Right Arm Aches

Hey GMC,

I've just signed up here again as I was on this site quite a few years ago under a completely different name, but have decided to come back after taking a break from guitar for quite a long time (about 5 years). So although I'm not a complete beginner because I still have the knowledge I had before I am still beginner level.

I was hoping to get some advice on an issue I've been having lately. I started playing again back in March and lately I've been playing pretty much every day. I've noticed something when I'm playing which is I keep getting aches in my right arm around my bicep and just above that. Since I've been playing again since March I would have though my arms would have adjusted by now to playing guitar again.

It isn't a sharp pain that suddenly comes on but is more like a gradual ache that will get worse as time goes on, although it's a relatively short space of time. I noticed it the most when I was trying to play Paranoid and found that I'd ache quite a bit when palm muting the 12th and 14th frets quite a bit. Even if I just hold my hand in a position as if I'm about to hit the strings, but not actually hit them, I still get the same problem so I don't think it's anything to do with where I'm fretting.

I've tried a number of things and I haven't seemed to fix it. I make sure to pay attention to my right arm to consciously make sure that it's relaxed and I don't play anything too fast. I'm pretty sure the way I hold my guitar is fairly normal - I hold it in the standard right leg position with the neck slightly pointing away from my body, I don't think it's normal to have it running across your body in a straight angle right? This is a PRS SE electric guitar by the way.

So I'm really just looking for some advice on how to proceed. Perhaps it'd help to upload a photo of myself holding the guitar? If anyone has had this problem in the past I'd be interested to hear how you got around it. Thanks for any help