Bass playing after a broken hand

I just broke two metacarpal bones on my left hand after slipping on the street. I've had to cancel shows and am in danger of losing a good gig due to this. If I could take one positive out of this, it's that the bones broke straight horizontally, and should grow back together without problems; otherwise, they would have to operate. It'll still take at least a month either way, which I really am not too excited about (just occured to me that I'm typing with one hand...I know there are a lot of people who are worse off, but this really blows). I'm also really paranoid about my hand not being back to normal.

I guess I just wanted some input from anyone whose gone through a similar experince.

Open to anything: experiences, the good or bad outcomes, rehab treatment, ways to get over not being able to play for so long.

Thanks in advance. Hop everyone else had a better start to the year.

[fdeck]

I once sprained my finger while skiing. If you have access to health care, use it.

My only advice is this: When you are ready to start playing again, focus on using perfect left hand technique. If you are self-taught, it might be time to get a teacher. You can play with less stress if you adopt a 1-2-4 fingering technique, such as developed in the book by Simandl that double bassists love.

[Soverntear]

Hey, sorry to hear about the left hand.
This summer I broke my left wrist in two places and destroyed my left scaphoid. had surgery was in a cast for 8 weeks or so. still doing rehab. im at about 75% range. now on to playing bass. id say avoid till your out of the cast.

when i returned i was playing like a total newb (only been playing about 6 months prior to this) but i noticed that since i was basically restarting, all the prior lessons on technique came back to me and i was constantly hearing my teachers voice in my head correcting the bad technique. it will take abit to get to the no pain zone.

my best advice is stretching. i spend allot of time on the subway for my work. im constantly doing finger and wrist stretches to get my range back. as for things to help you get back in to it. a good teacher will be able to help allot. i also found hal leonards bass method worked wonders. sure its basics, but that will be what is best for your hand. also dont over do it, you will do much more damage then good. if the hand starts to hurt, stop playing. you can go back in a couple hours if you wish but listen to the hand.

[NorCal Dog]

i came VERY CLOSE to losing my left index finger at work last Dec.



it was split 3/4's of the way around, could see the bone & the tendons that runs along the bone to the tip

it cost close to $2800. for three sutures to close it up

only missed one gig

it didn't take too long to get the strength back in the muscle, ( which is now scar tissue ) & the range of motion is as good as it was before, but it took alot of work



hang in there

[Luckie]

My Grandmother was a pianist, and she broke 3 bones in each of her hands in a fall.
After 5 months of recovery/therapy she was back on the piano in full force. If you're determined to play again, nothing can stop you.
If you're in danger of losing a long-term gig, find a replacement who will be willing to step down once you're back in shape. Like your son or something.
Hang in there.

[Jjango]

Originally Posted by TylerlovesAva

I just broke two metacarpal bones on my left hand after slipping on the street.

Hang in there, buddy. The immediate future is going to be a major drag, but I'm sure you'll recover.

A friend of mine got knocked off his bicycle at around 30 MPH. He landed on his hand, but his hand didn't bend frontwards or backwards – it snapped to the side. Like this:



Bones were hanging out and everything. Truly horrendous.

I am happy to report that after surgery, he was eventually able to play just as well as he ever was.

If I were in your position, I would just follow doctor's orders, and bone up on some other aspect of music while recovering. Maybe theory, or something of that nature.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery! Soon you'll be just like this ---->

[your idol]

as a person who played sports the first half of his life and a natural fighter (temper issues) in my early twenties i have i have broken 10 fingers (middle finger on my right hand twice once really bad.every finger other than my left thumb) and 3 bones in my right hand itself (boxers break) my middle right hand finger is the only one that dosent react normally from time to time. it hurts right above my mid knuckle when i dig in too hard from time to time i have to fight through.

my hardest time playing is cold gigs ie out door, basement bar, poor heating. the ache is over bearing at times on some of my worse breaks. i find the cold really aggrivates the condition,

also on my fretting hand i have an issue where i cant spread my index and ring fingers and still maintain speed/accuracy which has lead me to build up alot more strength in my pinky and i have basically replace my ring with my pinky and am a better player for it. just work at it. excercise the hand with some kind of resistance tool..gripmaster or something similar and never forget to stretch out. super important for comfort when dealing with limited capacity for motion

[Jim C]

Ironicaly I broke a bone in my left wrist 3 weeks ago and am in the removable splint/cast that I can only take off only for showering. Did rehearse last week and can't do any octave work but simple stuff is OK.
Before I knew it was broken, I played a gig and iced my wrist between sets; not smart.

