Ouch, ouch - the Fret Hand Pain is annoying

Hey Gad

Well, am not an expert but I would atleast take a large break from the guitar. Honestly, depending on how bad it is you might wanna see the doc esp since you say you already went through CT.

Take care of it. I had a similar situation earlier this year. But mine felt more like a strained wrist.

Jim

Take hand/wrist pain seriously, is the first thing.

Specific to your question, don't use heat (see #9, below).

I've gone around the wrist pain maypole a time or two - I started playing at age 40, have been playing 2.5 years, and tend to practice 2+ hours per day. First time I got tendonitis was about 3 months after I started playing; it was February, so it was cold, I was practicing a lot, didn't really know how to warm up, and ended up with tingly fingers. The tingles would happen as soon as I started playing and would also happen if I bent my wrist the wrong way any time of day. Ultimately I had to completely quit playing for about 25 days before it healed.

After that, each year in February (I keep my house pretty cold because I'm a cheapskate about gas bills, BTW) I've had a little bout of tendonitis. Symptoms are what is described with CTS, but I don't think it actually rises to the level of full blown CTS, in my case it's probably just what you get before you get to CTS if you don't take care of it. Each year I've been better at seeing it coming and better at avoiding it.

What I've had happen is probably different from what you're seeing - what you describe is a little different from what I've experienced. But that said, (and making the standard disclaimer that I'm not a physician, nor do I play one on TV) here's what I can offer:

1) Stretch before you practice. In cold weather, warm your hands (like, I'll do the dishes in hot water) before practicing.

2) When you practice, focus on using the lightest touch possible, putting your finger as near the fret as possible and using only as little pressure as possible while still making the note sound.

3) Take good care of your calous's - firm calous means the string doesn't sink into your finger when you press it which means you need less finger pressure to make the notes sound.

4) Start your practice sessions slowly, doing slow, easy scales and practicing easy chord transitions, and pay attention to your posture and form.

5) Take breaks and stretch when you practice.

6) Don't practice the same thing (song, passage, whatever) over and over for hours - change it up every few minutes so you don't repeat the same motion for extended periods (they call it "repetative stress injury" for a reason).

7) If you feel pain or tingling take a break.

8 ) If the pain and tingling are there hours later, or the next day, this is likely tendonitis. Take a break for a few days (sucks, but do it).

9) If you get tendonitis in your wrist, you can ice it but don't use heat (the carpal tunnel in your wrist is a narrow passage and using heat will make it narrower, so the usual advice to use heat is actually a negative where your wrists are concerned - counter-intuitive, I know, considering #2 above, but this is what I've learned).

10) Tendonitis takes a while to heal for a number of reasons. Rest is the key, but you can accelerate healing a little by using Ibuprophen (an anti-inflamatory) to help minimize swelling inside the wrist, around the tendons. However, don't use Ibuprophen to make it so you can keep playing 'cause you'll make things worse ("Rest AND ibuprophen" NOT "Ibuprophen INSTEAD OF rest").

11) Learn as much as you can about tendonitis, CTS, what brings them on and how they heal.

Good luck!

Hey Gad

Well, am not an expert but I would atleast take a large break from the guitar. Honestly, depending on how bad it is you might wanna see the doc esp since you say you already went through CT.

Take care of it. I had a similar situation earlier this year. But mine felt more like a strained wrist.

Jim

I'm certainly in break mode right now. Thanks for the words there. It's just a twinge right now, and you know like most folks I'm more into grinning and bearing it even though I know it's not the thing to do. Darn it, you know how you want to keep going when you feel like you are making progress especially guitar wise, it's one of those two steps forward and one step back sort of thing. Frustrating. It's that E 7 chord, it hates me and my tiny hands.

I think I'll print this out, very thorough and well thought out. I'm with you, over 40 and been trying to play for about the same amount of time. Two hours a day at the least. I've had the finger aches which are no big deal but this is the first one of those things that is actually giving me a bit of annoyance as I type this. Doesn't hurt typing, but I can feel it if I'm running the lawn mower that's for sure.

I admit to working repetitively, finger style progressions involving four chords or so and going back to the ones with the problem fingering of the evil E 7 chord. Stretch it, hold it, go around the progression and hit it again. Haven't picked her up today, since feeling the twinge. Not getting any tingle from it, although clenching hard on the handle bars of my bike for more than an hour will give me that.

I find it hard to even motivate myself to practice when it's really cold though. All that stiffness and general annoyance with it being cold takes the joy right out of me. Probably why I've leveled up in the warmer days and evenings here.

I'll get the ice out, I've been a Naprocen sort of fellow since it was prescribed to me a while back for a foot thing and sure enough, after a year of taking it and going easy on the foot I don't have that problem any longer. Don't run any longer either. Don't want to not play the guitar, I mean try to play the guitar.

And you know, every time I go to see a doctor anymore the first thing I mention to them is that in the Middle Ages Doctors were also barbers so at least you had some chance of at least getting a decent haircut. AH well, time to get out some ice and the harmonica. :-)

Thanks Geoo and Quarterfront, I appreciate the advice.
Take hand/wrist pain seriously, is the first thing.

