I’ve had to deal with these as I spend tons of hours in front of a computer. I had a couple light carpal tunnel episodes, and tons of neck muscles contractures due to so many hours staring at a screen, our necks are not designed for that!. Broke a collarbone on a bike crash, too…
Massages helped, but the definitive solution was:
Posture Higyene: watch out for bad “resting” posture habits, or techniques that force your wrist
Strenght. If muscles and tendons are not strong, the damage usually goes to the joints. Get muscles supporting the joint strong and problems will go away.
For me a lot of the relief comes from breaking up scar tissue and letting the muscles finally relax and de-contract.
Couldn’t agree more. I could barely reach for the safety belt in the car… (rotator cuff due to bike crash) doctors said surgery, but I took three months of suffering at the gym instead, is actually breaking those scars in muscles/tendons, what is required (and aches) to regain all movement.
I have had recurring spasms /pain between my fretting hand ring and middle finger about an inch below the webbing, between the knuckles. I hope it will improve as my fingers get stronger.
Just read through the thread. I haven’t dealt with the exact issues mentioned above but I have had to make adjustments along the way. #1) Don’t stand/sit still when you play. When you move about you shift weight and tension all over your body so your not stressing certain parts of it. This seriously cuts down on over all fatigue. #2) Get a WIDE strap. The weight of your bass hanging on a regular strap is distributed over about 4 sqare inches of area. A wide strap increases the surface area to about 8 square inches which effectively cuts the “gravity” of your bass in half. You experience less pounds of pressure per square inch on your shoulder. I noticed that all of my “issues” were on my left hand and arm. It’s amazing how much a little stress on your shoulder will screw stuff up. #3 Change the way your holding the bass periodically. raising the neck a couple inches, especially while playing high on the neck will do wonders. #4) Rest once in awhile. Basses are heavier than guitars by and large and I tend to forget that until my shoulder reminds me. Hopefully there is something in this that will be helpful to you or others.
Hi! This is my first time posting in the forum. Exciting.
I am experiencing tendonitis/carpal tunnel-like pain in my forearm, wrist, and fingers. It got so bad a couple of years ago I ended up in urgent care (for convenience, mostly), and had to wear a brace for two weeks. I think it was caused by a combination of playing the bass, working at a computer all day, and drawing (i.e. the ultimate nerd injury).
I just started the beginner to badass course a couple of weeks ago and now it’s flaring up again. I consider myself intermediate, but kind of sloppy and was flying through the course, playing about an hour a day. So between that and likely bending my wrist too much, I wasn’t doing myself any favors.
I would love to find some more structured information on this topic. In the meantime, I plan to: take ibuprofen, wear a brace when I sleep, TRY to rest my arm/wrist, and after reading this thread try: CBD oil, tea tree oil… all the oils.
Dr. Josh, can you make a video about this please? Or maybe about proper, posture/position and/or some general watch-outs?
Thanks, @howard! Appreciate this. I definitely have some pain in my left hand as well—but I should have mentioned that it’s my right hand/arm that’s the problem.
Just so that we are absolutely clear: it is mainly your plucking hand that is causing you issues (right/left can be confusing)!?!? Could you perhaps get someone to take a pic of you while playing/plucking? Are you digging in too hard with your fingers? Could you try to play with a plectrum instead?
I have dealt with Carpal Tunnel / Tendonitis symptoms for 20 years. It started for me in college for a combination of playing/practicing, and then - in down time - video games/computer/drawing.
Similar nerdcore!!
I have to take it very easy still. Be very careful about the amount of tension and force you play and practice with. Massage the forearm muscles regularly after playing. Exercise. You need strong back, core and shoulder muscles to support the smaller muscles of the forearm and fingers.
Breathe. Make sure you’re getting enough air when you play.
That was actually the first Adam Neely video I ever saw, and it’s a good one. I’ve been watching him ever since. He has grown and developed so much since he did this one in 2010.
