Suspicious left hand problems...

motionkid · #1 08-21-2010, 01:06 AM

Hey guys,

Over the last few months I've noticed this wierd bump on my left wrist. It feels like a piece of bone but it isn't and there isn't anything on my right wrist like it... Then a few days ago I noticed my whole left wrist is starting to get a little stiff... I'm starting to get worried that it might be arthritis or something... I'm not sure what to make of this... Is this bad or is this something thats happened to others out there?? My dad has told me to lighten up on the practicing a little bit. I only practice maybe 2 hours a day if that on average and I know guys that will go twice that or more so it doesnt make sense... I've only been playing for about 3 and a half years now and I've never had a problem like this... Does anybody know what it could be and if I should be alarmed and seek medical attention?

Thanks,

Jools4001 · #2 08-21-2010, 01:28 AM

You notice a health problem that has definite evidence and possible repercussions in the future. Do you:

a) Phone a friend
b) See a doctor
c) Rush to the internet to ask medical advice from a bunch of bass players

motionkid · #3 08-21-2010, 02:00 AM

Im not asking for medical advice dude... just opinions...

fearceol · #4 08-21-2010, 02:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by motionkid

Well excuse me for my ignarance Jools4001. I apologize that times are tight on the homefront right now and that my dad isnt just gonna rush me to the hospital because I THINK that something might be going on with my wrist. I simply posted this thread on a bass forum site to get some advice from fellow bassists who might know what the problem is... and if and only if I get several people telling me it might be something more serious with long term effects that cant be helped by a few weeks off of practice (which I REALLY dont want to do unless I hear that from a doctor) will I convince him to take me to the doctor...

Im asking for help not sarcasm... but thanks anyway.

While Jools4001 may have been a bit sarcastic, I agree totally with his advice.

No one here is qualified to advise you on this. See a doctor ASAP, as if you delay, things might get worse. Having said that, it may be something minor. Either way, only a doctor can tell.

David1234 · #5 08-21-2010, 02:01 AM

There is most likely something wrong with your wrist. Most bassplayers' hand and wrist issues are overuse injuries. If you take your musical life seriously, or if being able to use your hand at all is important to you, please take my advice to seek medical help.

From the description it might be a ganglion (a growth on the side of a tendon, usually due to overuse, which continues to grow and becomes debilitating. Sometimes they come back even after removal surgery). And it might not.

Meanwhile, cut down on long computer sessions as these are often bad on wrists, no matter how 'ergonomic' your keyboard and mouse are. Also, ensure your bass technique involves wrists that are straight most of the time and not overly loaded. I have tendon issues (not a ganglion, but it took an ultrasound to confirm this) and I hope you'll avoid them by getting the right help now.

Regarding practice, I think 2 hours is excessive if it's physical and unrelenting and there's no rest breaks in it, particularly for the next few months til you either heal or find out what's wrong. Perhaps use the time to learn more theory and harmony, you won't feel like you're slipping as a musician by not practising enough.

fearceol · #6 08-21-2010, 02:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by motionkid

Im not asking for medical advice dude... just opinions...

..... on something medical.

motionkid · #7 08-21-2010, 02:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fearceol

..... on something medical.

Well played...

tjmdetroit · #8 08-21-2010, 02:51 AM

Originally Posted by motionkid
Well excuse me for my ignarance Jools4001. I apologize that times are tight on the homefront right now and that my dad isnt just gonna rush me to the hospital because I THINK that something might be going on with my wrist. I simply posted this thread on a bass forum site to get some advice from fellow bassists who might know what the problem is... and if and only if I get several people telling me it might be something more serious with long term effects that cant be helped by a few weeks off of practice (which I REALLY dont want to do unless I hear that from a doctor) will I convince him to take me to the doctor...

So if fellow bassists said," it might be something more serious with long term effects that cant be helped by a few weeks off of practice", you wouldn't listen anyway.... BECAUSE ... (unless I hear that from a doctor)
HUH?
You know, if you do go to the doctors, it might go like this:
motionkid: "Doc every time I go like this, it hurts... What should I do?"
Doctor: "Son, don't go like that anymore!!!! (rimshot)

I ain't no doctor but IMHO I'd save my money, take a couple aspirins and a week off practice and/or other things you do that involves your wrist

and see if it gets better... What's a week... sounds like you need a break anyway...
Crap, I'm sorry, I should have offered earlier... Would you like some cheese with your whine?
peace

Tim

Fergie Fulton · #9 08-21-2010, 02:56 AM

I have written in the past about the justification of musicians and in particular the injuries they get.

