Tendonitis

[Jumamoro]

Hi Janek,

I am a bass player studying at berklee, I have been feeling pain in my right hand in the last months, I went to the doctor and he told me I have tendonitis, I am really desperate because I am not practicing as much as I was used to.

Have you ever had any problem like that?

If so, What did you do to stop it?

Thanks a lot

Juan

[theNoseBleedKid]

I suggest taking your bsas guitar to a high profile sports physio and showing them hwo you stand and play and discussing it with them.

It may be as simple as adjusting a hand, or performing a certain strech. Alternatively it could be very very bad and you would not want to keep destorying your playing ability.

[J.D.B.]

ICE, as much as you can take. Sometimes meds can help, sometimes cortisone shots, I almost went the surgery route with my first big bout with it. Couldn't even hold a paper cup some days. The key is to keep the inflammation(pain source) down. No healing going on while the inflammation is present. You'll also, as mentioned, need to change yer form, etc. Sux to get old. I don't recommend it. Depending where and how bad you have it bears on how long you have it. I went through both forearm/elbows over a period of about eight years. Trouble is, it's hard to stop using tendons, and the use is where you get the aggaravating inflammation from. What the doc tell you to do about it? Take care of yerself....feel better....try not to get old.....
Josh

[Steve Amadeo]

I suffered from tendonitis for a period of about a year after playing a combination of double bass and a 36" scale bass. During that time I became aware of how tense I was when playing and a period of rest was required. I still played gigs but stopped practising for a while, sold the 36" scale bass, got rid of the double bass too. These were personally not bad choices for me anyway.

I bought a book called THE BASSIST'S GUIDE TO INJURY MANAGEMENT, PREVENTION AND BETTER HEALTH by Dr Randall Kertz (a doctor and musician). The best thing about this book was the series of warm ups he advises. I followed these and still do and the pain I was suffering did eventually ease. I now have no symptoms of tendonitis. I got used to turning my amplifier up and playing with a lighter touch. All of these things have helped me immensely.

http://www.drkertz.com/bassistguide.html

Hope this helps.

[Valerus]

I have DeQuervain's Syndrome.

[Sorax]

there's a file (pdf) available for download somewhere on the berklee site called... practice guide for bass or something like that where the guy talks about bass specific things for practice routines, and maintaining physical condition. runs through some helpful stretches and the like.

[Snarf]

Don't put your right hand at a right angle. Play a little lighter. The biggest thing for me: GET AN ERGONOMIC KEYBOARD. Seriously.

[adri24an]

Originally Posted by Snarf

The biggest thing for me: GET AN ERGONOMIC KEYBOARD. Seriously.

+1

[tplyons]

RICE Method

Rest
Ice
Comression
Elevation

Another recommendation: purchase and read Dr. Randall Kertz's The Bassist’s Guide to Injury Management, Prevention and Better Health... helped me a lot after I was diagnosed with CTS. More here: http://www.drkertz.com/bassistguide.html

[Steve Amadeo]

Originally Posted by tplyons

RICE Method

Rest
Ice
Comression
Elevation

Another recommendation: purchase and read Dr. Randall Kertz's The Bassist’s Guide to Injury Management, Prevention and Better Health... helped me a lot after I was diagnosed with CTS. More here: http://www.drkertz.com/bassistguide.html

I highly recommend this book too.

[casualmadness]

I got tendonitis several years back. It was in my left hand and it was so bad that I literally lost the sue of my left hand for a year. It was post BIT and I was in a prog band. I was practicing literally about 12 hours each day. When the pain started; I (stupidly) ignored it and kept going. Several procedures and a year of physical therapy; not to mention a year in a splint/brace contraption. I couldn't even use my left hand to drive, pick up a cup, hold anything...etc. It hung lifeless by my side except for the three days per week of physical therapy. Tendonitis is no joke.

[janekbass]

The best way to avoid pain in my hands/wrists etc is to really be warm when I start to practice.

A huge problem for people around me when I started at Berklee was that they got to school and suddenly had all this time on their hands to practice more than they ever had before. You can't just leap from 1 hr a day to 10 hrs a day with being gradual with it. You have to make sure you slowly approach a new level of practice by working slowly towards a goal of more hours.

If you do experience pain then there are many ways to deal with it that seem to have been mentioned above. Ice, Heat, certain stretches, acupuncture, physical therapy, etc etc...

I have only had pain in my right wrist once back in 2006. It was the day before I left to go on tour with my own band in South America, and I was giving a masterclass at the drummers collective in NYC. Someone came up to me afterwards to shake my hand, nothing hard or anything, and this pain shot up my arm to my shoulder. I could barely pluck a note with my right hand after that.

I was in a really bad way, and had to scramble to do something about it. I arrived in Venezuela the next day, and as luck would have it the promoters mum made theraputic wrist wraps for a living!! I couldn't believe it. It totally saved the tour. I would heat this thing up and slide it over my wrist, and then it would relax the muscles and tendons I think. It totally helped put me back in shape to play the concerts down there.

I have no idea where the pain came from or why it happened, and it hasn't happened since. I was always conscious before this incident about good practice, and I'm even more so since.

Easy,

Janek

[Jumamoro]

Thanks a lot Janek, I haven't realized that maybe I need to increase gradually my practice hours.