Sidelined !

[rdeane]

Sorry to hear of your troubles. You said some folks had recommended acupuncture. I second those suggestions. As a person with a lifelong fear of needles, I tried acupuncture as the very last resort to shoulder and arm problems that threatened to make one arm (with my dominant hand) almost useless. To my amazement, acupuncture started working nearly immediately and had me wondering why I waited two years to try it. Now the pain and limitations are only a memory and I didn't need surgery or drugs. You may want to consider acupuncture, but be sure to get recommendations for a certified practitioner who is known to other medical professionals. I hope you can resolve your issues and get back to playing.

[HOF dad]

Prayers and hugs to you Amy - certainly one of the worst fears among most of us. I have nothing to add to all of the feedback - never fails to amaze me of the knowledge in this place.
Hopefully one of these is your ticket back.


Good Luck,
Dan

[Long tooth]

I had some grip issues as well that I discovered when I bought a Telecaster. I was intonating horribly with my silly death grip.
Being a wannabe bluegrass picker I noticed big differences when going from a 13s on an acoustic to those slinky electric strings. Being an 'older' guy...I was beginning to get tinges of pain in my fretting hand. I am now changing my grip with the help of a skilled instructor to try to get ahead of it.

Lots of rational and sage advice already dispensed, so no need for me to comment further other than to wish you the best on a speedy recovery.

[vindibona1]

Sorry to hear about your pain. The body is a fragile instrument.

You say you DIDN'T get the shot? I dunno... Years ago I developed chronic tendinitis in my left forearm, exactly like tennis elbow. If you didn't get the shot I think you should reconsider. You have to calm the irritated area down and the shot will speed that up exponentially. And yes, you'll have to change some habits. Perhaps you might even have to change guitars with a neck that allows better leverage and efficiency (have you considered a soft-V neck?).

[jpd]

Originally Posted by amyFB

I’ve been noticing it gradually over a year or so, random but happening more often. A week ago Sunday I jammed with some friends for a few hours
And that night my hand started swelling up,

Have seen the ortho doc and X-rays ruled out a break, then he poked around my thumb and suggested cortisone shot (nooooooooo-wahhhhhh).

Accepting virtual hugs of empathy and words of encouragement that this is temporary.

Thanks for listening, play a little extra on my behalf.

Amy.....my strumming hand swelled up on the top-side....went to a hand specialist, took x-rays(negative for breaks) poked around, decided it must be arthritis. He was wrong. Went to another specialist, he sent me for an MRI...discovered multiple fractures on my index finger and base. Cortisone isn't your answer...as you know

[Jim Owen]

My sympathies to you Amy,

Hands and wrists are highly complex. And when we injure them, we realize how much we use them.

I’ve had a cortisone injection once when I had a serious injury. It reduced inflammation and pain, and as a result, I was able to avoid something far more invasive.

I’m glad you’re not one who believes in “playing through the pain.” That’s the sort of nonsense that gets one into deep trouble.

Peace
Jimmy

[StephenHD35]

Amy, I have had lots of issues with my fretting hand, most of which have to do with injuries unrelated to guitar playing. I have had issues with my thumb that sound similar to what you have experienced. Everyone of course is different, but the cortisone shot made a huge difference. And it did so quickly. For me, it was the difference between playing and not playing. You also might be onto something when you talk about your grip. I've had to retrain myself to use a much lighter touch, which I believe helps. Even thumb fretting can be done with a fairly light touch. Good luck, and I hope you find a treatment that gets you back to playing as quickly as possible.

[llew]

Originally Posted by amyFB

How the heck do I make a m7b5 or a dim7 or a #5 with an open tuning ?!

Open? How the heck do I make those in standard tuning?

[amyFB]

For all that I may have some subjective fear based reasons for rejecting the cortisone shot, if I can avoid anything that punctures the wrapper of my body, the better.

The naturopath did work that focused on nerves , using an astonishingly light touch and with amazing effect. I am hopeful that my forced rest and her gentle informed touch may help me avoid shots.

Acupuncture , while a puncture of my skin , has been around so very long that I am more likely to try that if need be.

I am totally my own worst enemy but I like a challenge so off I go!

On a bright note, my Dell Latitude laptop has great speech to text capabilities that I have been using for the last week and that’s a huge help. The mouse and keyboard are another aggravating activity that is much of my workday.

Your support and your stories are just what I need and I really do thank you for all the ideas and well wishes.

