I’ve been playing bass for almost 3 years now and developed a solid technique (according to my teacher), but something came in the way.
For the last 3 months I tend to injure the specific lower part of my pinky. It feels as if hurting the joints between the lower and middle phalange/upper knuckle.
So far as I know, I don’t do anything reckless or wild, since my other fingers can handle it all perfectly (and I know the pinky is the weakest of them all). Occasionally that upper knuckle snaps (like in cracking your knuckles) and the pain is somewhat gone and all’s flexible like my other fingers.
I’ve already switched to a short scale bass because my left wrist can’t handle it below fret 3, and now there is this issue with my pinky. Before I’m considering a Django Reinhardt style of playing bass, I was wondering if there are any ways to make it easier for my pinky.
For example: Are there any ‘smaller wristbands’ for around your fingers? Is taping it an option? Maybe using a special ring?
Or: Should I adjust my technique? Try different strings or a different setup?
All advice is welcome, because I’m not gonna give up bass!
I have something very similar in my index finger. It’s due to an imbalance between the muscles of the thenar eminence at the base of the thumb and the muscles at the base of the finger. The same stuff for the pinky is called the hypothenar eminence.
The muscles in the eminences drag the pinky and thumb sides of the palm toward each other, and the digits have to strain to get back where they belong and then the tendons get hauled out of their grooves and you get the locking and popping.
The fix is to stretch the eminences WITHOUT hauling on the fingers above them.
I’m gonna go look for specific stretches, but stretch #5 (thumb) in this video is the idea, do it to the meaty part of your palm under the pinky: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=G0c1iShj-x4&ra=m
Edit: this is the closest to the stretch I’m trying to find. Instead of brutally smashing on the muscle bulk with a ball like this guys is doing, use that ball to gently press and stretch the outer edge of the palm open. Same position, same placement. Hold a steady gentle stretch for 5-10 seconds. https://youtube.com/shorts/5gHasN_3aIY?si=9BgIbty9Y4Pz4mU2
Disclaimer: I am not a hand therapist! Use caution and go gently and if anything feels wrong, stop. If you decide to see a physiotherapist for this, make sure they are a certified hand therapist. CHT is an additional certification that PTs or OTs get.
I played a lot (4-6 hours a day) when I first started to learn and developed pain in that area as well. I switched to use simandl style up until the seventh fret or so - not a hard rule - and my pain has subsided.
I’m sure that change impacted the development of my ring finger; however my pinky more than makes up for it now. I still use the ring when needed so it’s still functional. I was at a point of either changing technique or stop playing bass as much.
Really love this one, especially that you can do that thumb exercise with your pinky too.
I probably should get one of those little balls, but could I also do that with my right thumb? I mean like stretching that meaty part under the pinky?
Also, I found a favourite to just tab some metronome rhythms with my fretting fingers (like fretting 1,3,2,4, etc.) as a former drummer, you can do that with single tabs, double tabs, triple, quadruple, etc.
Though physics work differently on your side of Holland (let’s be honest: it’s already Belgium :-)): yes!
But these strings are so wonderful soft and gentle … and still manage to give you an “in yer face” sound, if you are inclined to…
EDIT the JF324 are flats. Thomastik also has the same ones as rounds.
Maybe @MikeC can say more about those? They sound’ll more aggressive, while still caressing your fingers while you play, I guess…
You can do all those to both the thenar and hypothenar muscles. Don’t worry about a specific ball, tennis balls work just fine. Or hacky-sacks or kids beanbag toys or anything that looks good.
One genuinely handy consequence: in the Netherlands you do not need a pharmacy or prescription for basic pain relief. Paracetamol is sold cheaply in supermarkets, drugstores (drogist), and even petrol stations. So the advice to “take paracetamol” is also the easiest prescription in the world to fill.
@ElGatoVermelho I’m not sure I understood. Do you feel pain in the joints, or in the tendons? You drew two red lines along the proximal phalanx bone, so this makes me think maybe the pain is tendon related. The tendons run alongside the bones.
I sometimes have pain in the joint between the palm and the proximal phalanx bone of the little finger, and if I would draw a line to mark the area I feel pain in, it would be close to the palm, perpendicular to the finger bones.
I agree with Howard: the best thing could be to see a doctor. So at least you would know the source of the pain. It could be tendinitis.
I had tendinitis before (wrists and elbows), and what helped me the most was (in order of effectiveness) rest, a pain gell containing anti-inflammatory ingredients, and some prescription free nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) like ibuprofen (if you don’t have stomach problems) for a few days at a time. But better to ask a doctor.
About the Bob & Brad video with the stretching exercises: these could be good, as long as you are sure you don’t have hypermobility in your joints. Their videos are usually good, but I didn’t like hearing their advice to stretch this or pull that “as far as you can”. If you have any hypermobility, then never stretch “as far as you can”, because that could cause problems.
(About hypermobility: it took me decades before I found out I have it. I didn’t know my fingers are not supposed to bend as far back as they do. We usually don’t have a reference point or compare that to other people. I have tense hands because the muscles overcompensate for the loose tendons, so I used to stretch my hands and fingers to release tension. But stretching too much was what caused me pain for weeks, and took me some time to realise that.)
The second video (the massage with a ball) could be very useful.
Big pharma is big in the Americas. Doctors will prescribe stronger medication than needed. In Brazil, patients are usually prescribed antibiotics right away for a flu, even though antibiotics are meant against bacterial infections, not viral problems. They cause more problems than the flu itself.
As a child in Brazil, I was always given antibiotics unnecessarily. People trust the doctors and believe they need it. When I moved to Finland the biggest cultural shock was exactly how doctors treat patients with only the necessary drugs. One doctor once told me most illnesses go away by their own (the immune system deals with them), and the doctors get the credit if they happen to prescribe anything. For a strong flu, the best is rest, and it is enough. If I have influenza, I only take paracetamol if the fever is too high. A little fever is how the body boosts the immune system during a viral infection.
Of course bacterial infection is another thing, then they come with the antibiotics.
What I noticed is, most viral infections like cold or influenza take as much time to heal with or without drugs.
So I understand the Dutch doctors’ reasoning! (Though I believe paracetamol only works for fever, menstrual cramps or light headaches. It won’t work against muscle pain or tendinitis, as it is not an anti-inflammatory drug).
Yeah … but we do make jokes about people having broken legs from biking accidents … and getting a paracetamol
It IS crazy though what kind of heavy medication is being subscribed in certain countries to basically everybody.
The whole population is on drugs … which explains a lot…
