Nerve endings

[Jaden]

As guitar players we have all built up thick skin or callous material at the end of our fingers of the fretting hand. Those who are familiar with the practice or theory behind acupuncture (I don’t) will know the avenues of nerve endings in the body, and it has occurred to me that this fretting finger stimulation may be hitting some nerve endings and resulting in some effects, positive or detrimental or otherwise.

Does anyone here know more about this?

This may be moved to Open Mic section

Thanks

[Russ C]

The little I know about acupuncture and acupressure - it's not about nerve endings, which are everywhere.
There is a point on the end of the 2nd finger that would get stimulated by string pressure but I wouldn't think that alone is gonna do anyone much good.

[Wade Hampton]

I’ve been playing stringed instruments for 45 years now. If that was a major concern, I suspect any nerve damage would have shown up long ago.


whm

[Neil K Walk]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

I’ve been playing stringed instruments for 45 years now. If that was a major concern, I suspect any nerve damage would have shown up long ago.


whm

Yup. I've been playing nearly that long. The only thing I've noticed is that my fingers are crooked. I think they came that way though.

Thankfully, no arthritis in my fingers yet though. Knock on wood (forehead.)

[Jaden]

I’ve been noticing subtle, persistent, compression or numbness verging on pain at the end of those fingers - my fingernails grow back strongly so my calcium intake is good - I’m wondering if I’m a thin skinned wimp more comfortable talking about guitar than playing it - the instruments I have are set up with soft action, I pick them up everyday, but not for too long.

[Dog Shape Cloud]

String pressure on your fingertips is unlikely to cause damage on its own. Your discomfort might be a result of erratic practice habits (in which case it should go away if you put in a little more daily time and/or reassess fretting technique). It could also involve something like a pinched nerve elsewhere in your body, for instance around the neck or elbow—in which case physical therapy or acupuncture would be good. Or something else entirely, but I've only experienced the above.

In a more general sense than acupuncture meridians or whatever, consider the way your habits, including guitar, generate patterns of tension throughout your body (an acupuncturist might very well suggest the same thing). It's a good idea for any musician to study some physical relaxation and body awareness method, like Alexander technique or similar.

[Jaden]

Originally Posted by Dog Shape Cloud

String pressure on your fingertips is unlikely to cause damage on its own. Your discomfort might be a result of erratic practice habits (in which case it should go away if you put in a little more daily time and/or reassess fretting technique). It could also involve something like a pinched nerve elsewhere in your body, for instance around the neck or elbow—in which case physical therapy or acupuncture would be good. Or something else entirely, but I've only experienced the above.

In a more general sense than acupuncture meridians or whatever, consider the way your habits, including guitar, generate patterns of tension throughout your body (an acupuncturist might very well suggest the same thing). It's a good idea for any musician to study some physical relaxation and body awareness method, like Alexander technique or similar.

Thanks for the suggestions - pinched nerve around the neck or maybe shoulder may be possible then ? maybe around the elbow - laying in bed on one side or the other I can lose sensation below the elbow - I have a physical job that can get me bent out of shape - loss of circulation including possible carpal tunnel in the fretting hand - I should seek physical therapy - also, much too much coffee/ caffeine over the daytime which I notice leads to loss of circulation on the cold mornings.

Thanks for the insights.