Injuries
 

Hello
been playing too heavy and too much resulting in an inflamed tendon running from the knuckle of my index finger on my slapping right hand....anyone had a similar injury? how long did it last, this one has been rocking for a month now, i'm a week in with meds and have a show next saturday ......:crying:

I don't slap, but I ran into a lot of issues a few years ago resulting from three herniated discs in the cervical portion of my spine. Lost a lot of strength, developed tendinitis, couldn't play for about 6 months. That lead me to a different approach to playing music.

First, if you are injured - you have to let it heal. If you have a repetitive motion/strain injury, it will never get better if you continue doing the thing that caused it in the first place. I know that doesn't sound practical for a musician, but it's the truth.

Second, we aren't all created equal (physically). Some guys can play for hours every day for years and not break down. Others aren't so lucky. I would recommend you get a little stretching routine for the muscle and tendon group you're using for bass playing after you heal. My job puts me at a desk on a computer for most of the day. Between work and bass playing - it's a recipe for repetitive strain injuries. I stretch at work, and before I play bass. Sometimes if I'm just sitting in front of the tube at night with the wife I'll do some light stretching and motion just to keep the the arms/hands loose and feeling good.

Third - what seems like another no brainer, drink a lot of water. Ya' know that 8 glasses a day rule or whatever it is? If you aren't hydrated, all of those muscles and tendons are going to burn out quicker.

I second that, you really have to lay off that finger. Only way to really recover. Try and let the amp do the work. The best slappers are pretty light on the touch. I just got back into slapping and already have a minor pull in my slap hand. Too hard too fast... You may be able to pull with your middle finger on the gig, but maybe better to find a sub...

I second that as well. ya gotta take care of your body. I've never had any pain issues with my hands but ther are a few songs that set my right shoulder on fire while slappin' . I too have found that going hard and heavy takes a toll. So i just sorta learned to ease up and let my amp do the work. Alot of the best slappers out there are pretty light handed. (except for Lee Rocker in the 80's... I dont know how he played like that but I'm pretty sure he wasnt feelin any pain)

The main thing for me to keep pain to a minimum is having your action as low as you can get away with, light touch for the most part and BREATH...most of my injuries came when I was just too tense

Tendons can be tough! I developed Rheumatoid arthritis 13 years ago, and tendons can be a primary target. I've struggled with it in my fingers at times. I totally agree that rest is the best medicine, even if it means developing an alternate technique for a while. You might also check with a physical therapist as to what kind of stretches would be helpful, as stretching is often effective. I think there are some threads in the TB archive that go into great illustrated detail about hand stretching if you search for them. If you really get desperate, injected cortisone can help most people (me included) but it's a steroid and you can only use it once or twice per location without risking further issues. If you develop numbness & tingling it's likely a different problem, so write back. Best of luck with this!

thanks for all the advice, i chose too play a few more shows, and have rested my hand/ wrist for about a month now, theres no pain and i have full movement, tho it still gets a bit sore if i work with it and i do still have a swelling over the tendon, the last doctor i saw really didnt care and put it down too a bit of tissue mass and i'm inclined too agree with him, its been x rayed so should find out if there is more sinister damage later this week. In the mean time i finally fitted my weedwacker strings wow ..............so much easier i'm really stoked on them and totally looking forward too playing again real soon. Tom B the first doc who i saw who was concerned did suggest that if the swelling didnt recede that a cortisone injection maybe the thing to do, I'll see what happens

In my experience, tendonitis is manageable.
Stretching before and ice afterward are very helpful, ibuprofen can help too.
Doctors tend to be inclined to rely on cortisone, and when that fails, surgery. I found an occupational therapist who examined and tested my hand, clearly explained the specifics of my condition, and prescribed targeted stretches.The stretching is essential. It takes a while, but things improve, and symptoms decrease to the point where it is not much of a problem.

just be careful that you don't crank on it really hard when stretching. Extend the target areas until you feel the limit. Trying to crank it too much too soon can injure more things.

I highly recommend seeing a good occupational therapist.

I actually had a positive experience due to a hand injury

I play soccer, and I am a goalkeeper. I once sprained my third finger on the fretting hand, stopping a hard shot with bad technique.
That ment, for the next two weeks or so, I was forced to use my little finger at least twice as much as before when playing bass. I learned to use this finger more naturally.

Well i got a phone call from my doctor a few weeks back they found an old fracture in my right wrist which i suspect was the original injury which i'd shaken off as a sprain a symptom of this being the swollen tendon/tissue mass, my technique must have been terrible, completely off the bass for the time being, and am suffering just playing the guitar waiting on the hand clinic too contact now.mmmmm im not too happy.

I've had a problem with that same tendon. Mine was due to overuse on the mouse at work.
Ive been retired for about a yr so now most of the time it dosn't give me any trouble. But if I feel it heating up I immediately switch to my middle finger.