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For about 9 months now I've been living with soreness in my left thumb, mostly the joint at the base. It's not like I play a lot every day, maybe an hour, with breaks. I tend to do a lot of chord melody, though, and I'm in the habit of using barre chord shapes (even if I'm not using all those notes, just easy to grab). On top of that, I like to play flatop acoustic often, too, which is extra work.
It's gotten discouraging, not so much painful while I'm playing, but later, or doing other activities (I'm left handed), and stiff when I wake up in the AM. Since I also play trumpet, I'm digging more into that, so less guitar doesn't mean quitting playing. It's just after decades, guitar is ingrained in my daily life.
I did see a PT, mostly about a separate shoulder issue but she evaluated my hand, too. Didn't think it was osteoarthritis, but gave me a couple of exercises.
I've picked up a few more exercises which help, and I lay off more, stay away from acoustic guitars, play slimmer neck guitars.
Still, it's not getting much better.
My latest tack is trying to take barre chords out of my playing (at least chord melody arrangements to start).
I'm wondering who else has dealt with this, and had success with changing technique and modifying practice/material?
I'm not looking to take Advil and power through!
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06-30-2025 08:01 PM
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I have osteoarthritis and tendon problems over the years.You might want to try a hot wax machine and dip your hands for awhile before you play.I started taking fish oil pills 2 years ago and it has helped quite a bit in reducing inflamation with the side benefit of lowering my blood pressure.Sometimes taking time away from playing for a week or two can also help.
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I've had it in both thumbs for a few years.
I've seen hand surgeons. One injected one thumb, which didn't help. Another opined (later) that injection is not a good idea.
Rheumatologists recommended a number of different dietary supplements, including fish oil, blackberry extract iirc and some others. I think vitamin D3 helped, but that's because I was low in it. Requires a blood test and I'm not recommending starting this on your own, even though it's OTC.
Another hand surgeon recommended a compete renovation of my gut biome, starting with reading a book called Supergut iirc. The book was filled with technical information, all of which seemed disorganized. There was not a useful summary. I didn't find it helpful.
That same surgeon recommended against typing. He did everything with dictation software.
I got some exercises from a hand therapist, which may have been helpful.
I have to limit how much fingerpicking I do, or it will get sore.
Voltaren was recommended but doesn't seem to get deep enough for the proximal thumb joint. CBD oil was recommended (both by hand surgeons) and was absolutely useless.
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I've been dealing with osteoarthritis for many years. My hand span has lost a couple of frets, many fingerings that I used to use have become unplayable, I have lots of pain, frequent lockups, all kinds of grief. I often choose grips based on how easy they are to reach. The best hand surgeons out here have told me that there's nothing they can really do about it. Before a rehearsal or gig I put on some 4% lidocaine, which seems to help a little, as well as popping a couple of acetaminophen & ibuprofen, and in cold weather I carry a couple of electric hand warmers. I do various finger stretches throughout the day. Except for gigs & rehearsals I try to break up my playing into short segments.
T-I Benson Round .012" is the lightest I'm willing to put on my archtops, although at some point I'll probably have to give in. I have Gibson L-5 Mediums (.011") on my semis and they're definitely easier on my hands.
Danny W.
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Not having developed this problem yet, I don't have any firsthand (sorry, no pun intended) advice that I can offer. I have some degenerative arthritis in my cervical spine and lumbar spine which causes symptoms in my hands such as transient numbness, involuntary muscle twitches and spasms. I have some neck and shoulder exercises which have been helpful. A hand therapist, specifically, might be useful in helping create strategies and exercises that can help you continue to play as well as reduce disability affecting other activities. I also saw physical therapy for the neck and shoulder problems. I found it very helpful.
A bass player that I jam with a couple of times a week has some sort of rheumatological illness of which arthritis in his hands is one of the symptoms; he is on a biologic medication for this which is very helpful (and very expensive). He also uses medical marijuana and finds that helpful. I bring this up in that it's maybe worth checking to make sure you don't have some systemic rheumatological disorder that might have other health ramifications beyond just your hands. Or carpal tunnel syndrome. Or playing mechanics that are causing your symptoms and might be modifiable. Effective treatment starts with a proper diagnosis.