Specific to your question, don't use heat (see #9, below).

I've gone around the wrist pain maypole a time or two - I started playing at age 40, have been playing 2.5 years, and tend to practice 2+ hours per day. First time I got tendonitis was about 3 months after I started playing; it was February, so it was cold, I was practicing a lot, didn't really know how to warm up, and ended up with tingly fingers. The tingles would happen as soon as I started playing and would also happen if I bent my wrist the wrong way any time of day. Ultimately I had to completely quit playing for about 25 days before it healed.

After that, each year in February (I keep my house pretty cold because I'm a cheapskate about gas bills, BTW) I've had a little bout of tendonitis. Symptoms are what is described with CTS, but I don't think it actually rises to the level of full blown CTS, in my case it's probably just what you get before you get to CTS if you don't take care of it. Each year I've been better at seeing it coming and better at avoiding it.

What I've had happen is probably different from what you're seeing - what you describe is a little different from what I've experienced. But that said, (and making the standard disclaimer that I'm not a physician, nor do I play one on TV) here's what I can offer:

1) Stretch before you practice. In cold weather, warm your hands (like, I'll do the dishes in hot water) before practicing.

2) When you practice, focus on using the lightest touch possible, putting your finger as near the fret as possible and using only as little pressure as possible while still making the note sound.

3) Take good care of your calous's - firm calous means the string doesn't sink into your finger when you press it which means you need less finger pressure to make the notes sound.

4) Start your practice sessions slowly, doing slow, easy scales and practicing easy chord transitions, and pay attention to your posture and form.

5) Take breaks and stretch when you practice.

6) Don't practice the same thing (song, passage, whatever) over and over for hours - change it up every few minutes so you don't repeat the same motion for extended periods (they call it "repetative stress injury" for a reason).

7) If you feel pain or tingling take a break.

8 ) If the pain and tingling are there hours later, or the next day, this is likely tendonitis. Take a break for a few days (sucks, but do it).

9) If you get tendonitis in your wrist, you can ice it but don't use heat (the carpal tunnel in your wrist is a narrow passage and using heat will make it narrower, so the usual advice to use heat is actually a negative where your wrists are concerned - counter-intuitive, I know, considering #2 above, but this is what I've learned).

10) Tendonitis takes a while to heal for a number of reasons. Rest is the key, but you can accelerate healing a little by using Ibuprophen (an anti-inflamatory) to help minimize swelling inside the wrist, around the tendons. However, don't use Ibuprophen to make it so you can keep playing 'cause you'll make things worse ("Rest AND ibuprophen" NOT "Ibuprophen INSTEAD OF rest").

11) Learn as much as you can about tendonitis, CTS, what brings them on and how they heal.

Good luck!

Those barre chords can sure cause some problems, like the others have said take a break. AFAIK heat is only good to use on an injury right after it happens, cold compresses tend to work better. For running injuries I use a bag of frozen peas applied to the injured area for about 10 minutes, several times a day (be advised I'm not a doctor) then put them back in the freezer.

Hi Causnorign, I've got a bag of Edamame on it right now. Must be my California roots showing. :-) It sucks taking a break, I've got some of my Truefire video/cd instruction videos I can watch and puzzle through and other instructional videos to view so I don't feel like a total waste. Oh, and hang out here for a bit. Hope this resting thing doesn't take too long.

Those barre chords can sure cause some problems, like the others have said take a break. AFAIK heat is only good to use on an injury right after it happens, cold compresses tend to work better. For running injuries I use a bag of frozen peas applied to the injured area for about 10 minutes, several times a day (be advised I'm not a doctor) then put them back in the freezer. 8)

The Pain is more or less gone from the top of the hand. It's been five days since I've picked up my acoustic and of course it's sitting in it's case with the humidifier thingee in the sound hole. I'm not taking any medication for it since nothing is hurting but you know, I'm hyper aware of my hands right now and I don't know if that's good or bad. I'm thinking if the lack of pain is a precursor to pain, the hypochondriac in me being very noisy now. The last few days I'm thinking, 'well maybe I'll pick up my guitar and play for a few minutes but then there's that loud No coming from my head telling me to wait another day. All very frustrating. I mean, there are only so many political debates I can watch waiting to be able to play.

I understand your frustration - last year I severed a tendon in the back of my hand, and had a month's layoff. Hand was in plaster most of that time. I told the doctor how frustrated I was at not being able to play guitar, his advice was to take it slow and easy. It was about another month before I could move my fingers enough to play barre chords...but he also advised me that playing guitar was about the best therapy I could get, but that I shouldn't overdo it. A year later, it tends to start aching if I play a lot of barre chords - so I try and keep them to a minimum.

I would say you've got some good advice there....try and follow it. (You seem to be doing the right thing!) Let us know how you get on...and even if you manage to find the root cause.

:D :D :D

Vic