pain caused in my fingerpicking hand

[tallicabassist0]

this never happened before, but recently when i play at a fast paced speed, the back of my hand near my wrist starts to hurt which prevents me to play. I use my fingers and not a pick. ive stopped for awhile to give it a rest to see if the pain would stop, but after a bit of playing it returns. How can i get rid of the pain?

heres a pic of the area i feel the pain

http://img456.imageshack.us/img456/2787/handache2ft.png

could it be a sign of some kind of Carpal Tunnel? i hope to god not

much help would be appreciated...thx

[unatratnag]

Originally Posted by tallicabassist0

could it be a sign of some kind of Carpal Tunnel? i hope to god not

Hopefully someone can give you advice to help but honestly the best person to see is a hand orthopod.

I recommend you post a picture of your playing posture. Carpal tunnel nerve affects thumb, pointer, middle, and part of ring. That sounds more like an ulnar irritation. The ulnar could come from resting your arm on the body of the bass and holding your hand at a steep angle. This can reduce blood to your pinky and ring and right side of hand.

Another thought is you might have an awkward orientation of your hand... if you have it kinked heavily same story as above.

[Correlli]

It's probably some sort of lactic acid build up in the muscles of your hand. A few tips that might help. Keep well hydrated, learn some relaxation techniques, stretching of fingers and wrists, warm up exercises (slow tempo stuff), plenty of rest, and healthy dose of patience and perseverance.

Don't expect to suddenly be able to finger pick really fast. This could take a while. But after a while the pain will slowly dissipate.

[tallicabassist0]

alright guys thx for feedback

[SmittyG]

I've recently been working on a floating thumb approch (instead of anchoring) and had the exact same problem. After paying close attention to my hand while playing at speed, I realized that I was tensing up my hand and forearm to compensate for not having my anchor point. I went back to doing slow, focused right-hand drills, ensuring I keep my hand relaxed, with lots of shaking and stretching, and the problem is about worked out now.

However, a few years back I had an issue in my left arm that just about ended my bass playing permanently. If you can't work the problem out rather readily on your own, or with a bass-playing friend watching you play, get to an orthopedic specialist. It just ain't worth the risk. Also, if you do have to see a doc, take your bass. It was invaluable for my left arm diagnosis for the doctors to see exactly what I was doing that caused the injury.

[The Clap]

I've had similar pains, before I started playing with my right wrist straight rather than bent.

Do you bend your wrist when you play? Can you take a few pictures of your playing position? If your wrist is bent when you play, you'll have to start making a real effort to pick up your elbow at all times while playing to keep a straight wrist. A teacher could really help you with this sort of thing, so I'd really recommend that you get one. Alternatively, Todd Johnson's new DVD 'Technique Builders' addresses exactly the kind of problems you're having ( www.toddjohnsonmusic.com )