Sitting and playing solid body guitars in particular aggravates my lumbar spine something fierce, so I have to use a strap with those at all times. I might try a Dynarette cushion after seeing Mimi Fox use one at a gig last week. My best guitar ergonomically is my ES-175 on a strap weather sitting or standing; it hangs in just the right position to be comfortable.
I'm also taking a five day course in the Alexander method later in July to see if I might be able to learn some things about body mechanics and how I move that will alleviate some issues. Julian Lage has talked about finding this very helpful in his music career.
String gauge has already been mentioned.Last edited by Cunamara; 07-01-2025 at 01:52 AM.
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The latest promising treatment for joint pain is light therapy....
Improvement of pain and disability in elderly patients with degenerative osteoarthritis of the knee treated with narrow-band light therapy - PubMed
Clinical efficacy of low power laser therapy in osteoarthritis - PubMed
But as always, caveat emptor, there are companies selling useless fake LED light products.
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I quit guitar and bass because of my left pointer and focused on piano which I already played and took up vibes.
But you don't need to smash your thumb against the neck to play. Maybe some types of material. CHANGE YOUR TECHNIQUE!
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I've had wrist and ongoing back problems. (I'm aged in my 60's)
We're all different, but this was my personal method to alleviate them.
1.) Avoid three note per string patterns (3NPS). No finger stretches. (CAGED type patterns have less stretches than Rock type 3NPS.)
2.) Avoid any stretch chords, I use easy to finger three note chords. (1st, 7th, 10th)
3.) Sit more upright and use a strap, especially if you're prone to lower back pain.
Also:
Daily Fish Oil capsules.
Again, this is my personal method, but we're all different.
Best of luck.
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I too have something going on with my left thumb. In the "base" joint mostly, which can be basal thumb arthritis. But it hasn't been x-rayed or diagnosed yet. I'm going to an ortho next week, I'll be getting x-rays. With me, I also currently have tennis elbow (which I found out can be very common amongst guitarists- some even call it "guitarist elbow"), and maybe cubital tunnel to along with it... turns out cubital tunnel nerve DOES extend to the thumb, even tho it's numbness is in the pinky and ring finger (which I also have, deepening on the position of my elbow; playing while sitting down does it).
All this to say:
Tylenol helped, but I can't take it because I have a fatty liver (which I am working on reversing).
Advil helps a little.
When I can stay consistently on these 2 supplements, they seem to help the most:
1) glucosamine/chondroitin
2) tart cherry extract (this is good because it balances uric acid, and uric acid can be high with fatty liver disease. It also causes gout.)
But none of it is much help if I'm using the thumb alot, whether it's playing, yard work, home repairs, or a combination. This morning, it feels fine. 2 days ago, it was killing me. Still trying to get to the bottom of it.
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What do you folks do for Rheumatoid? I now wear Thermoskin gloves for double bass. They give a little support but my left index knuckle still suffers. I can no longer do consecutive days gigging. Recovery takes a couple of days. I don't wear the gloves for guitar but I'm stuffed for certain chord shapes.
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This is a new problem for me, starting a few months ago in both basal thumb joints. I get occasional sharp pains while playing and general soreness.
Chords, especially barre, aggravate it, single line playing not as much. I didn't know what it was and Googled it so I knew what it was before I went to a doctor. He showed me the X rays which confirmed it and gave me a couple soft braces. I declined the cortisone injections option. Right then they weren't painful but after wearing the brace a couple hours I took it off and was sore. Then @ my first PT session last week the therapist gave me some stress tests and made me a brace from a sheet of plastic she heated in water and molded to my hand but I haven't tried it yet as Im still leery after the soft brace experience. But the stress tests she gave me aggravated it and I was sore on a gig a few days later.
She also gave me some exercises which I haven't tried yet.
I'm coming to the realization that this is what it is and I just have to manage it.
I've eased up on my grip which I never had to think of before this issue.
The fish oil sounds interesting maybe I'll try it, I suppose it couldn't hurt.
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I also suffer from painful arthritis in my left hand, mostly in the thumb and middle finger. I'm left-hand dominant, but play guitar right-handed. Gently stretching both hands before and after playing guitar helps. However, the best relief I get is from ice packs after playing.
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Icing can help but what i found to be better for me is alternating between hot and cold for about 15 minutes.Sometimes i even do it before i play if my fingers feel stiff.
