Do you massage your forearms?

[fretlessman71]

Not sure if this is the right forum...

Maybe you work out, or have a day job where you lift things an awful lot, and your arm muscles - forearms as well as triceps/biceps - are REALLY strong, and tight. Maybe they're so tight that the muscles' size interferes with the nerves sending signals to your plucking hand.

And maybe you've developed a good way to massage your arms yourself so that you can avoid the issue as much as possible.

If so, I'd love to hear from you. I am unable to get around without either a scooter or a walker, and when I use the walker, I'm hoisting my 220 lb. body around, which has made my arms BIG. Unfortunately, I'm suffering from what feels like a pinched nerve through there, and have contacted my old massage therapist. But in the MEANTIME....

...Any of you deal with something like this? How do you go about working on your own arms?...

[Slax]

I used to go to the gym and see what I could do on the machine at my own weight limit. (Not pushing it, and not being embarrassed at what I could or couldn't do). I sometimes lightly messaged my forearms before playing. I usually stick to the general rule of "If it hurts, stop.". I found sometimes you just need some more warming up.

These days I work in the IT dept and try to use my hands as least as possible. I'll save the arm/hand problems to music playing. Even then, trying to make it as least of a hassle as possible for my muscles.

I'd also like to add that I have heart/circulation problems and at my age, it's terrifying. (Not weight or diet, genetic). All I can say is, you work with what god gave you and do the best you can with that.

[JacoLesFlea]

Wrist curls always work for me and even the grips that you squeeze....I played alot of golf back in the day and those really helped another thing I did which was not that easy was take a news paper and lay it out and crumple each sheet into a ball with one hand one sheet at a time (just dont use the sunday addition. the manipulation of the fingers when crumpling up the paper works all the muscles in the forearms. Hope this helps.

The massage part, siting in the jacuzi after working out always worked for me....I never actually massaged my forearms by hand though.

[fretlessman71]

Are these exercises more for strength, or for loosening? 'Cause I don't need anymore strength or size there... I just need the nerves and tendons and ligaments to move smoothly so my fingers can do the same.

[JacoLesFlea]

I'm gonna say a little of both. The news paper excersize helped me keep somewhat loose the last thing you need when swinginging a golf club is alot of tense arm muscles but at the same time you want some strength to be there.

[Slax]

For loosening, I usually flex each muscle in my hand and forearm (tendons maybe?) as much as I can. I usually stretch my wrists by pulling back on my finger tips towards my body and then letting go after a few seconds. Then I do each finger individually for this exercise. I then press my thumb against the side of my forearm. Not completely, just enough to feel the stress on my muscle. I also do a 1/2 fist and curl my upper finger joints and push them back to stretch them. Also a good "shake" of the hands and arms works great. I know it sounds stupid, but after all the stretching it does wonders... well, at least IMO.

Here's something to check out: http://medicalcenter.osu.edu/pdfs/Pa...r/hnds-fin.pdf

[fretlessman71]

Originally Posted by Slax

Here's something to check out: http://medicalcenter.osu.edu/pdfs/Pa...r/hnds-fin.pdf

THIS is brilliant! Thanks much, Slax!

[brothertupelo]

it's a good idea to do low-intensity exercises, allowing blood to go through and remove scar tissue, decreasing inflamation, etc.
just going from zero to 60 can take its toll.

[deckard]

Originally Posted by fretlessman71

Not sure if this is the right forum...

Maybe you work out, or have a day job where you lift things an awful lot, and your arm muscles - forearms as well as triceps/biceps - are REALLY strong, and tight. Maybe they're so tight that the muscles' size interferes with the nerves sending signals to your plucking hand.

And maybe you've developed a good way to massage your arms yourself so that you can avoid the issue as much as possible.

If so, I'd love to hear from you. I am unable to get around without either a scooter or a walker, and when I use the walker, I'm hoisting my 220 lb. body around, which has made my arms BIG. Unfortunately, I'm suffering from what feels like a pinched nerve through there, and have contacted my old massage therapist. But in the MEANTIME....

...Any of you deal with something like this? How do you go about working on your own arms?...

I'm 58 & I picked up bass again 3 years ago after a long, long self-imposed layoff... and immediately started developing forearm, wrist and hand problems.

Long-story-made-short: I bought, read and used Kate Montgomery's "End Your Carpal Tunnel Pain Without Surgery" book and haven't had a single issue since.

It has a very specific forearm-and-hand massage regimen which has worked perfectly for me. I recommend it highly, as does keyboardist Keith Emerson apparently, according to the blurb from him in the book.

(I also changed my playing technique per Todd Johnson's excellent "Technique Builders" dvd, but you asked about forearm massage...)

