevention
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I've been suffering from ulnar nerve impingement as well as a variety of other hand & arm problems for more than thirty years. I've been doing ulnar nerve flossing plus a number of other exercises that are supposed to help ease this condition for almost as long.
They have done precisely nothing for me. I continue to do them because I feel the need to do something and because they don't seem to hurt.
I have been under the care of several different ortho specialists over the years and they have all said that some people are built in a way that will cause them difficulties and that most of the possible remedies, including surgery, will probably be ineffective in my case. Since none of the non-surgical fixes have worked, I believe they are right, but I keep trying things anyway.
Danny W.
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Hey Danny, ever tried Alexander Technique? I've been doing it about a year and I think it has made a difference. Also, it is fun and interesting.
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Please elaborate on the Alexander Technique. Originally Posted by JakeAcci
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The last occupational therapist I saw went over some of it with me, but after looking me over, running some tests and watching me play, didn't think it would be applicable. Originally Posted by JakeAcci
My landscaper told me that the Egoscue techniques helped him tremendously, so I spent six months working through "Pain Free" that were more or less wasted, although I still do a couple of the exercises as part of my workout routine.
There is not much I haven't tried and all of it has been ineffective--I just play as well as I still can and hope it doesn't get much worse.
Danny W.
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As a rock climber, mason's helper, carpenter, and guitar player my hands and forearms have taken a beating. Overly tight muscles have led to tendon and nerve tenderness and tingling. I have been using Armaid for several years and my problems are gone (no affiliation)Revolutionary tool to fix RSI, forearm pain, tendonitis & tennis elbow I know it looks odd but it really targets the problem areas. Any other users out there? It takes daily attention, for every minute your hands are clamped onto the neck you should try to counter that position with an open hand/stretching.
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I had my first experience of ulnar nerve entrapment at the start of this year - I'm 38. It was worse in my right arm, but I also had it in the left. Sore elbows, and pins and needles in the ring & pinky fingers.
I managed to trace the problem to a pinched nerve in my neck - I got it released through manipulation and that's when I turned a corner with it. As of today, I haven't had pins & needles in my fingers for the last 5 months, but occasionally feel it in my elbows - mainly my right.
Put it down to years of sitting with a guitar and having the right arm and shoulder pushed upwards putting my whole anatomy out of alignment. I got a thinner bodied archtop - switched from 3 1/4 inches to 2.5 inch width - big difference. And now I play standing up in a way that my right shoulder is neither raised nor rolled forward.
Problem with nerve impingement is that it takes a long time to mend. So you've got to figure out how the problem started and then make sure you don't keep re-injuring yourself, then be patient as it heals.
In fact I used to get lots of mild tendonitis problems in my right wrist, and I now think it was probably because of the raised right shoulder as well. Sometimes the problem isn't necessarily where the pain is.
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i'm 50 now but back when i was at music school i wanted to originally be a double bass player ( ala Ray Brown ) i luckily have very long fingers
...and i did study bass with focus on upright bass...and went on to play pro bass for the 1st 10 yrs of my music career ...with upright i suffered from crooked spine, neck pains , finger aches .... i was soaking my hands in warm water before a gig to warm up the hands and in cold water to keep swelling/aches down ..... i was 30 and my body felt 80 ....
i then moved to electric upright (stick type bass) it helped a lot ...then finally just switched to guitar and within months of switching to guitar all my aches and pains stopped ...........
i am now 50 and play guitar as my 1st instrument and still have an electric bass guitar but seldom gig on bass ...but do some sessions still on bass guitar (NOT upright)
and with guitar playing i do find if i gig a big jazz archtop too much i can feel the hand fatigue...and sometimes shoulder aches (which i attribute to the deep body creating a different playing angle) but these days i have worked my way through all the gear hype to the point that i am happy playing a tele ......and with a tele I CAN PLAY all day and not feel a stress in neck/back/hands and feel i have found an instrument that allows the best playing position for me
and to me i need to play all day as i teach and perform fulltime "to make the money that buys the whiskey" SO i would gladly switch to any style guitar that made this possible....
if you only play a few hours a week you might not feel it but switching instruments can make a huge difference if you play a lot ....
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Anybody into Alexander Technique? Originally Posted by Klatu
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I agree about finding the right axe. I teach full time, travelling to people's homes, and years of using dreadnought acoustics (and some time w archtops) takes a toll when you're 5'9" with not so great posture.
I made an unconventional choice to switch to this traveler acoustic guitar to bring to lessons.
It has a full scale neck but a tiny body, so I can sit with it (and my "neck up" support) with my shoulders, back, and wrists, in relatively good position. I'm not crazy about the tone, but my shoulder pains have been much, much better.
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thank you so much for the OP vid, just what I need!
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Had elbow pain which started about a year ago. Stretching and light weights helped, but it was 6-7 months before there was much improvement.
The biggest change was giving up seated playing. I arrived at a standing position that allows both arms to be relaxed and in a natural position, instead of being curled up like a pretzel. I was surprised at how quickly I adapted to standing.
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What was your elbow pain diagnosed as?
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How old were you when the pain began? Originally Posted by Danny W.
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Old enough to have been gigging for 22 years without pain. Originally Posted by Klatu
Danny W.
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I can weigh in here; as a chiropractor of 32 years, I can attest that nerve glide techniques can be extremely helpful at maintaining normal function, but often times, the peripheral nerve will benefit from treatment at the entrapment site first, before one can maintain the function on one's own - it depends on the patient and the degree of involvement.
I've been using an approach called Active Release for 17 years, which is to soft tissue adhesions what manipulation is to restricted joints - a specific approach to restoring normal mobility at the site of dysfunction/restriction, like resetting the clock. I treat patients with it all day long and have seen it work for thousands of people and expect it to, consistently.
You can find credentialled chiros and PTs who use ART (Active Release Technique) at Active Release Techniques: A.R.T..
An interesting equation for the development of soft tissue injury explains that the incidence of injury increases as the duration of contraction increases, the force increases, the amplitude of movement decreases and the rest interval decreases. So, if you are exposing your hands and forearms to sustained contraction for long periods of time, with tiny controlled movements and very little rest, the likelihood of injury goes up. Do the opposite to prevent it from happening.
Play smart
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