Hey --- Older players -- finger pains???

[waytooslow]

Anybody out there dealing with some form of arthritis in fingers? I have started getting pain in left index finger nuckle about a month ago, not enough to stop me totally, but somewhat painful, none the less. It really reduces my playing enjoyment.. If you did, what did you do? Reduce playing, stopped? Drugs? Docs?

It sad, I finally get back to playing after a loooongg lay off, and now I am afraid I will have to give it up soon. only 53... sucks

[buddastrat]

Check my thread, it's current. I wish there was more info and studies on it. I'm so worried about my fingers twisting up.

[waytooslow]

Check my thread, it's current. I wish there was more info and studies on it. I'm so worried about my fingers twisting up.

ohh I was confused by the title... thanks-- will give it a read...

[Tommy Biggs]

I do get pain, but like some other joint pain it can go away. Tennis Elbow, Plantar Fascitis, they tend to go away after about a year in many cases. I had that same pain and worry a few years ago - and I don't get it much now.

I am playing a good deal these days pretty pain free.

I do find scheduled breaks in playing helps me - taking a dedicated day off from playing once a week - don't even noodle. (well maybe a little slide : ))
Stretch some, do some hand exercises (squeeze the ball, etc.) and you'll be OK.

[RJLII]

Not pain so much but getting a bit stiffer and slower in my old age. Finger coordination is not quite as good as it once was either. It helps if I stretch prior to playing. The good news is that it's forcing me to play with a more economical style and frankly it sounds better.

[dvilla76]

I've got swollen joints on both index fingers where they meet my hand. Feels more tight and weird than painful at this point so I'm going to see a Rheumatologist in the next 2 weeks and see what they recommend. I understand that there's no cure but saw a commercial from some drug company on TV saying that addressing it early may slow down joint damage. We'll see what the Dr says.

In the mean time I take Tylenol Arthritis as need. Sucks getting old. :messedup

[ripoffriffs]

After putting up with it for 10 years, I got my left (fretting) hand professionally diagnosed. It was Carpal Tunnel. I opted for the quick surgery (it's shown on youtube). The actual cut took 5 minutes although the scrubbing and anesthesia took longer (45 minutes).

It was 5 weeks before I could play guitar again.

It was a 2nd lease on playing. It's been a year and I have no pain or numbness in my left-hand.

Surgery: $1200.00.
Pain-free playing: Priceless!

[natevi]

I'm 15 and I'm already starting to experience pain in my fingers and occasionally my wrists. It's rather scary... I find stretching before playing helps A LOT. Stopping every 20 minutes to go pee, get a glass of water, just whatever, helps a lot as well. If you practice everyday then stop for one day a week and don't play at all. Taking Ibuprofen before and after you practice helps too. Try lowering your action, not pushing on the frets as hard, if you have wrist pain then you might be bending your wrist as you play. Try to keep your wrist straight as often as possible.

[Flyin' Brian]

Fortunately at 64 I don't have any finger or hand pains at all. I actually attribute it to having a really good teacher when I was a kid who made me hold the guitar in an ergonomically correct position (for me), keeping my thumb behind the next and never trying to play the guitar slung down by my knees.

[Jim Soloway]

I'm 59. I have lots of pain in my lower back but none in my hands and I have lots of days where I play 4 hours or more. I'm like Brian, I've been playing with a loose wrist and my thumb at the back of the neck since the early 70's. I believe that's helped.

[TunaNugget]

I'm 15 and I'm already starting to experience pain in my fingers and occasionally my wrists. It's rather scary... I find stretching before playing helps A LOT. Stopping every 20 minutes to go pee, get a glass of water, just whatever, helps a lot as well. If you practice everyday then stop for one day a week and don't play at all. Taking Ibuprofen before and after you practice helps too. Try lowering your action, not pushing on the frets as hard, if you have wrist pain then you might be bending your wrist as you play. Try to keep your wrist straight as often as possible.

Us old people may have to just put up with some of this crap, but at 15 you should seriously investigate whether some change in technique or practice habits could prevent further problems down the road. Maybe get expert help, if you haven't already.

