Anybody else have to use light strings for medical reasons?

[jazzrat]

Hi. thanks for that. My problem got worse when I changed to heavier gauge strings, La Bella 15-56 flats,that's why I mentioned the black nylon's. I'm reluctant to drop my string gauge--the 15's sound so great,
but I may have to, but to what?..LG.

There is no sub for heavy strings but I will say to my ear anyway the Ti's with their brass coated treble strings sound fatter than other strings of the same guage. I seem to hear a little fatter tone from the Elixir trebles too since they put their anti-rust coating on them.
I'm pretty settled on Elixer 10's for my jazz guitars and 9's for my solid bodies. If TI Bebops came in those guages I'd be using them instead.

[Archie]

I've had arthritis in my hands and wrists since I was 25 (and that was 31 years ago - ouch). I gave up playing for many years, but then got back into it. It's one of the things that make life worth living, although I'll never be great at it.

I find that regular guitar practice actually helps keep my fingers from getting too stiff, but I also find it's important not to overdo it. If I overdo it, my joints will swell and ache, and sometimes even seize up.

Over the years I've had physical therapy, as well as the usual prescriptions drugs (at one time I even had to have cortisone injections into the knuckles - major pain, but very effective). One that works really well is hot and cold therapy. Get two bowls, fill one with water as hot as you can stand, the other ice water. Immerse the affected joints into the hot first, and keep them there as long as you can stand it. Then immerse into the cold. Go back and forth for about 15 minutes. Try to move the joints while in the water.

My rheumatologist explained that the contrast in temperature stimulates blood flow and helps flush the inflammation out of the affected joints. When I have a bad flareup of arthritis (which, luckily, I haven't experienced lately), doing this every day for a week to 10 days really helps.

These days, I use .11s on all my guitars and practice an hour or two a day without any ill effects.

[bfloyd6969]

An alternative is to tune your own guitar down a half-step and put a capo on the first fret -- viola! 23 1/2 inch scale! Of course, some idiot put all the fret marks in the wrong places

LOL!!!!!!!!

[bfloyd6969]

I just wanted to add in here - a while back I've noticed a pain in my left wrist, which all started when I got my first Artcore. My Jackson and Fender solid bodies never gave me this pain, only the Artcore. So, immediately I blamed it on the shorter scale. As much as I loved playing the Artcore, as it is the best playing of the three, I put it down for a while and just played the Jackson and Strat. I really started to miss playing the Artcore and I seen it every day as they all sit out on their stands in my music room. So I started playing it again and behold the pain came back. Ok, so now I'm just getting pissed and really want to find out for sure what's behind this. I have a case of tennis elbow that I developed from an RSI due to a working function that I have to do. No biggie, I take ibuprophen when I need to and go on. Well, it turns out that the shorter scale Artcore puts my elbow in such a position when sitting (with the guitar on my right leg) that the full scale guitars don't, that it was triggering that tennis elbow injury. Tennis elbow is known to cause pain in the wrists and forearms as well as the elbow. What I found helps is when I play the Artcore in a classical position, between my legs. When standing with a strap, it also puts the Artcore in this more mid body position (not to mention I have it waaaay up there high, similar to Pat Methany's position). I play like this and I can go on.

[larry graves]

All interesting stuff here, plenty of things to try out. Dont laugh, but has
anyone tried out copper bracelets,[I can here somebody laughing]. yesterday I was telling a guy I know [a guitarist] about my predicament,
and he said his brother [a guitarist] swears by them. I looked it up on the
web--too many conflicting views to come to any conclusion--it's going to
cost me about £3.00 quid to find out.--Let you all know if it works..LG.

[pineapple]

Bad news from my side too. My little ad sometime my ring finger (left hand) are not working well since 30 days. By now I'll continue to use my preferred custom set (.012, .016, .022, .030, .040, .050) D'Addario Chromes on the Es 175. But sometime I play strange chords.

[larry graves]

Hi. Sorry about your finger--could be a warning shot! 12's are heavy when
the joints start wearing. Since yesterday I have'nt been able to play at all
my thum just started to swell up. Must be the heavy jazz strings!
I use 15's on my Les Paul.14's on my jazz box,TI' 11's on my custom 22,
and the same on my Godin SD. In my fusion days I used La Bella tape
wound 9's [9,12,15,20,28,39.]. The reason I went on to heavier gauge was, I suppose, like most jazz guitarists, I wanted that mellow sound-
-but the price may be to high to pay.Playing 9's is better than not playing at all.
Steve Kahn-John Mc.Laughlin,Alan Holdsworth. John Abercrombie etc.all
play 9's. I play through a VGA.7 [synth] so it makes it easier to down gauge. Another way to ease the transition, is to string a different guitar
with 9's to the one you play the heavier strings on. This only my opinion
other guitarists will have there own ideas. Good luck..LG..