[Pitar]

Keep it working. I realize the pain and inflammation must be endured to do that but that's all I've got for you. It's a use or lose situation. Towards the beginning of the year my fretting hand was caught up in a machine and I lost all ability to move the thumb towards the palm. I could not touch any of my fingers with my thumb. I learned to fret without using it. Then I decided my quality of life required the use of that hand so I bought one of those spring-loaded hand exercisers and a supply of bullets to bite down on. I have no idea what actual damage was done to the hand because I never sought medical care after it was crushed. I knew no bones were broke. I have lots of experience with that to know. I just began using the exerciser in my left hand and grimacing muscles in my face. Now you'd never know at one point that hand couldn't pick up a feather and I'm back to playing again. Actually, I think I'm better because the period of thumbless play gave me additional technique.

Good luck with it.

[amyFB]

Originally Posted by Pitar

Keep it working. I realize the pain and inflammation must be endured to do that but that's all I've got for you. It's a use or lose situation. Towards the beginning of the year my fretting hand was caught up in a machine and I lost all ability to move the thumb towards the palm. I could not touch any of my fingers with my thumb. I learned to fret without using it. Then I decided my quality of life required the use of that hand so I bought one of those spring-loaded hand exercisers and a supply of bullets to bite down on. I have no idea what actual damage was done to the hand because I never sought medical care after it was crushed. I knew no bones were broke. I have lots of experience with that to know. I just began using the exerciser in my left hand and grimacing muscles in my face. Now you'd never know at one point that hand couldn't pick up a feather and I'm back to playing again. Actually, I think I'm better because the period of thumbless play gave me additional technique.



Good luck with it.

That’s great to hear a return to playing after an event like you had!

Machinery scares me (too many moving parts I don’t know as well as I’d like) and your story is just one more in a long list of reasons I avoid most powered shop equipment. Especially the ones that move blades.

I think physical therapy to strengthen muscles will be in my future after the nerves have had a chance to first calm down from their current state & then I succeed in posture , grip and other changes that support a guitar player’s needs.

I have always wished to write a song and here I have a life event to motivate me! My previous efforts have consistently gone nowhere. Consistency seems to have stuck and his is so perfect an example of what happens when I try. (It’s ok to laugh, and roll your eyes! I did)

(Melody/rhythm as “somebody to love” Jefferson airplane)

When the truth sets in,
Baby, it hits you,
If I can’t play my guitar,
I might have reached a hundred and two
Percent
of my allot-
ment.


Thanks
Amyfb

[Bob Womack]

l'm really sorry to hear of your issues and might have a suggestion.

A few years back I spent a year in pretty extreme pain thinking my guitar career might be over. Eventually, I discovered that I was reacting to the statin drugs my doctor was prescribing for blood pressure. The pain was excruciating and debiltating, but that isn't the point of my post.

The point here is what I discovered about guitars: frets make a difference. Lower frets seem to be our friend, but in many ways they are not. It takes far more pressure to fret behind a shorter fret than a taller fret. In fact, taller frets DEMAND that you fret with less pressure or they allow you to pull the string sharp with your fretting pressure. Shazam! When I was dealing with my hand and forearm pain, the easiest guitars to play were my guitars with tall frets.

While you consider other options, also consider getting a guitar refretted with medium jumbo frets, or even taller, and seeing how they treat you. I bet you'll find that they force you into the change you are needing.

All the best,

Bob

[Earl49]

Originally Posted by amyFB

Have seen the ortho doc and X-rays ruled out a break, then he poked around my thumb and suggested cortisone shot (nooooooooo-wahhhhhh).

I have a death grip, it’s been impossible to break the habit, and so I guess it has caught up with me. Time to put the time into correcting that bad habit....

Breaking the death grip habit is the only reason that I currently own an electric guitar. With a heavy grip, you bend the entire chord out of tune, so it enforces some discipline. After a good rest, take care to come back slowly and carefully, and only play an electric at first. Then maybe graduate to a nylon string guitar.

Cortisone shots work really well in part because they usually have anesthetic in there too. But eventually they are corrosive to the joints (as I understand it) so not a good long term solution. I've had cortisone shots in my shoulder and Achilles’ tendon for sports injuries over the years, but never more than two in either joint.

Sorry you are facing this..... When I started getting a touch of Arthritis in my fretting hand a few years ago, I acquired a used moderate quality square neck Dobro-style guitar. The plan was if it got to the point where I was no longer able to play well, I would switch to slide. After some dietary changes, so far it has not an issue (knocking on wood).

[s2y]

Didn't see the post about having a death grip. That destroys a lot of hands.

[ahorsewithnonam]

Get better soon! I’m dealing with this......doesn’t effect guitar playing though.