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  #1  
Old 05-18-2019, 02:22 PM
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Default How many of you are playing in pain ?

Another post has prompted me to ask this question. How many here are playing with pain or have played with pain — and how do you deal with it ?

I have overcome horrendous pain in hands and arms, shoulders and neck and overcame it by evaluating my playing posture and hitting the gym under supervision and strengthening a lot of muscles. If I get pain now (like at the moment forearm pain) I know it’s tension.
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Old 05-18-2019, 02:36 PM
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golfreggie golfreggie is offline
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No pain really, but stiffness. The fingers don't move as quick and my wrist ends up a little "tingly" after playing. I have some arthur in the fingers, both trigger fingers are somewhat crooked, but so far the fretting hand is the least "bent". The hardest chord for me to get that trigger finger on the correct place quickly and accurately is a common C chord. It tends to miss the C note just slightly due to the bend. But I manage
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Old 05-18-2019, 02:51 PM
Slothead56 Slothead56 is offline
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I predict this could have more responses than any thread ever on AGF.
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Old 05-18-2019, 02:53 PM
Bridgepin Bridgepin is offline
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Thankfully no pain that effects my playing. But boy getting older there are other parts of my body that remind me I'm no spring chicken anymore
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Old 05-18-2019, 02:57 PM
RagtopGT RagtopGT is offline
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I'm OK, but people who hear me play feel pain. Even my loyal dog slinks off to another part of the house when I reach for my guitar.
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Old 05-18-2019, 03:16 PM
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My left shoulder has been acting up. Actually, my favorite childhood memory is my back not hurting.
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Old 05-18-2019, 03:16 PM
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Elbow pain. Had to stop learning for about six months. Had to pretty much start all over again. I still have lingering elbow pain now but it's manageable.
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Old 05-18-2019, 03:16 PM
Ed66 Ed66 is offline
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I'm lucky enough to not have any issues - yet - we'll see how long I can hold off father time.
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Old 05-18-2019, 03:18 PM
Kycatzrock Kycatzrock is offline
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Developed a ganglion cyst in my elbow, and the tips of my fingers get really sore sometimes. I'm thankful to still be able to play...
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Old 05-18-2019, 03:21 PM
L20A L20A is offline
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I have been getting more and more pain every year for the past several years.
When I know that I will be playing for more than 1/2 hour, I have to use creams/rubs and pain meds.
I will continue to do this until the day comes that the pain wins.
I hope that day is a long time coming.
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Old 05-18-2019, 03:27 PM
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Had pain from old injury Dr assured me it could be fixed. He fixed it no pain but last joint of my ring finger is half numb has been for 8 months another EMG test this week. The repair ended all pain but Dr said finger should have woken up by now. Was pretty extensive repair had a car run over wrist at 17 i'm 64 now needed things re-aligned last year. Left hand
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Old 05-18-2019, 04:21 PM
menhir menhir is offline
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I was a piano/keyboard performer, but pain stopped me from playing, or rather, improving my playing. I found that while learning and practicing complex or more demanding material, my hands would start to cramp up so badly and became so tearfully painful that one day, and I remember this clearly, I just closed the keyboard cover and for all intents and purposes...Walked away. Harsh, I know.

Don't get me wrong...I could still play sufficiently well for the day, but I seemed to have reached my limit physically and was frustrated that pain prevented me from achieving higher goals. I was much younger then. I wasn't as good as counting my blessings as I am now.
I still have no idea what caused/causes it.

Fortunately, I had always dabbled in guitar and enjoyed it. Playing guitar for extended periods may cause some pain, and I guess I'm not alone in that regard, but it doesn't seem to affect me as badly as when I played keyboards. So I slid off the bench and into the easy chair and it's been guitar ever since.

Life finds a way.

I'm sixty-four now.Two years ago I was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease in my upper spine after a hideous all-at-once-and-nothing-first event. Therapy and caution (I now know what what movements trigger it...My "kryptonite" as one doctor put it) has helped keep it in check. Occasionally my fingers will tingle and get a little numb, but I can still play and improve, and boy, do I need improving .

Last edited by menhir; 05-18-2019 at 05:59 PM.
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Old 05-18-2019, 04:24 PM
Jengstrom Jengstrom is offline
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I’ve been a musician all my life, just not guitar. I took up the guitar in my early 50’s, in 2008. In 2010, my right shoulder began hurting. It became extremely painful to get to the end of the neck (I’m a lefty). It got so bad that in 2011, I stopped playing.

In 2015, my wife and I joined a startup church. When they found out I knew something about music, they asked me repeatedly to help out with their new music program. I tried to tell them that (1) I hadn’t played in years and (2) I really sucked on guitar, but they kept bugging me. Long story short, before long I pulled the guitar out of the case and was strumming cowboy chords in church.

It hurt awful. But I would rest during the week, then practice the chord changes for a day or two before Sunday, then play the service.

Two things happened. (1) My guitar playing actually improved, which gives you some idea how bad I was. (2) Somewhere along the way, the pain in my right shoulder, which I now know is arthritic, decreased to the point I usually don’t think about it while I’m playing.

Oh, and along the way I got the guitar bug again. I practice almost everyay and am taking lessons. Tommy Emmanuel will never have anything to worry about from me, but here I am and glad to be here.

John
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Old 05-18-2019, 04:31 PM
vindibona1 vindibona1 is offline
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Let's face it- aging sucks. I've been suffering with arthrtis in both hands for about 5-6 years now. The severity of the pain and discomfort seems to come and go. Some things are more diffcult than others on guitar and from a comfort standpoint I'm better off playing bass (which I've taken quite a liking to).

My main instrument since a young man has been the trumpet. I tore my obicularis oris about 20 years ago and suffered focal dystonia of the face around 2009. Since then trumpet has always been uncomfortable having to wrestle the instrument for every note, but I've struggled through. Right now I'm having a terrible time with swelling of the chops and after the next 3 concerts happening in the next 5 weeks I'm going to take the entire summer off to see if whatever is causing my issue will subside with a long rest. If it persists in the fall it's likely I will call my trumpet career over. That will be emotionally very difficult. I supposed it's better to volunteer to stop playing than be asked- or told to stop.
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Old 05-18-2019, 04:41 PM
The Bard Rocks The Bard Rocks is offline
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When I play, the pain goes away.
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