Sharp pain in left hand

[Tapout73]

I've been playing since December and when I use 4 fingers on my left hand I get a sharp pain below my pinker towards the wrist. It gets so bad I have to either stop for a while or grit my teeth and play through it. I asked my instructor to check my technique and he says my hand position and fingering is fine. Anyone else have this problem?

[Vincent P]

If your technique is good as per your teacher, then check your action or height of your strings; you may be over exerting or using an accessive amount of pressure to note the strings. It may also be as simple as strengthing your hand through exersise and practice.

Vince P

[Tapout73]

I forgot about that, my action is very high. If its lowered I will get horrible fret buzz and its only a $200 bass so I'm not looking to invest a lot of work into it. Coming up in a month or so, I will be buying a new bass, so I'll just have to keep cool till then.

[soulgaard1]

just remember to pause for a bit when the pain comes. Othervise it could lead to more severe injuries.

[heavyfunkmachin]

sorry to hear man, check thisout: my own experience TENDINITIS - just got back from the doctor

good luck, and 2 big rules:
1 - NEVER play trough pain (EVER!!!)
2 - dont get discouraged.

[CraigD30]

How long have you been playing? You may have an under developed muscle that you're really working, or it may be an irritated tendon. Does it feel like muscular pain, or something deeper? See your doctor if it is a problem.

[Tapout73]

Almost feels like the bone or tendon. I've only been playing since december and everyday i practice my exercises before the material.

My instructor gave me another bass to try out that had very low action compared to my current high action bass, and i was able to play with 4 fingers down with more ease. So until I get my new bass I'll just take it easy and rest when the pain gets too bad.

[buddyro57]

well the high action certainly could be the culprit. One thing to remember is that pain is a signal that something is wrong and the body is trying to alert you to it. Do not ignore those signals or "grit your teeth" etc. I would try a chiropractor or a massage therapist first. I think either will show you ways to massage your wrist PRIOR to playing- warming up is really essential. Also, how about lowering the action and gritting your teeth about the fret buzz....seems a more sensible compromise to me.
JS

[Step]

I had the same problem, and still have it while playing certain songs, specifically if I jump between two frets using my first finger and pinky

but it all came down to muscle training for me, I rarely have it now while I used to have it often

and: don't play through the pain, it caused me some pain afterwards, but don't stop immediately either, muscles need time to train