Lets say you fall or have an accident and among the injuries you get is a lump on your wrist, you go and get treatment or are taken for treatment if the injuries are severe. Now i put it that you get all the injuries treated, you don't pick and choose which ones are important and which ones are not....because you are not qualified to do so. If we remove all the injuries and leave the wrist lump, then a diagnosis is still needed and treatment if deemed necessary. So when a lump develops, that is scary because there is no obvious cause, so that should ring alarm bells and that should make you want to seek medical help.

But the thinking is it is a bass related problem not a hand problem, so say you never played bass and this happened what would your actions be then?

I hope you can see the thinking you seem to be applying. You also compare your ability to practice with others. The fact that others practice for longer than you is not an indicator for you to use or even compare with....after all they do not have lumps on their wrists i assume?

So as with the other advice go and get it seen to before it develops into something more. This is a health problem not a playing one.

puddin tame · #10 08-21-2010, 03:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjmdetroit

Originally Posted by motionkid
Well excuse me for my ignarance Jools4001. I apologize that times are tight on the homefront right now and that my dad isnt just gonna rush me to the hospital because I THINK that something might be going on with my wrist. I simply posted this thread on a bass forum site to get some advice from fellow bassists who might know what the problem is... and if and only if I get several people telling me it might be something more serious with long term effects that cant be helped by a few weeks off of practice (which I REALLY dont want to do unless I hear that from a doctor) will I convince him to take me to the doctor...

So if fellow bassists said," it might be something more serious with long term effects that cant be helped by a few weeks off of practice", you wouldn't listen anyway.... BECAUSE ... (unless I hear that from a doctor)
HUH?
You know, if you do go to the doctors, it might go like this:
motionkid: "Doc every time I go like this, it hurts... What should I do?"
Doctor: "Son, don't go like that anymore!!!! (rimshot)

I ain't no doctor but IMHO I'd save my money, take a couple aspirins and a week off practice and/or other things you do that involves your wrist

and see if it gets better... What's a week... sounds like you need a break anyway...
Crap, I'm sorry, I should have offered earlier... Would you like some cheese with your whine?
peace

Tim

Oh yeah... this guy's on the ball....

john_martin_sai · #11 08-21-2010, 03:23 AM

Wouldn't it be totally rad if it turned into another finger.

motionkid · #12 08-21-2010, 04:12 AM

I see were you all are comming from... minus the sarcastic ones. I'll probably set up in appointment... I followed with a little bit of research to David1234's response and seems that he could be right. It could be just a cyst on one of the tendons or the joint... Ill have to obviously have the doc confirm that for me or figure out what it could be if it isnt, then figure out treatment and what not... Thanks for the help guys!!

RustyAxe · #13 08-21-2010, 08:14 AM

It sounds like a "ganglion cyst". Common problem, and has little or nothing to do with repetitive motion. Easily fixed. See a doc.

PhiDeck · #14 08-21-2010, 08:20 AM

Agree with likelihood of it being a ganglion cyst. Can be surgically repaired, but is likely to eventually recur.

markkoelsch · #15 08-21-2010, 05:57 PM

It could be a couple of things, and no, I am not a Doctor. The most common bump on the wrist is what is called a ganglion cyst. They are benign. They can cause issue though by stretching certain things, and reducing range of motion.
A regular Doc is a good place to start. If they determine that it is a ganglion there are a couple ways of treating it. The first is usually to stick a good size needle into it and drain it. The fluid in it is the same fluid as in your joints. Then they might shoot it with a steroid (cortisone usually), and sometimes this cures it (maybe 20% of the time). If it reoccurs and is causing issue the Doc will usually elect to remove it surgically, which is currative in almost all cases. I know about this as I have one on my left wrist currently, and need to get to my hand doc to deal with it.

INTP · #16 08-27-2010, 08:19 AM

Before I say anything else, I have to say, "go to a doctor and have it looked at."