Originally Posted by Gitfiddler
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I forgot to mention- when my basal thumb joint gets worse, I wear a thumb brace at night, it actually does help. I looked into them when I saw Bruce Springsteen performing with one about a year ago.
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I'm sorry to see so many of us here have this problem. I never expected it was an issue among guitar players, until it happened to me! I never heard about any notable players, even rockers, struggling with it.
It seems like most of you just try a combination of things which each help to cope, but there doesn't seem to be a silver bullet.
I've been doing a glucosamine/condroitin complex for years now, but I'll try adding fish oil. PT like roll-outs with a tennis ball seem to help me, along with taking more days off.
I've found with other, more physical activities like running and archery, that once you get injured it can take a long time to come back, and if at all, you have to do it differently.
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I don't think there IS a "silver bullet." My friend was told by her ortho surgeon, "yes, there's an operation we could do, but trust me... you DO NOT WANT that operation. Better to just deal with it." That spoke volumes to me, a surgeon who does the procedure recommending against it. Originally Posted by JGinNJ
Here's a story that may offer some perspective/insight/inspiration for those of us dealing with this type of issue:
Toto's Steve Lukather Opens Up on Severe Hand Injury: I Can't Pick Up a Coffee Cup With My Left Hand | Ultimate Guitar
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I don't specifically have this problem but it brings up the real issue of aging and things that happen. I broke my collarbone 13 months ago and heal fine only a sling but now playing sometimes it get sore at the top. Also, general back issues that can happen and sometimes for no reason. One thing is for sure and that is sitting around playing the guitar 5 hours a had might be ok for chops, it may also work against us as we age. Play smarted not longer.
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I don't have arthritis issues in that particular spot, but I do have it in the middle joints of all my fingers. There is diclofenac, which doesn't do much of anything for me. Nor did glucosamine/chondroitin. Alternating hot and cold water helps some, for awhile. My pain reliever of choice is a mixture of aspirin, acetaminophen, and caffeine, commonly labeled as "migraine formula", but I try to use it as little as I can get by with. It does work, though. I also use DMSO, which helps the most. I get 100% USP DMSO online, and cut it by about 50% with water, and rub a small amount into my fingers. Some people are leery of it, and I'm not recommending it, just saying I use it. My symptoms are not consistent, and mostly they're barely noticeable, but sometimes the pain flares up and I need something to allay it.
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I tried Glucosamine/Condroitin with no benefit.
At one point, Orthopedics recommended it when Rheumatology didn't (or maybe the other way around), within the same HMO and for the same patient.
Iirc, one doc implicated sugar.
Here's a tip that would probably be a last resort.
The thinnest guitar neck I've ever played on a full scale guitar is my Yamaha Pacifica 012, made in Indonesia. When my hands hurt, I gig with it. It's 25.5, but doesn't feel like it because it's so small in every other dimension. And, it's cheap - bottom of the Pacifica line.
Of course, it won't sound like an archtop, but it doesn't sound that bad. Mine has a Lil 59 at the neck position and replacement tuners.
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Given the systemic nature of rheumatoid arthritis, systemic treatment is probably worth considering if you're not already on it. If you have the diagnosis, I'm assuming you're already seeing a rheumatologist and have discussed those options already. Best wishes for good management! Originally Posted by garybaldy
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The most famous hands in rock and roll: Originally Posted by JGinNJ
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Thank you. Yes, I've been on DMARDs since 2018. They have made an incredible difference. I was wondering how others managed. Originally Posted by Cunamara
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Speaking of neck sizes, those that have arthritis problems, do you find smaller or larger necks more comfortable as you get older? I've asked in other forums, and there seems to be no consensus... some say larger necks are more comfortable for them (with arthritis), and other say smaller. Me, I own both types, but I can't say yet which one aggravates the basal thumb arthritis less. Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar
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I have guitars with very narrow necks, thin necks, wide necks, thick necks, and almost every combination. I have noticed no difference as far as arthritis discomfort. The type and location of the arthritis may well influence that, but with what I have, i can see no difference.
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On my quest to help this problem, I evaluated the necks of my guitars. I found the wider, flatter neck of one of my archtops was more painful to play, which reinforced my decision to sell it.
I do like the slimmer neck of my Jazzmaster, especially compared to the fatter traditional Tele C shape.
Scale length never really bothered me, even switching, but I'm discovering I prefer the shorter Gibson scale for the wrist angle and not being such a reach.
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