Cracking wrist and fingers

[highwattage]

I've been playing bass a whole lot more that past 9 months or so and my right wrist continually cracks when I rotate it. When it doesn't crack the rotating motion does not feel smooth at all. Any ideas. I think I'll get the kertz bass injury book. I do a lot of double thumb crazy slap crap if that helps any diagnosis at all.

Thanks,
Keith

[southshoreconor]

cracked my back today while playing my t40. wow.

[iplaybassguitar]

i can crack almost any body part you can name, and i said almost, just to prevent any stupid jokes. however, i dont think this has been caused or has affected my bass playing in any way. Im pretty sure that cracking does not lead to arthritic or any other kind of problems that would hinder your playing, although i am certainly no authority on the subject.

[Stumbo]

Next time you see the Doc, ask him/her about it.

[CraigD30]

It could be anything from bursitis, tendonitis, or a tendon catching on a bone, a floating bone fragment, or a calcification/bone growth. The popping sound you hear when you crack a joint is the sac around the joint releasing pressure, or a tendon/ligament snaping. If you start noticing any numbness, tingling or limited mobility go see a Doc. I work with a few DO's and they crack people (necks, backs, chests...)every now and then. They don't recomend doing it too often though, as it can stretch out the ligaments holding your bones together, causing them to be hyper-mobile. I have this going on in my back with a few vertabrae moving out of place all the time. It sucks. It probably is caused by your playing. Your elevated level of activity could have irritated a few things inside your wrist. Do you warm up? Try giving it a rest, and mention it to your doctor the next time you go in. He may just recommend something like Aleve, or a minor procedure to remove the problem. Depends on what's popping.

Here's a link to some info on bursitis
http://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/...ritis-bursitis

and tendinitis
http://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/...tis-tendinitis

[mcgraham]

I was/have been experiencing something similar of late. Although my body tends towards cracking generally so I'm not overly concerned with causing damage. Couple of tips to mitigate it:

1) Keep your wrist straight and relaxed whilst playing - less movement and less tension = less strain, which is good!
2) Stretch out before and during playing - I stretch my wrist/forearm and also gently do each finger. I tend to need to do this once before playing and once after about 10 mins of practice/warming up.
3) When using a computer switch the mouse to your left hand - this has helped me. If you use a computer all day then practice for hours in the evening then you're asking for problems with RSI. This helps to share the load. Use an ergonomic keyboard if you can.

Let me know if you get to the bottom of it as I'd be interested to know if these symptoms underlie a more serious problem than just a body that likes to crack getting used.

Mark

[highwattage]

you guys mentioned warm up. I do warm up my left hand, but I don't know any right hand warm up exercises. You guys know any?

[Ric5]

Noisy joints is the precursor to arthritis.

My advice is start taking a good coral calcium supplement, and a good glucosamine supplement. With this you can prevent and cure arthritis.

[srptopdog]

here's a TB thread that might be helpful to you:

When Your Wrists Let You Down

Salvatore ~

[srptopdog]

Originally Posted by CraigD30

It could be anything from bursitis, tendonitis, or a tendon catching on a bone, a floating bone fragment, or a calcification/bone growth. The popping sound you hear when you crack a joint is the sac around the joint releasing pressure, or a tendon/ligament snaping. If you start noticing any numbness, tingling or limited mobility go see a Doc. I work with a few DO's and they crack people (necks, backs, chests...)every now and then. They don't recomend doing it too often though, as it can stretch out the ligaments holding your bones together, causing them to be hyper-mobile. I have this going on in my back with a few vertabrae moving out of place all the time. It sucks. It probably is caused by your playing. Your elevated level of activity could have irritated a few things inside your wrist. Do you warm up? Try giving it a rest, and mention it to your doctor the next time you go in. He may just recommend something like Aleve, or a minor procedure to remove the problem. Depends on what's popping.

Here's a link to some info on bursitis
http://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/...ritis-bursitis

and tendinitis
http://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/...tis-tendinitis

Craig's got some good advice, but others on this thread... not so much, although well meaning. Check out this entire TB thread too:

When Your Wrists Let You Down

,and GO SEE A GOOD DOCTOR! Sorry for yelling, but you want good, reliable, sound medical advice quickly to aviod any potential further injury. There is no cure for tendonitis or arthritis, but you can learn to minimize the symptoms, sometimes totally. Best... Salvatore ~