Also broke 2 bones in my right hand 30 years ago; after the cast was removed I told the ortho guy that I had a feeling that they were not fully mended; he said that was natural and the x-rays sais all was OK; he was right; no problems.

Go see a good ortho person; my daughter injured her wrist and we took her to a nightime pediatrics place; they said no break but after 2 weeks of swelling we went to see a specialist; turns out it was broken but is now healed properly after being in a cast.

[etoncrow]

Severe compression fracture of my left wrist . Had an operation to insert a pin; in a cast for six weeks. The band I was in did not want to wait and went on without me. The guitard was a control freak who in order to direct attention away from himself ended up replacing most of the band members it just happened to be my time. Anyway, the first operation did not take so they operated again using four screws, a plate and part of my hip bone for a shim (that song "Them Bones" does not pertain to me ); another six weeks in a cast. I rehabed myself on a multistage ammunition reloading machine. I have limited turning radius in my wrist due to the plate but you learn to compensate for limitations and who cares if your "technique" is not classic or pure as long as you are still playing.

[Uncle Snake]

After high-siding my motorcycle a year and a half ago I've gone thru plenty of left wrist, hand rehab....

I dislocated the wrist allowing my hand to slide back on top of my arm by approx. 1.5". The inside arm bone had the end of the ball broken off and there was significant tenden,cartilage, and ligament damage requiring a surgery 5 months after the accident.
All I can say is listening to the Dr's and rehab tech's is insanely important! Getting the range of motion back was pretty easy for me, getting the strength and endurance back was for more time consuming. Best of luck man! Regards, Jake

PS: Be VERY aware of pressures on your hand, thumb, or fingers made by the cast. It takes months to get the feeling back if a nerve gets damaged by the cast. Happened to me twice and it sucked!!

[markkoelsch]

I smashed the middle phalange of my left index finger in a door about 2.5 years ago. In x-raying it they found a tumor in the bone that had been eroding the bone from the inside. They had to cut into the bone, scoop out the thankfully benign tumor, and patch it with a cadaveric bone graft. Well, after about 6 weeks I was in therapy. They told me what to do and I went at it...hard. About two weeks later I picked up a bass, and cranked out a sloppy rendition of Roundabout. My finger was stiff, and the tip of my finger was numb. it was so numb that I could hardly tell I was pushing down the string. It slowly came back to normal in about 3 months. It was a nerve retraction area. Where they had to go into my finger they had to move the nerve, and while they did not rip it, it was bruised. 2.5 years later it works essentially the same as it did before.

Take your time. You have a clean break...bones heal pretty well. Give your body time, drink a lot of milk, and it should be fine. Wait until the Docs give you the ok to begin playing...doing anything else is inviting a lesser outcome, an future problems.

Do not worry about the gig as there is nothing you can do about it now. Have your band either cancel the gigs or hire a temp. This is not your fault. Hopefully they are decent about it, and give you your gig back when you are ready. If not, find another gig. It does not pay to get nasty as making enemies will not help, and you never know when they might call you.

Originally Posted by fdeck

I once sprained my finger while skiing. If you have access to health care, use it.

My only advice is this: When you are ready to start playing again, focus on using perfect left hand technique. If you are self-taught, it might be time to get a teacher. You can play with less stress if you adopt a 1-2-4 fingering technique, such as developed in the book by Simandl that double bassists love.

Luckily, I am health insured. I have a new appreciation for that.

Also am aware of maybe having to relieve my left hand somehow. Simandl also rings a bell. I'll be sure to check out methods on technique. Thanks for this.

[jchrisk1]

My guitar player broke his hand like yours and he can play just as well as he always has. I think it will take a few months, but you will be fine. Just don't push it too hard too soon or it will take longer to heal.

Originally Posted by Soverntear

Hey, sorry to hear about the left hand.
This summer I broke my left wrist in two places and destroyed my left scaphoid. had surgery was in a cast for 8 weeks or so. still doing rehab. im at about 75% range. now on to playing bass. id say avoid till your out of the cast.

i also found hal leonards bass method worked wonders. sure its basics, but that will be what is best for your hand. also dont over do it, you will do much more damage then good. if the hand starts to hurt, stop playing. you can go back in a couple hours if you wish but listen to the hand.

