Hand Hurts Need To Stop Playing |
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Sep 16 2013, 07:56 AM
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I've had bad hand pain over the past six months, so bad that I quit playing after it simply hurt too much to play. It all started when I practiced every day for half an hour, not too much I thought, but the constant use of hand and fingers to find chords that stretched my hands in new and unusual (not normal for me) ways took its toll on my tendons and muscles, or at least it feels like that is what happened. Now, after stopping playing for 3 months my hand feels better but the 4th finger still hurts to play. the rest of the hand is doing much better, I'm learning to just cool it and not play through pain.
I'm posting the video of my hand position while playing so maybe someone here who is an expert can tell me if my position is wrong. Anything you can add or see that is not right could help me discover how to get back to playing the guitar daily again. I do think I need to stop playing for another month or two so my 4th finger can come back out of pain. The rest really does help. I have tried ice packs but rest does the best to heal the problem. Thanks for input, Ken Here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFSfYEkoR3c |
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Sep 16 2013, 01:50 PM
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Hi Ken - so sorry to hear about these troubles. You should be very careful with your playing, not to cause any more damage.
I have studied your video and only thing that jumps out at me is your fretting hand thumb. It seems to be hanging over the neck, especially when playing chords. Now, I know some people can play like that without a problem but I just tried to fret those chords using that hand position and it has put a lot of stress on my fretting hand, especially when moving the little finger to fret extensions which involve stretching. Have you tried the "classical guitar" playing position where your fretting hand thumb is supporting the other fingers from the opposite side of the neck (it usually stays around the middle of the neck)? In this position you do need to push your whole hand a bit to form a more perpendicular angle towards strings. Maybe worth testing a fretting hand position like this one : https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/The_Origin_of_Fandangos/ Of course, this issue might not be related strictly to hand positioning and posture but it should be worth experimenting with ways to remove any stress on the hands when playing (to extent possible). When you feel pain, stop and do some theory or strictly right hand exercises while resting the fretting hand to avoid making things worse. -------------------- For GMC support please email support (at) guitarmasterclass.net
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Sep 16 2013, 03:30 PM
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Hi Ken, that's a shame to hear about your hand issues. I remember reading something from Troy Stetina, a renowned teacher, where he talked about a tendon injury he sustained to his (I think) little finger because he was practising a classical piece of music which required a lot of stretchy chords. It put him out of action for a fair amount of time.. I found the link here. It may or may not be useful but if anything it should show that even someone like him had to leave the guitar alone for a while
http://www.stetina.com/popstips/12_avoidproblems2.html One thing I learned was that people often think that tendons and ligaments stretch. They don't stretch.. muscles do but not the other guys. So anything that does 'stretch' a tendon is an injury to the tissue. So I wouldn't be surprised that it takes a long time to heal itself again. Your hand position in general looks fine to me but I notice you tend to use you fingers in isolation when performing bends. Although it can be done, it requires you to use a heck of a load more power in your fingers then if you combined your 'dormant' fingers together and rested them on the neck to add strength and 'bolster' the bend. My following vid may be about vibrato but I talk about this approach of using your idle fingers to add strength to bending and vibrato. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlY0-YAFta4 I do wonder whether using your little finger to try and bend a string had made your tendon go twang !? It's a lot of string tension to overcome by one little finger, which is often seen as the weakest finger. This post has been edited by Ben Higgins: Sep 16 2013, 03:31 PM |
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Sep 16 2013, 04:46 PM
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Hi mat, I'm sorry to hear about this. I would ad to the other instructor's comments that it's very important to warm up and do some stretches correctly before you start your playing routine. This will also make you feel more relaxed while you practice, which is something very important to take care of your hands an fingers.
Please check this video where you will find Petrucci explaining how to Stretch: -------------------- My lessons
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Sep 16 2013, 05:50 PM
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Thank You for the 'warming up' exercise video also. All of this is good for every musician to be aware of. What we don't know CAN hurt us.