[Seniorspike]

Oh hell yes, I've got OA all over and have long ago quit worrying about it. I would suggest you not give it up, as I mistakenly did years ago. Keep your fingers (or whatever) moving, lubricating the joints, otherwise, you may one day find that you really can't do it anymore. My fretting hand fingers are pretty gnarled and twisty; the first cord I learned, E major, is hard to finger in the normal way now for instance, but I get around it. This really use to bother me, but now I just flow with it. There's not much I can do to return my fingers to normal, but there are ways I can change, adapt or compensate to continue making music on the guitar. Also, it was in my long range plans to lean more into slide.

[buddastrat]

Many doctors say OA is from repetitive things, like playing, so even with good technique it doesn't matter. I mean we're twisting up our fingers for decades, it's gotta have some effect. Playing for 3 decades, my left hand is defintely different than my right.

The soft tissue, tendons, nerves will definitely benefit from good technique. That's the CTS and cubital tunnel stuff. But with arthritis, it's a disease and some are hereditary. Keith Richards can't play anymore, I've read the Stones asked Beck to fill in. It got to Les Paul too. EVH had surgery for his fret hand, few years back, pics look like he deals with arthritis and only 50 something. But he's played a lot of notes. I wonder how that turned out...

I have iced a lot after playing, stretches, breaks, try to take days off. Practice in my mind, to save my hands. I want to learn more about diet and the joints. Fish oil is good of course. What else?

[thesjkexperienc]

49 and having some trouble as well. My solution has been to start playing slide in standard tuning, turned my amp up a bit so I play softer and getting a hand massage every two weeks. My wife used to do the massage, but she seems to be showing the first signs of osteoarthritis, so I see a pro who also happens to be a friend of ours and I catch him at chair massage when I can.

The strange part is my right index finger might be the worst one from holding the pick! So, I have also tried going without a pick for a few songs and that has helped both my finger and playing! :)

I read in a science magazine that ibuprofen can inhibit muscle growth, so I try and use ice when things get bad. The only strange thing is some nights I will wake up and it feels like my hands are super hot. I think many people have joint issues as we age due to reduced muscle that should take the strain off of the joint and a health dose of vitamin D3 that we don't get naturally as we tend to spend less time outside as we age. I find that 600 - 1000 iu of vitamin D3 has helped all my joints. Especially in winter.

[Rex Anderson]

Google "Celebrex".

Prescription drug from Pfizer.

Works wonders for pain relief - go see your doctor.

[57gold]

Thick picks like V picks really allow for a more relaxed pick hand. Can play for longer in comfort with 2.75mm V pick or on acoustics the Dunlop "gypsy jazz" black, thick pick that sounds better than V picks on acoustics (to my ears).

No ideas on fret hand.

North of half century mark myself, so feet, ankles, lower back...all conspiring to slow us down.

[MartyWilliamson]

I'll suggest trying a natural remedy called Reiki.

I'm another player that's been at it for decades and plays a few hours every day. Right now I'm pain free but have had problems over the years.

Around ten years ago I was having a lot of pain in the heal of my fretting hand. It crept up to my pinkie and was spreading to the 3rd finger. Really weird! I was wearing a brace and thought I would have to quit. A drummer friend suggested I go for a Reiki session (natural energy healing). I was desperate to try anything! After the 2nd session it went from getting worse to getting better and eventually stopped hurting.

Long story short, I became a Reiki practitioner after that experience. It works for a lot of things but especially aches and pains. Often I have joint pain in both thumbs and 1st finger of left hand. I assume it's arthritis but have never been diagnosed. After I Reiki them the pain goes away. I don't understand how but it does! :)

Just my .02

[Shiny McShine]

I'm having good luck right now with a particular massage therapist. He's really strong and runs through all the tendons on my hands so that each finger closes on its own.

Also, he's shown me how most hand problems actually start in the lower back; consequently, he does a lot of work there to realign me and works up into the shoulders.

While I didn't play as much in my lifetime as some of the more intense guys here, I did however, program computers like a fiend for years. I'm talking upwards of 16 hour days for years on end.

[VintageKnob]

I'm 51, been playing since I was 8, for the last 15 years I've been a web developer.
My back is toast but no hand problems.

