Has anybody on this thread had Focal Dystonia in the hands?. I was diagnosed with it last year in my left hand. The neurologist said there is no cure. I search the internet looking for answers. I could not play a single line on the guitar and chords were begining to become difficult to play. I became frustrated and thought about giving up guitar. Then I said to myself, try playing left hand. Instantly my right hand felt natural on the fretboard. It took about a week for my right hand to stop hurting when playing down near the first fret. I could now play legato a lot easier than with my left hand being on the fretboard. Picking is coming along, but not as fast as I would like. But at least I am playing guitar. It has now been a year and a few months since playing left handed. I listen to Allan Holdsworth a lot. When I play now people say it reminds them of Holdsworth and with more practice it will sound better and a lot more like him. Here is my delima. Earlier this year I stumbled upon a Spanish doctor who only works with focal dystonias. I bought his DVD. What did I have to lose besides the $35 for the DVD. I started the doing the exercises and I had sold all my right handed guitars and bought left handed ones. So one day after doing the exercises, I turned the guitar around like a right handed player and had noticed I was able to play single lines very slowly. So the exercises were working. It has been about two months now and I decided to buy a right handed guitar. I now can play chords again and some single lines not very fast though nor do I want play them fast on the right handed guitar. I just want to keep the tension out of the left hand. Now I can play somethings better right handed and somethings better left handed. Should I Just focus on playing one way and forget about playng the other?. I still have a little trouble holding the pick with my left hand due to the dystonia, but it is getting better. If anybody else on the board has had focal dystonia how did you get rid of it?.
Tony