Hand cramp

[AxeDude]

Last night while our band was playing, my left hand (fretting hand) cramped up while I was playing a lead. I couldn’t continue playing. It was painful like a charley horse. We limped through the song and I kept stretching my hand but it took about 5 minutes for it to get back to normal. I was warmed up. It was towards the end of our second set.
This has happened to me about 5 times now over about the last 6 months. I have Dupuytrens contracture in both hands but not to the point of needing surgery -yet. My wife is a recently retired orthopedic RN and she says that it’s not the Dupuytrens.
I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced this and what the cause might be? Another friend with a lot of medical experience suggested it could be from dehydration.
Any ideas?

[Methos1979]

Cramping is usually from being dehydrated. Drink some Gatorade before and during the show. Also, avoid alcohol.

[jim1960]

Asking for medical advice from a bunch of guitar players probably wasn't your best idea for the day. Since this is a recurring thing, you really should see a doctor about it. It may be something as simply as dehydration but it may be something more serious that needs attention and has the potential to get worse the longer it goes untreated.

[gfspencer]

Originally Posted by jim1960

Asking for medical advice from a bunch of guitar players probably wasn't your best idea for the day.

My next door neighbor is a retired neurologist. I get advice from him.

[Jeff Scott]

It could also be the neck is "becoming" too skinny for your (most likely) aging hand. I used to be fine playing Jazz Bass size necks until more recent years when my hand would occasionally cramp up. A wider neck was the solution.

[AxeDude]

Originally Posted by Methos1979

Cramping is usually from being dehydrated. Drink some Gatorade before and during the show. Also, avoid alcohol.

Thanks for the suggestion. I’m going to try this. I usually have two or three beers through the gig -sometimes none. I like the Gatorade idea.

[patrickgm60]

Tums is commonly used by cyclists to stop cramps.

[Mr. Jelly]

You're screwed. That happened to me when I used to play all night gigs. In whatever way your hand crapped that will give you an idea of what not to do when playing guitar. Otherwise when your hand gets tired and you do it again your hand will cramp again. I had to quit making full bar chords and live with partial chords. I let the bass hold down the bass end of things. In other words work around what doesn't work any longer.

[Golffishny]

As I got older this happened to me. I had to give up Taylor guitars with the slim profile because of cramping. A V neck caused my hand to tire quickly. I finally settled on the Martin MLO with PT as the most comfortable. I can play for hours with no trouble. The regular MLO works ok too. You have to just try different profiles and widths to see what works for your hands. If I were to have a problem with a neck it would start within a half hour of play time. Good luck to you.

[imwjl]

Consider the hydration advice given, electrolytes, and fitness. Hitting age 60 made me more sensitive to those than ever but efforts to keep at well being stuff pays off.

I'm not a go to gym type so added "7 minute workout" type stuff in my day, stretching, and rounds of exercise beyond what I consider fun such as biking or skiing. It seems silly and tedious at times but in all honesty helps keep the body parts working better.

Good luck.

[JCave]

So many around here complain of cramps, I also get them and have for years. My wife really suffers from hand and toe cramps. Tonic water is also suggested which my wife is currently trying with little success. I used to peddle 200 miles a week and never got cramps until well after a ride, even with proper warmup and cooldown. We're no closer to figuring it out, good luck with yours.

[Stratcat77]

For me, the solution has been hydration, which also helps address an occasional issue with trigger finger and with my voice. If I'm well hydrated, I notice much improvement with all these issues.

[AxeDude]

I appreciate all the replies. I should mention that I was playing a Strat when my hand cramped last Saturday. The other times it was my Martin JC40. I’m going to do the no alcohol and more hydration route. If that this keeps happening after that, I probably am screwed. I only play out two or three times a month but maybe it’s time to give it up. “All Things Must Pass”. Maybe I’m circling the drain.

[Nymuso]

Dehydration/electrolyte imbalance is the most likely culprit. But there is also something called musicians' dystonia that is worth a Google.

[AxeDude]

I have an appointment with a hand surgeon Friday. If I learn anything new that could help other people on this forum I’ll post a follow up.