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Posted by: kaznie_NL Jan 20 2010, 08:23 PM

Hey GMC,

I've gotten myself a little injury while playing guitar, Ivan already found the most probably problem in my playing, bad posture I'll have to fix that, but for now, I'll first have to wait with playing guitar, because my right shoulder should heal properly before I can play without pains So... my questions:

I think I have what's called tendonitis, meaning the place where your tendon connects to the bone, there's inflamation. I think I have that on my right shoulder, but not very bad. It's just a sensitive spot, and I feel it in a few everyday things, like pushing a door open with the outside of your arm.
for instance, if you stand straight up, with your right arm between you and a wall, knuckles facing forward, and your push your arm outside against the wall, my shoulder hurts. Well not when YOU push, of course, when I do does anyone know any exercises to help it heal quicker? Now, after I quit playing for half a week, the pain disappears, but playing for ten minutes and it hurts the next day not a lot, just a anoying bit

Then the second question, does anyone have an idea on how to improvemy general guitar playing in any way, without demanding anything from the right arm? There has to be some way

I also have a gig next wensday and practice on Tuesday that'll mean a bit of a sore arm on thursday any tips on how to minimize the injury after playin? ofcourse stretching is important, but maybe more?

Kaz

Posted by: Wabba Jan 20 2010, 08:39 PM

Hmm, did you pick from wrist or elbow? Picking from elbow may cause injuries, plus it isn't as accurate as wrist picking, in my opinion. And no, sorry, I dont know anything to make your arm feel better.

Posted by: Fran Jan 20 2010, 08:42 PM

Sounds like you can practice legato until you play like Dave Murray then Kaz

Now seriously, go see a doctor if you haven't already, and don't force that shoulder or it might get worse. Maybe you need a couple days rest.

Posted by: Santiago Diaz Garces Jan 21 2010, 07:06 AM

I had the same problem when I started to play, but don't worry, it's not that serious if you follow everything the doctor says

Posted by: methodseeker Jan 21 2010, 09:24 AM

Sounds like rotator cuff tendonitis. In this case the pain isn't where the tendon connects to the bone, but where it slides over another bone in the shoulder joint. I've had lots of problems with tendonitis over the years, particularly in the shoulders but also in the elbows and wrists.

So, I've tried lots of different rehab techniques, sometimes successfully, and these days I'm nearly always pain free.

First, it's always good to consult with an expert about injuries (not just some idiot on the internet, like me). If you've got health insurance, see a real doctor. Also think about talking to a sports trainer, or physical therapist, if you can find a good one.

The standard treatment is RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation). If it hurts real bad, stop everything and do this. Continued aggravation when the tendon is inflamed can lead to build-up of scar tissue, which in turn can lead to
chronic tendonitis that almost nothing short of surgery can fix. If isn't acute, and goes away within a day or two, then you can think about trying to work through it with exercise.

The bad news is that there doesn't seem to be one course of rehabilitation that works for everyone all the time. You should be open to trying different things and see what works for you. The general idea seems to be that tendonitis is triggered by excessive activity of a kind that you're not sufficiently adapted to, or that is done improperly (or that your body just will never adapt to, like swimming 1000m butterfly every day). Tendonitis typically happens in a joint where a tendon slides over a bone or through some narrow constriction. Try to figure out exactly what activity caused it, and eliminate improper technique. Then, supposedly, you can rehabilitate by building up the muscles around the joint so that the tendon doesn't do as much rubbing on hard stuff.

You can look on the internet to find some standard exercises, like my doctors showed me, but none of that stuff did much for me. I won't say just what did work for me, because it was kind of aggressive and might be bad for you, but building up muscle does seem to help. Here's where multiple expert opinions can be useful.



1) Warm up, very slowly and thoroughly before doing anything that might aggravate it.
2) Ice it right afterwards, before it hurts, and take a mild anti-inflamatory (e.g. ibuprophen) if you self-medicate.

Posted by: zen Jan 21 2010, 09:28 AM

Please don't self diagnose or rely on the internet to browse symptoms etc .. coz it can freak you out .. Go see a doc .. Once it is healed, do some light shoulder/arm stretches before playing every session.

The only bright side is that here's your chance to practice legatos like you've never played them before... and turn em into one of your strongest technique ..

All the best .. Get well soon

Posted by: Mr T Jan 21 2010, 09:28 AM

It is always good to know exactly what the problem is. Then you can heal in the right way and that will ofcourse be the fastest way to playing guitar again. Plus you might get some good advice on how to prevent it in the future. Conclusion: best you go see a doctor

Posted by: Kristofer Dahl Jan 21 2010, 10:16 AM

Agreed, and never ever practice when you feel pain - it could be your highway to chronic pain. (you'd have to start all over again with vocals instead, think about that )



I agree here as well - but don't do it until you are sure you have got good posture and you are doing regular weightlifting.

Posted by: kaznie_NL Jan 21 2010, 04:25 PM

But then I'd have to pick a few strings

Thanks for all the tips guys, keep 'em coming. For now, I'm just not playing any guitar, apart from my ten seconds every morning Should help. I found that when I first had it, a week or two ago, quiting for two days already made the pain go away, but after it comming back a few times, it already takes a lot longer for the shoulder to recover, so I'll have to be strict!

I'm also not going to do the weightlifting before consulting a doc or a physiologist, luckily everyone here in the Netherlands is insured, so medical help is partly free.

Guthrie Govan's "Creative Guitar" should be here this week, to keep me occupied

BTW, does anyone other activities that might make it worse? Like computering? I'm kinda replacing my guitar time with worse stuff, like gaming

Posted by: bleak Jan 21 2010, 06:59 PM

Ive got RSI in my picking wrist, have done for about 2 months. After about a month the pain had pretty much gone away so I decided to play again for a few days, then it started up again and its been another month to get to almost better again. I read on a website that you should wait at least the amount of time it took to heal, to start playing again.. otherwise i guess it just comes back.

I think you should take this really seriously man, I didnt take injurys and problems seriously when I was in a fit state and now I wished I had warmed up well and taken breaks every now and then. So STOP PLAYING!

I practice legato now though, put a dampener near the head (like a tied sock or hairband or something) and you can practice legato with all hammers on and pull offs, like a hammer on from nowhere so that your picking hand isnt used (like Allan Holdsworth style)- check this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTI2s4svE2s&feature=PlayList&p=C3ED369FA305713E&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=43

Posted by: kaznie_NL Jan 21 2010, 08:24 PM

Thanks man, great help

Posted by: Daniel Realpe Jan 26 2010, 07:07 PM

"Agreed, and never ever practice when you feel pain - it could be your highway to chronic pain. (you'd have to start all over again with vocals instead, think about that"

this is true