Sorry about your injury. Glad to know it's mostly behind you now, though.

I've already checked out Hal's method a way's back. Really helpful stuff. I think not overdoing it is really sensible advice. Just hope I adhere to it.

Originally Posted by NorCal Dog

i came VERY CLOSE to losing my left index finger at work last Dec.



it was split 3/4's of the way around, could see the bone & the tendons that runs along the bone to the tip

it cost close to $2800. for three sutures to close it up

only missed one gig

it didn't take too long to get the strength back in the muscle, ( which is now scar tissue ) & the range of motion is as good as it was before, but it took alot of work



hang in there

Hope you don't misconstrue this, but I find comfort in this. To have gone through this and be back in the saddle is very inspiring. Makes my predicament almost insignificant in comparison.

No Schadenfreude here, just in awe of your recovery.

The money hurts, but in this case, that was actually the smallest of your problems. Glad all's back to where it should be.

Originally Posted by Luckie

My Grandmother was a pianist, and she broke 3 bones in each of her hands in a fall.
After 5 months of recovery/therapy she was back on the piano in full force. If you're determined to play again, nothing can stop you.
If you're in danger of losing a long-term gig, find a replacement who will be willing to step down once you're back in shape. Like your son or something.
Hang in there.

Thanks! They say the younger you are, the faster your bones heal I bet it was really rough on your grandmother and yourself.

I don't have a son, but a three-month old daughter. She's a fast learner, but we're not getting ahead of ourselves.

Originally Posted by Jjango

Hang in there, buddy. The immediate future is going to be a major drag, but I'm sure you'll recover.

A friend of mine got knocked off his bicycle at around 30 MPH. He landed on his hand, but his hand didn't bend frontwards or backwards – it snapped to the side. Like this:



Bones were hanging out and everything. Truly horrendous.

I am happy to report that after surgery, he was eventually able to play just as well as he ever was.

If I were in your position, I would just follow doctor's orders, and bone up on some other aspect of music while recovering. Maybe theory, or something of that nature.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery! Soon you'll be just like this ---->

Brings me back to my point that some have had it worse!

I don't think I could take a musical hiatus, either. Time to write some new material.

Originally Posted by etoncrow

Severe compression fracture of my left wrist . Had an operation to insert a pin; in a cast for six weeks. The band I was in did not want to wait and went on without me. The guitard was a control freak who in order to direct attention away from himself ended up replacing most of the band members it just happened to be my time. Anyway, the first operation did not take so they operated again using four screws, a plate and part of my hip bone for a shim (that song "Them Bones" does not pertain to me ); another six weeks in a cast. I rehabed myself on a multistage ammunition reloading machine. I have limited turning radius in my wrist due to the plate but you learn to compensate for limitations and who cares if your "technique" is not classic or pure as long as you are still playing.

Sorry about your injury and how the band treated you. I'm pretty sure the new band's moving on without me; they have a good team behind them and are in quite a hurry to be out there; I'm not bawling over it though. My current band's fine.

As much as I agree with working around limitations, I really would like to be where I was before the accident. I know I'll have to work for it though. You did it, and your injury was so much worse.

Originally Posted by Uncle Snake

After high-siding my motorcycle a year and a half ago I've gone thru plenty of left wrist, hand rehab....

PS: Be VERY aware of pressures on your hand, thumb, or fingers made by the cast. It takes months to get the feeling back if a nerve gets damaged by the cast. Happened to me twice and it sucked!!

I'm sensing a recurring theme with motorcycles here. Glad all's better.

They actually wanted to check on the cast. I didn't really pay much attention to the pressure problem, 'til I told my girl about it after reading your post. It really is a very real possibility. Tell you what, I'd rather play through pain than not feel anything. I'll have it check first thing this coming week.

[Diogenes]

It sucks to miss gigs because of an injury but it would suck worse if you weren't able to ever play again. Hey, wait... you know that already. Give yourself some time to heal and then work hard at getting your hand back into shape.

About 8 years ago I had an little accident during one of my races and suffered an injury to the last two fingers of my left (fretting) hand... the tips were crushed down to the bottom of the nail bed... I found the ring finger tip on my engine case. It took a few years to finally get back on track and be able to play without pain but now it's all good.

This is a few days after reconstructive surgery:
http://jz63.com/XS650/images/zzz.jpg