Early 60's with persistent left hand pain

[SFCRetired]

Originally Posted by para_adams

It is deep in the joint from the base of the thumb to the middle wrist.

I don't know what that's called but a friend of mine has the same thing, he told me but I forgot. I do as well to a limited degree. He said his doctor told him it's not bad enough to have surgery. His reply was "well how dang bad does it have to get".

I'm not really sure there is a fix but you need to get to an ortho doctor and have them check it. They might be able to fix you up.

[R22]

You mentioned using ibuprofen in your original post. Did that help? Ibuprofen is good at reducing inflammation. If that did help, then you might consider another antiinflamitory that is ok for you to take.

I've been using curcumin to great effect. I have arthritis in my index finger, and the curcumin has improved that issue quite a bit.

If you decide to try it, do your research. Make sure you're getting the right dosage, with good absorption properties. It can be a little pricey, but generally has few side effects.

[gbesson]

Dealing with the same issue currently. Getting physical therapy and some stretches/exercises to address it. I was unaware of how much tension was in the muscles (flexors) of my wrist until the therapist ran her hand along the palm side of my arm and it was extremely painful. No suggestions to stop playing though doing exercises and stretches nopw before playing. Strong endorsement for seeing a physical therapist. It could be arthritis but if it is from technique and muscle strain it ought to be fixable. Good luck.

[para_adams]

Originally Posted by R22

You mentioned using ibuprofen in your original post. Did that help? Ibuprofen is good at reducing inflammation. If that did help, then you might consider another antiinflamitory that is ok for you to take.

I've been using curcumin to great effect. I have arthritis in my index finger, and the curcumin has improved that issue quite a bit.

If you decide to try it, do your research. Make sure you're getting the right dosage, with good absorption properties. It can be a little pricey, but generally has few side effects.

Over the last couple decades, ibuprofen had been my miracle drug for nipping any inflammation pain in the bud. But unfortunately I am now in a place in my medical history where my docs say I need to avoid ibuprofen due to its risks in heart disease and kidneys. So ibuprofen is only rarely taken and when taken it is in small doses.

[abn556]

I was hit in the left hand thumb joint by a high, inside fastball playing HS baseball back in the 70s. The injury never healed correctly. To this day it can pop out of socket if I put a lot of pressure on it. I should have had it fixed long ago. Luckily guitar playing doesn’t hurt. I recommend you have a specialist take a look at it and tell you what to do.

+

[Jack the Pearl]

Lots of worthy suggestions here. I suggest taking a close look at your fretting hand technique. One can easily play across much of the fret board without squeezing the neck between the thumb and the palm.

The trick is to pull the fret board toward yourself with your fretting hand and arm while applying counter pressure on the lower bout with your picking hand and arm. This pushes the fret board into your fretting hand and you can play without the thumb of your fretting hand ever touching (let alone squeezing) the back of the neck.

This is a legitimate technique but is seldom taught. Don't ask me why. Try it. It works. I'm 77 years old and can play without thumb joint pain. So can you.

[donlyn]

Early 60's with persistent left hand pain

A few years back when I was pushing 70 or a little later, I also had pain in my left (fretting) index finger. Mostly hurt to curl it. On anything. Got a finger splint to hold it straight and wore it as often as possible, especially sleeping.

Still played around a bit with my guitars, but it still hurt. But I found I could play my short scale Taylor 412e-R Grand Concert (a smaller full size guitar) without much pain. Not wanting to push it too far, I kept sessions with at least a day off in between, and as short as 10 or fifteen minutes in length. To my surprise, it started getting easier to play as I went along, and then keeping my left index as immobile as possible. So I stayed with it for a while and then started to play a bit every day.

A few months later, I was able to play any and all of my guitars again. I think I was stretching my open fingers too far and that was what was causing me major discomfort. So now my short scale is integrated a lot into my playing time, and things are generally a lot better. I'll never be young again, but I sure am feeling good about my guitar playing. And if some days I'm not up to it, then I don't force it.

Have no idea what happened, except what I mentioned, stretching my fingers was the most painful, so I didn't for quite a while. Maybe I got lucky too. I can now play for up to an hour without problems, and if I want/need to play longer, that Taylor Grand Concert gets a big piece of the playing time.

Be well and play well,

Don
.

[Rolph]

You give almost no information about your issues. What makes worse, what makes better? Previous injuries/auto accidents, neck injuries, sports injuries. You've lived a long time, things wear out.
Get a thorough evaluation of your hands/wrists, neck by a certified Sports chiropractor, or one who used Applied kinesiology, or a Physio therapist with experience with guitarists over 60. Especially one who can recreate your pain in the office, then relieve it. And one who can show you how to use Kinesio-tape and make corrections yourself, that work.
I've been a chiropractor/kinesiologist for over 40 years. If an exam necessitated, would radiograph your neck, especially in the exact posture you employ holding your guitar. Good luck.

[Bookstorecowboy]

Try classical position or a guitar pillow. True classical position stresses my back, but a guitar pillow on my right knee and a tilt to the instrument really helps.
Curcumin can help, but make sure you take it with pepper (it activates the anti-inflammatory action).
Use much less pressure! Many guitarists use literally three to five times as much force as necessary. Experiment with individual notes and figure out the minimum force you need to get good intonation. Work to relax and use that much force (or that little force) all the time.

[Birdbrain]

Originally Posted by para_adams

It is deep in the joint from the base of the thumb to the middle wrist.

Sounds like you may need a Radial Arthroplasty. The radius bone carries force from the thumb to the wrist. At the wrist, a small, cube-shaped bone called the Trapezium receives that force. By 62, mine had no cartilage left, probably worn away my my ineffectual efforts at manual, hammer-and-nail carpentry. The orthopedist had a simple solution: remove the trapezium and replace it with a ball of cartilage fashioned from "surplus" tissue in my nearby forearm.

It worked like a charm. Eight years later, it gives me no further trouble. I'm sad to learn that it can't be done for arthritic fingers, too.

[CharlieBman]

Only mention this because it helped me tremendously.

Check your action at the first fret. Your nut slots may be too high. If these are not optimally cut to get the lowest possible first fret action for your playing style, it can prove to be brutal on the fretting hand, particularly when playing frequently for extended periods of time. I had to either file down the nut slots or even replace the nut on everyone one of my guitars (even the expensive models). That coupled with training yourself to be cognizant of the amount of pressure your applying to the strings. If the slots are cut properly, you'll need very little pressure, and this has a significant impact on hand fatigue and pain.

[BarefootDave]

I have a good friend who is retired MD and avid guitar player since we were in high school - he has designed a balm using CBD and some other ingredients that has amazing results for my shoulder (hard to play jumbo or dreadnaught sizes) and has also been very helpful with other friends suffering from hand pain. I just put some on my shoulder a few minutes ago after playing for a while this morning, and the discomfort is GONE.

Another friend in NC was planning to sell his guitar and get a nylon string, and after he started rubbing this stuff on his hand that was no longer necessary.

I can connect you with him if you want, he will likely put this stuff on the market at some point - he wants to help other guitar players.