One thing that my physical therapist taught me for a pain in my upper back was a "wall nerver stretch"

Here's one link from a web search: http://www.workout-x.com/fitness/exercise-videos/1019/Wall-Nerve-Stretch

This doesn't give a good photo, but it's awesome for my hands, they feel so good after I do this.

Try it, you'll like it!

- D

[Koop]

I'm having issues that may be carpal tunnel syndrome. My left hand (I play right handed) has pain from the wrist to the back of my thumb - makes me stop playing at times, although I do manage to play almost every day. I'm 55, I wonder how BB, Buddy Guy, Beck, Clapton etc manage.

[Bob Pollock]

I've got swollen joints on both index fingers where they meet my hand. Feels more tight and weird than painful at this point so I'm going to see a Rheumatologist in the next 2 weeks and see what they recommend. I understand that there's no cure but saw a commercial from some drug company on TV saying that addressing it early may slow down joint damage. We'll see what the Dr says.

In the mean time I take Tylenol Arthritis as need. Sucks getting old. :messedup

I have the exact same symptoms, so please post what results you get from the doctor.

[fazmaster]

Been diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis 10 years ago. Yet, I've been playing more than ever. Playing and practicing daily seems to help keeping the stiffness, inflammation and pain at bay. I have been taking Enbrel for the last 7 years. It really helps.

My advice...Keep moving and playing if you have arthritis. Immobility exacerbates stiffness, pain, inflammation and fatigue.

Cheers,

[bluesdoc]

9s :jo

jon

[VintageKnob]

Arthritis = inflammation

My wife and I did a thing called the "ultra-simple" diet.
It was for finding food allergies that cause inflammation that are particular to you.

I finally had an MRI and some new x-rays for my lower back, herniated disk with an extrusion (disk material breaks out = ouch!) and facet joint arthritis on L-4 and L-5.

PT, Chiro and Norco for the disk, and we're going to do the diet again to see about helping with the facet joint arthritis.

Just Google 'inflammatory foods' and you'll se the immediate relation between them and arthritis.

Having it in my back really sucks, but at least I can still play my guitar, sticking with the strat and not my R8 for a while. I feel for you with it in your hands.

I wish you the best, the diet is strict, but it helped my wife with her thumbs/palms and shoulders. She also goes to the Chiro and does PT, hoping not to end up as bad as her Mom.

My mother-in-law (the origin of my wife's arthritis) takes 1 'Aleve' everyday for her pain, she says it helps allot.

Hang in there!

- D

[Paleolith54]

Anybody out there dealing with some form of arthritis in fingers? I have started getting pain in left index finger nuckle about a month ago, not enough to stop me totally, but somewhat painful, none the less. It really reduces my playing enjoyment.. If you did, what did you do? Reduce playing, stopped? Drugs? Docs?

It sad, I finally get back to playing after a loooongg lay off, and now I am afraid I will have to give it up soon. only 53... sucks

Only thing not mentioned is strength in your hands, fingers, forearms. We're about the same age, and that's where strength seems to go first. Stay away from squeezing grips, balls or anything else: but forearm curls, reverse forearm curls with very light weight, hanging from a bar until your grip fails, are all good things in my experience. Obviously, also stretch before you play, and at times during.

Oh, you implied but did not explicitly say you have Arthritis, this advice is aimed at normal muscular problems, may not help if arthritis is the real problem!

[CyberFerret]

Last year, I took up guitar again after a 15 year break. I immediately went into a fairly intense practice regime, including 1st finger bending etc, and it wasn't long before I was experiencing pain in the first and second finger joints.

At first I thought it was the onset of arthritis, and speaking to friends and family seemed to corroborate it. Then, I had a work trip that took me away from my guitars for about a week, and I found that the pain all but disappeared.

Now, I am a lot more careful about my practice schedule, and have a set warm up routine before I start doing anything fancy, and I make sure I am properly warmed up before doing any more 1st finger bends, and even then try and keep them to a minimum.

I am not playing professionally at all these days, so I have to accept the fact that I don't HAVE to play like the pro's do...just enough to enjoy guitar for myself...