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GMC Forum _ PRACTICE ROOM _ Tension Around Thumb And Pain In Tendons...
Posted by: Hungus Sep 3 2007, 02:34 PM
Hey guys I am currently having abit of trouble with my left hand as you may have guessed from the topic title. I was just wondering if anyone had any good techniques for relieving tension in their hands.. Just over a year ago I done my hands a great disservice by doing pruning work on an orchard but ever since then I have suffered from bad tension in my hands especially around the big meaty bit at the bottom of my thumb. I found after awhile it started to get abit better (slowly) but at 1st most things using my hands including even just hanging out my washing were very unpleasant... If I gripped something tightly for very long my hands would just start to feel extremely tight and uncomfortable. I didnt find it too much of a problem at 1st when I started learning guitar but now that I am practicing barr chords and such alot more its causing me great problems. When holding the barr chords I feel the tension around my thumb building up quite alot and also on some angels and positions I got abit of pain in the tendon that runs along the top of my wrist from my thumb which also sometimes crunches when I move it in particular ways...
Anyway I sorta made this post a whole lot longer than I needed to but basically I was just wondering if you guys maybe knew some good ways to relieve tension like this in your hands..
Cheers in advance guys 
Posted by: Ryan Sep 3 2007, 03:09 PM
Anyway I sorta made this post a whole lot longer than I needed to but basically I was just wondering if you guys maybe knew some good ways to relieve tension like this in your hands..
Cheers in advance guys
I suggest stretching before starting to play. Stay relaxed. Its hard to do in the beginning, but youll get it. And also you dont really grip the neck for barre chords. Let me put it like this. Put your index, and thumb together. Now turn you index finger inwards some so the bonier part is touching the meaty part of your thumb. And squeeze. Not hard, but just squeeze some. Now use that same thing on barre chords. I just tested how hard I squeeze. Its not even like trying to pinch someone to hurt them. Its just a slight squeeze, and the bony part of your finger (the outside part that faces your thumb) does most the work. It takes some strength and practice. So keep on practicing!!!
Posted by: Jenkinson Sep 3 2007, 03:12 PM
Stretch. I was taught that anytime you run 3+ hours to stretch before you play. If your hands are more prone to feel stressed under playing, start with an initial and thorough stretch.
Posted by: Hungus Sep 3 2007, 03:46 PM
I dont think you quite understand.... My hands are actually constantly tight, some times it feels like they are crushing themselves. Like I said in my post not long ago it was even a strain on my hands to hang out my washing (which we all know isnt hard). I do try to use minimal pressure on barrs also but I am getting better at that. Basically I feel tension build up in any position that isnt complete rest pretty much just more so in some than others. The problem isnt actually directly related to playing guitar it just shows up there abit.... I could have just aswell used an example of me working in the garden but I thought the guitar would help you better relate to it.
Basically I am just looking for a good way to relieve the tension which is already in my hands. I am constantly doing wrist rotations and massaging the tight muscles and tendons (not at all relative to when I play guitar). I was just hoping someone had a specific technique or techniques that could assist with just general tension (not specifically guitar related). There is this guy in town who does some kind of asian technique deep tissue stuff who I used to go to when I had other problems with my body but I cant really afford that at the moment and I couldnt go as much as I would like to... so im not going at all..
Sorry I do appreciate your answers but they were not quite the answers I was looking for..
Posted by: Andrew Cockburn Sep 3 2007, 08:34 PM
Often, your body tenses up to try and compensate for an injury. I had a problem with my back for a long time - sporadic stiffness and pain, and then with no warning, a couple of times my back would tense up completely and I would be unable to move for several days. There was nothing wrong with the underlying bones, musclature discs etc, it was just that my body had got into some bad habits.
In my case, the fix was a course of treatment at a chiropractor. He would apply pressure in the right areas to release the tension, and I had a program of stretches to do at home. After 4 - 5 trips and an additional month of stretching, my back was normal again, and I haven;t had any trouble since.
Now that was a roundabout way of saying check that there isn't something else wrong with your hand - the tension is probably a symptom of something else underlying. I'm not sure if a chiropractor would help or not in your case but it sounds like you did something to your hand with all that pruning and your body is still trying to compensate in some way.
Posted by: Ryan Sep 4 2007, 06:09 AM
Basically I am just looking for a good way to relieve the tension which is already in my hands. I am constantly doing wrist rotations and massaging the tight muscles and tendons (not at all relative to when I play guitar). I was just hoping someone had a specific technique or techniques that could assist with just general tension (not specifically guitar related). There is this guy in town who does some kind of asian technique deep tissue stuff who I used to go to when I had other problems with my body but I cant really afford that at the moment and I couldnt go as much as I would like to... so im not going at all..