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Sep 16 2013, 07:13 PM
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QUOTE (Ken Nielsen @ Sep 16 2013, 06:56 AM)  I've had bad hand pain over the past six months, so bad that I quit playing after it simply hurt too much to play. It all started when I practiced every day for half an hour, not too much I thought, but the constant use of hand and fingers to find chords that stretched my hands in new and unusual (not normal for me) ways took its toll on my tendons and muscles, or at least it feels like that is what happened. Now, after stopping playing for 3 months my hand feels better but the 4th finger still hurts to play. the rest of the hand is doing much better, I'm learning to just cool it and not play through pain. I'm posting the video of my hand position while playing so maybe someone here who is an expert can tell me if my position is wrong. Anything you can add or see that is not right could help me discover how to get back to playing the guitar daily again. I do think I need to stop playing for another month or two so my 4th finger can come back out of pain. The rest really does help. I have tried ice packs but rest does the best to heal the problem. Thanks for input, Ken Here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFSfYEkoR3c Hey Ken, lowering the entire hand and thus the thumb too as many have pointed out seem like the only problem with your hand posture. HOWEVER I DO NOT think that there's anything wrong with your hand posture, you seem to be quite relaxed and have a good shoulder/arm/wrist relationship going on. You might be pressing a bit too hard from what I can tell, so be aware if you're noticing that it feels like you're doing that. The other thing that many people don't know(and if you do it's worth mentioning again): Eat vegetables, drink water. Tho many people disregard this for a long time in their playing, countless of musicians say that if they don't eat vegetables and drink plenty of water they start to develop tendonitis, and when they start eating and drinking well again it goes away... Here's an example of a grand musician who talks about a tendonitis problem and the impact food had on him. He's not only great, he's one of the best. -------------------- "To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time." -Leonard Bernstein
"The only love affair I have ever had was with music." -Maurice Ravel "There's no such place as dumb question." -Dose One |
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Sep 17 2013, 03:05 AM
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STOP PLAYING NOW I see this sort of thing rather frequently and suffered it myself a long time ago. It might be something small but it might be Carpal Tunnel Syndrome which can ruin your playing forever. There is only one thing to do . GET TO A DOCTOR ASAP You may need to be referred to a specialist or a physical therapist. But either way, this is not the type of thing to muck about with. Nobody here is a Doctor, so not matter what advice you get, NONE of it will be from a someone that can provide an accurate diagnosis. So first go see a doc, then try some of the things you are likely to see in a thread like this. 1.)Stretch your hands/arms before and after playing. 2.)Never play to the point of pain 3.)Examine the ergonomics of your playing. 4.)Etc. I had to wear braces on both arms for six months after jacking myself up like this and refusing to see a doctor  Please do take care of yourself!!Todd QUOTE (Ken Nielsen @ Sep 16 2013, 02:56 AM) I've had bad hand pain over the past six months, so bad that I quit playing after it simply hurt too much to play. It all started when I practiced every day for half an hour, not too much I thought, but the constant use of hand and fingers to find chords that stretched my hands in new and unusual (not normal for me) ways took its toll on my tendons and muscles, or at least it feels like that is what happened. Now, after stopping playing for 3 months my hand feels better but the 4th finger still hurts to play. the rest of the hand is doing much better, I'm learning to just cool it and not play through pain. I'm posting the video of my hand position while playing so maybe someone here who is an expert can tell me if my position is wrong. Anything you can add or see that is not right could help me discover how to get back to playing the guitar daily again. I do think I need to stop playing for another month or two so my 4th finger can come back out of pain. The rest really does help. I have tried ice packs but rest does the best to heal the problem. Thanks for input, Ken Here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFSfYEkoR3c |
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Sep 17 2013, 10:42 AM
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Hey Ken!
I guess that the conclusion is pretty clear, you should see a DOC asap and after that, I want to recommend a warmup routine that works absolutely great for me: |
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Sep 17 2013, 12:23 PM
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Yep, get to the doctor! And be sure to stretch and warm up on the guitar like has been suggested.
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Sep 17 2013, 02:53 PM
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Can't add much more than has been said.
See doctor Warm ups and stretches Better seated position when playing or play standing up Thumb at the back of the neck Fret lightly -------------------- My SoundCloud
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