Sorry. That is confusing. It’s my right/plucking hand. I usually play with a pick in the band I’m in… and I think that’s why I’m having issues now, with these lessons. I was foolish and not using proper posture/bending my writ too much and didn’t realize that until it was too late.
Yeah, you’re totally right about getting regular exercise. It’s been tough with COVID and working from home. I work long hours at a desk and then usually jump right into lessons.
Yes - though my favorite was the extra firm. I don’t recall if it came stock. Probably not. I actually broke it and need to reorder. Highly recommended!!
I am in the EXACT same boat these days.
My right hand is the problem hand (the mouse hand/trackpad hand) and I am working more from home as well.
It has taken me until these last 2 months to finally have the motivation and discipline enough to find a new exercise routine I can do at the house.
And I have to have blood flow or my right hand swells up after an intense playing/tracking/practice session.
Please please! Find a routine that works for you and build up the muscle stamina and your cardio! It is a foundation from which all other muscle movements flow. PARTICULARLY while working from home in a lock-down envirnoment!
It’s been very brutal.
If you need a new unit the Roflex may be of interest to you. It was invented by Terry Cross, the same inventor of Armaid, but is slightly less expensive and targets more parts of the body. Mine should be here in about a week.
I just read the title post of this thread for the first time, so I’ll throw out some random pieces of information about things that persist.
My sister has hyper mobility, a less severe form of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. When things move around more than they should this can cause pain.
When things move around more than they should when one doesn’t have a syndrome, this can be due to weaker or unbalanced muscle groups. In my experience it would have been impossible for me to figure out and do with proper form the necessary strengthening exercises without someone watching me and coaching. Getting the right effect can be slight leans, weight shifts or even where in your body you are pulling from. A shoulder problem can be caused by the chest muscles being stronger than the back muscles and rolling the shoulder forward. If my shoulder gets pulled forward, I can’t reach the first frets without pain.
Pain can also be caused by inflammation. In my case mostly due to foods. Allergists only test for fast reacting allergies that cause sneezing, itching. A naturopathic doctor will test for slow reacting sensitivities that show up as inflammation in the body. There are ideas that many diseases are the ultimate end result of chronic inflammation due to food sensitivities.
Many foods that produce ill results for significant numbers of people are so common that it seems impossible they could be allowed if they were so bad. And yet. Most of the population is literally sugar addicted, for example. If you don’t believe it try to quit and see if you actually manage to do it. And then when you try to avoid it, it becomes amazing to find out how many things it’s in.
Anyway, if you run out of mainstream medical answers and still have issues, there are other avenues to consider exploring.
Hi @DaveT! Whoa. I also have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hypermobility type). The last time I was treated for this type of wrist pain (when I went to urgent care), they didn’t think it was related. But who knows. Obviously, I have to work extra hard to stay in shape/stay strong. So maybe I got injured more easily because of it. I’ll ask at my next appointment. I also have fibromyalgia and some kind of autoimmune disease. But this pain is very specific to my tendons/wrist/fingers and not like the regular pain I experience because of those things.
The old adage that “everything is connected” unfortunately holds very true when it comes to body aches and medical issues. Some of your current pain might stem from a bicycle accident twenty years ago, where they treated you for the “obvious” (say, a chipped tooth), but relegated everything else to bruises and (temporary) soreness.
And then of course all the environmental factors that influence you and your health (and here, I am mean everything external to the body, including food, traffic noise, work related stress, and so on). Who then, on top of all that (including congenital issues), really needs auto-immune diseases as well?? I have got a few of those that slowly came creeping over the last 5-10 years. Some are merely a “cosmetic” problem, others potentially more severe. And it begs the questions: where does it end? Can I stop or reverse these things??
As @DaveT said: it can be worthwhile looking outside and beyond mainstream medicine, but use plenty of common sense and don’t fall for just every snake oil out there!