Sorry I do appreciate your answers but they were not quite the answers I was looking for..
You could also go to the doctor, or maybe a chiropractor(not sure about that one), but maybe they can give you some muscle relaxers, or some other type of thing. They could possibly give you some more adivce, on heling it instead of just stretchign nad massaging stuff!!
Posted by: Hungus Sep 4 2007, 08:50 AM
To be honest I dont really believe in doctors and I have only been to one once in the past 8 years+ but back when I was doing heavy physical training I would go and see Sonny Chin (http://www.sonnychin.co.nz/) who practices Hang Sun technique which I am guessing might be similar to something you get from a chiropractor. Only problem is I really cant afford it at the moment so I am trying to look for something untill I can... maybe I should try and convince my family to pay for it lol
I think your onto it too Andrew as it doesnt always cause me any problems and I can even still lift weights most of the time.. sometimes not though. Also I have this problem with both hands as I used my secateurs with both hands but my left is worse maybe because it isnt as strong im not sure. Its really frustraiting though as I have had this problem for over a year now.
Cheers for the advice guys
Posted by: RobM Sep 4 2007, 11:44 AM
Anyway I sorta made this post a whole lot longer than I needed to but basically I was just wondering if you guys maybe knew some good ways to relieve tension like this in your hands..
Cheers in advance guys
I understand what you are saying and I also underdstand your not wanting to go to a doctor (A lot of them are idiots). I have to go to see three different doctors every month for my disability and I just fired two of my regular doctors for not really caring for me but their bottom line. You could go see a hand expert and have him/her tell you if their is any damage in your hand, if not they could maybe give you a cortisone shot in the joint of your thumb so see if that takes care of the inflamation that you seem to have?
You might also go to an accupuncturist and see if they can help you? Good luck and I hope you are playing pain free soon.
Posted by: Hungus Sep 4 2007, 12:12 PM
You might also go to an accupuncturist and see if they can help you? Good luck and I hope you are playing pain free soon.
Hey man, cheers for the advice. Just wondering what cortisone is though..... im not really a great fan of taking drugs to help problems so much, I even try to avoid panadol unless I really need it. The reason I havent actually gone to someone yet was because after awhile I didnt notice it so much and I am in general pretty lazy but now that it is causing me some more problems which I cant just ignore I simply cant afford to go to anyone about it. Maybe I will try to convince my old man to pay for it or something because it really is getting bloody annoying!
Posted by: RobM Sep 4 2007, 12:39 PM
Cortisone is a steroid that physicians use to treat many different ailments, including repetitive motion injuries, which you can get from playing the guitar and worse from a job pruning trees all day long. They usually inject it right where the problem is, in your case more than likely the thumb joint. if you get someone good your barely feel it other than the initial pick of the needle. A visit with an injection if you are paying cash here in the US will probably cost you about $1000.00, then they would want you to have physical therapy and of course at least one follow up appointment, all of whcih you have to pay for unless you have medical insurance.
Are you in the US or somewhere else? I thought everywhere in Europe they had state run medical and dental and that everyone was covered? Someone educate me please.
Posted by: Hungus Sep 4 2007, 12:51 PM
I would deffinitly have to pass on that one then....
I'm from New Zealand. We have to pay for the dentist after 18 but I have no idea about the other stuff like this.
Posted by: swingline Sep 4 2007, 02:15 PM
Possibly acupuncture would help. I've never had it but I've heard it works wonders.
Posted by: rokchik Sep 4 2007, 09:23 PM
Hey Hungus
I'm not a doctor or anything but I've suffered through a lot of sport related injuries in my 30 yrs of excistance. To me it sounds like you have tendonitis probably in your thumb if that's where the problem is affecting you most. But it will effect the whole hand ie: grip strength, tense almost swollen feeling when inflammed. This was probably as a result of your work pruning on an orchard as this is a common injury in repetive motion. The problem with this is if it goes untreated it will keep coming back to haunt you.
If you can get to see a doctor I would highly recommend doing so as if it's been happening for a while you don't want to run the risk of permanent damage or even worse devolping arthritis. Usually a prolonged rest will do the trick. In the mean time though even getting a soft support like a neoprene sleeve that wraps around your wrist and thumb may help as these stabilize your joint and help eleviate tension. But I'd see a doctor if at all possible to be on the safe side especially if it's getting worse.
rok
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