JMHO

[DaLaklandGroove]

Originally Posted by Slax

For loosening, I usually flex each muscle in my hand and forearm (tendons maybe?) as much as I can. I usually stretch my wrists by pulling back on my finger tips towards my body and then letting go after a few seconds. Then I do each finger individually for this exercise. I then press my thumb against the side of my forearm. Not completely, just enough to feel the stress on my muscle. I also do a 1/2 fist and curl my upper finger joints and push them back to stretch them. Also a good "shake" of the hands and arms works great. I know it sounds stupid, but after all the stretching it does wonders... well, at least IMO.

Here's something to check out: http://medicalcenter.osu.edu/pdfs/Pa...r/hnds-fin.pdf

+1 on the stretching of wrists.

[Aaron Saunders]

Originally Posted by fretlessman71

Maybe you work out, or have a day job where you lift things an awful lot, and your arm muscles - forearms as well as triceps/biceps - are REALLY strong, and tight. Maybe they're so tight that the muscles' size interferes with the nerves sending signals to your plucking hand.

Actually, the nerves in your hands and forearms are incredibly developed (that's what's responsible for making 'em so strong). What's happening is muscular adhesions have formed. Muscular development comes from microtrauma to the muscle fibres, and what's very common is for scar tissue to form in these spots and over time cause pain, tightness, and interfere with mobility in the affected muscle. I didn't pay enough attention to this until my right rotator cuff basically stopped working because of them.

And maybe you've developed a good way to massage your arms yourself so that you can avoid the issue as much as possible.

If so, I'd love to hear from you. I am unable to get around without either a scooter or a walker, and when I use the walker, I'm hoisting my 220 lb. body around, which has made my arms BIG. Unfortunately, I'm suffering from what feels like a pinched nerve through there, and have contacted my old massage therapist. But in the MEANTIME....

...Any of you deal with something like this? How do you go about working on your own arms?...

Here's what you need to do: Active Myofibrillar Release. Really fancy name for a deep tissue massage. You're lucky because it's on your forearms, so you can do this yourself on a regular basis (more difficult for the sprinter where you're worried about the glutes and hamstrings ).

Ask your massage therapist about certain patterns you can use, but essentially you just need to hunt with very deep, poking fingers all over your forearm for wherever these "spots" are and massage the hell out of them. I personally find this to be an excruciatingly painful process that turns quickly to merciful relief as the knot is worked out. I personally have some in my back from the gym last night, and would kill for a massage.

** If you're someone who finds they get a lot of muscular pain and tightness anywhere, especially in the back, you can look into buying a foam roller so you can do deep tissue work for your entire body without anyone else's assistance. www.elitefts.com sells them, as do all sorts of fitness sites. I'm just cheap, but I think I'm gonna have to skip a couple nights out and pick one up myself soon.


EDIT: practice wrist "mobility" movements. Not so much stretches, but you know how you see kids doing arm circles before gym class? Something like that, just try to move your wrist through a full range of motion up/down/laterally and rotating without "forcing" it to a greater ROM. Stretching the forearm muscles after playing will help maintain long muscle bellies, preventing tightening of the muscles that helps contribute to this pain; stretching a muscle before using it reduces its output so you'll actually find your forearms fatigue less if you stretch *after* playing rather than before.

[2x4strgkramers]

I use alot of finger and hand and wrist stretching exercisizes. I work with hand and impact tools all day as a automechanic. All I can say is stretch stretch stretch. It will lossen up your hand and deliver that loose feel your looking for. I also make sure to warm up my hand when I play the bass with some long reach runs to loosen up before I play.

[BruisedOoze]

Originally Posted by Aaron Saunders

Here's what you need to do: Active Myofibrillar Release. Really fancy name for a deep tissue massage. You're lucky because it's on your forearms, so you can do this yourself on a regular basis (more difficult for the sprinter where you're worried about the glutes and hamstrings ).

I have a couple friends who are in bobsledding and skeleton and those two are a sorry site after these massages. Can barely walk let alone move the rest of their body. I only had this done once when I had a particular pain in my thigh which developed during a soccer season. Even though it was localized to only part of my leg, my leg was quite sore afterward. Felt better later and fixed the problem, but there was one point where I was thinking "Is this really supposed to help?"

[paganjack]

i massage my forearms sometimes. they get tight from the gym and it slows me down. if they are loose i can play a lot faster.

[Aaron Saunders]

Originally Posted by BruisedOoze

I have a couple friends who are in bobsledding and skeleton and those two are a sorry site after these massages. Can barely walk let alone move the rest of their body. I only had this done once when I had a particular pain in my thigh which developed during a soccer season. Even though it was localized to only part of my leg, my leg was quite sore afterward. Felt better later and fixed the problem, but there was one point where I was thinking "Is this really supposed to help?"

lol. One time I was going to be in TO for the weekend, so I went really hard in the gym -- after the 32425 billion sets of rows, chins, and deads my back was a knotted mess. Was "lucky" to get a really good massage from my then-gf...excruciating process . Had a contrast shower after (cold/hot alternating) and felt a lot better, but jeeeeeeez that was painful.

[CapnSev]

No. Groupies do it for me.

[The Universe]

I usually make my girlfriend do it!

Just kidding.

I'm single.