I do want to share an experience with my ganglion, however.

I had a problem with a ganglion bulging from the top of my right wrist. When it first occurred, it was a bit alarming, and while it made my wrist feel stiff, it wasn't really painful. It is true that these are benign, so there isn't necessarily a need to do anything unless it is bugging you (your doctor will tell you the same thing, I predict).

These CAN go away by themselves, but I think that's rare. Sometimes, they might rupture and the fluid will dissipate on it's own. There's a story that I bet your doctor will tell you (if it is a ganglion, that is) about how doctors used to treat these. They'd put your wrist on a solid surface, raise a medical book over their head, then drop it on the cyst to rupture it. (I don't know why there is such fascination with this story among doctors, but I heard it from three different ones, two of which were hand surgeons).

What they do now is drain it, as described by markkoelsch, above. The fluid is very thick, and it takes a rather large needle, but the procedure isn't a big deal at all. I had this done once, and would definitely recommend it for a ganglion. Not only did the bump go away, but the stiffness was gone right away and there was no recovery to speak of. The ONLY downside that I found was that it came back, slowly, but was back to the original size and stiffness in about a year.

The next time, I decided to have surgery. This was done by a hand surgeon, and given the complexity of the hands and wrists, I wouldn't have let just anyone cut on my hands. The surgeon did a good job, and as promised, it didn't come back (about 13 years now). He even made the incision on an existing crease in the skin so the scar, which is about 3cm long, is barely visible.

Overall, the surgery was a success--the cyst and stiffness is gone, and I have full mobility. But there are a couple of minor lingering issues. That wrist is definitely more prone to being sore from overuse. It is my dominant hand, so that certainly is a factor, but I still feel like there is a tiny amount of scar tissue or something that gets irritated if I really work it. The other thing is that on the top of my hand, just past the scar, I lost some feeling in the skin. It's not completely numb, but even now, I've lost maybe 25% of the sensation on the skin. Apparently, some nerves were cut, and haven't fully repaired themselves.

Looking back, I'm not sure that I'd so the surgery if I had to do it over. Draining is effective, at least in the short term, and had no side effects to speak of. At the very least, I would try draining it a few times (not just one like I did) before moving to surgery. Even then, I'd only recommend surgery if it is really affecting the ability to use it.

Just my $.02, which is worth about as much as you paid for it, I guess.

motionkid · #17 08-30-2010, 07:53 AM

Yep. You guys were right. It was a ganglion. Doc just told me to take ibprofin and use a heating pad on it and it should go away or at least decrease in size... Been a few days and its improving and I didnt have to take a break from practicing thank God... Thanks for the help guys!!

giacomini · #18 08-30-2010, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by motionkid

Yep. You guys were right. It was a ganglion. Doc just told me to take ibprofin and use a heating pad on it and it should go away or at least decrease in size... Been a few days and its improving and I didnt have to take a break from practicing thank God... Thanks for the help guys!!

When I first read this I thought "ganglion cyst". I've got one in the past, my mother and my wife both had too.

Mine just disappeared with time, but be aware that even if you surgically remove it it tends to come back. Both my wife and mother had one and removed it, but less than a year after it came back.

fearceol · #19 08-30-2010, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by motionkid

Yep. You guys were right. It was a ganglion. Doc just told me to take ibprofin and use a heating pad on it and it should go away or at least decrease in size... Been a few days and its improving and I didn't have to take a break from practicing thank God... Thanks for the help guys!!

Great to know you got it diagnosed and treated.

Chris K · #20 08-30-2010, 09:43 AM

Allow me to draw your attention to this thread:

Health and playing the bass guitar

The story of Motionkid added valuable info to my project, i.e. to keep in mind to write something on 'false alarms'.

Like RustyAxe pointed out, ganglion cysts are very unlikely to be caused by bass playing. They may be ignored or treated according to the nuisance they give.

It would be a pity if players got deeply worried or even started to change their technique or hardware on account of a non-bass-related physical problem.

(However, if the cyst is on the inside of the wrist near the median nerve, it may lead to problems and should be treated!)

If any of you guys would like to share their knowlegde on bass guitar related health problems, I'd be very grateful.