Very painful wrist!!!! hardly moveable kinda bad

Chili · #1 06-29-2005, 04:48 PM

I have been playing bass alot since last x-mas, really pushing my self, and my wrist has been aiking abit for a while now but i thought it would go away, but it has gottin werse, i cant bend it to far back or forward without having sharp pains going through it, has this happened to anyone else?? i havnt played for 2 days straight now and its still now better, it doesnt hurt when i actually play tho, my fingers werk, its weird. i didnt start las xmas tho, i've been playing just over 2 year now

I dont no if this is the wright place or not, i'll take a chance lol

Correlli · #2 06-29-2005, 07:04 PM

No pain no gain. If you wanna play like Sheehan, Jaco etc, that's the price you pay. On the positive side, the body is extremely efficient at adapting to new challanges. The question is, have you got the patience? Do you have the stick-ability? Time will give you that answer.

Good thing to do in this situation, is take a brake from bass, and play something else that is less stressful on the hands. Like electric guitar, drums, keyboard, trumpet. That way, you're still moving forward musical, but taking time out to recover. And when you feel that it's come right, get back into it. The bass ain't going anywhere.

Another thing to keep in mind, is that everyone learns in different ways. It sounds to me that you push yourself, then take brake, push yourself, take a brake etc, etc,etc . I've heard of people saying slow and stead, but thats not how I learn. I learn in short sharp bursts, then I take a brake. I've found it works very well for me, but probably wouldn't work for alot of other people.

Hope that helped.

silent method · #3 06-29-2005, 07:10 PM

i agree take a break and work on your theory thats what i am doing

www.musictheory.net brother

steveksux · #4 06-29-2005, 07:22 PM

Body's great at adapting to new demands if you let it. Build up gradually next time, if it still hurts from the last time, skip a day. And don't do as much next time. Build up gradually.

Your body gets stronger when it heals. It breaks down when you stress it. All stress and no heal = chronic wrist paiin/damage that can get permanent if you go far enough overboard.

You can't train like Lance Armstrong. Your body would break down under that much load. You'd have to train for years to build up to where his training regimen would help you instead of destroying you.

Same with bass. You can't just start playing 5 hours a day right off the bat.

Randy

bass349 · #5 06-29-2005, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiwi Kid

No pain no gain. If you wanna play like Sheehan, Jaco etc, that's the price you pay. On the positive side, the body is extremely efficient at adapting to new challanges. The question is, have you got the patience? Do you have the stick-ability? Time will give you that answer.

DON'T LISTEN TO THE ABOVE POST!!

it sounds very much to me like you've done some tendon or soft tissue damage. i strongly recommend that you go and see an occupational therapist, or physio if thats all thats available. don't bother with the doc, he'll just give you anti inflamitaries and that won't fix the problem.

Trust me in this.. i know.

i study music at the conservatorium over here. last year (my first year) i got some serious wrist pains - sounds very similar to the way you described it. i couldn't bend my wrist without being in a lot of pain. also the pain was referred up into my forearm (the tendons run from your fingers up your arm and kinda meld into the muscle). I was lucky to be at an institution where they see this a fair bit, so i had a bit of an idea of what was going on. i stopped playing bass immediately, and after 3 or 4 weeks of it not getting any better i saw an OT. She's good because she's treated a fair few musicians and she's also a muso herself, so she understands our pain and doesn't just say "you need to stop playing".

as it was i still ended up not playing bass AT ALL for nearly 3 months. I did soft tissue damage to my forearm as a result of extreme technique (i was really anal about hand position and would barely let my wrist relax when i was playing). And nearly a year later i still get treatment every fortnight or so, and i'm still struggling with it.. though it has improved vastly. remember, i am playing a lot more than a lot of people because of my studies, so it's taken longer because i push it so hard. I've learnt to stretch before i play and relax while i play.

moral of the story, STRETCH BEFORE YOU PLAY!!! and find a teacher that has good technique to assess your hand position and make sure you're doing everything right. the last thing you want to do is cause yourself permanent damage.

and guys, please, if people write in worried about wrist pain don't tell them "no pain, no gain". you could potentially be damaging not just their wrist but, as in my case, their career.

if anybody wants a scan of some stretches that i recommend, let me know and i'll email them to ya.

all the best,
andy.

Ostinato · #6 06-29-2005, 09:44 PM

IME you shouldn't ever feel any kind of pain in your wrist EVER from playing bass, no matter how hard you play. If you're resting your forearm on the bass, that means your wrist is bent. And that's where your problem lies.

bass349 · #7 06-30-2005, 02:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ostinato

IME you shouldn't ever feel any kind of pain in your wrist EVER from playing bass, no matter how hard you play. If you're resting your forearm on the bass, that means your wrist is bent. And that's where your problem lies.

strange... for some reason i thought he was talking about his left wrist.

either way i agree, you should never feel any pain from either of your wrists.

**Pacman** · #8 06-30-2005, 04:07 AM

There is some horrible advice in this thread. I did something like what you're experiencing in music school. Couldn't play for a week - GO SEE A DOCTOR!!! If I hadn't, I might not be playing today.

Forget about "no pain, no gain". Pain is your body telling you something is wrong.

Chili · #9 06-30-2005, 06:33 AM

Yeah it is my left wirst, thx for everyones adivce tho, i have just started to use my thumb on the e string instead of using my finger when slap poping, becouse louis johnson does that and i find it more comphtable like that but mabe thats it, but then again mabe not, i'll have a brake for about a week or 2, and if it doesnt get any better i'll take advice form these posts, thx

bass349 · #10 06-30-2005, 10:13 AM

sounds like you've got some technique issues. i'd say before you do anything else go and find a reputable teacher to help with your left hand wrist position, even one lesson should help immensely.

good luck,
andy

Correlli · #11 06-30-2005, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pacman

There is some horrible advice in this thread. I did something like what you're experiencing in music school. Couldn't play for a week - GO SEE A DOCTOR!!! If I hadn't, I might not be playing today.

Forget about "no pain, no gain". Pain is your body telling you something is wrong.

Use a rubber band that will fix it.

Ostinato · #12 07-02-2005, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chili

Yeah it is my left wirst, thx for everyones adivce tho, i have just started to use my thumb on the e string instead of using my finger when slap poping, becouse louis johnson does that and i find it more comphtable like that but mabe thats it, but then again mabe not, i'll have a brake for about a week or 2, and if it doesnt get any better i'll take advice form these posts, thx

Ok, well in that case, it could still be your wrist that's giving you trouble. If it's your left wrist, then maybe you should try raising your strap so the bass sits higher on the chest. This will help lessen the angle of your fretting hand and MAY cure the problem.

bassplayer2106 · #13 07-03-2005, 11:38 AM

Hi - play in front of a mirror and look for obvious points of stress you need to identify those and work to avoid them.You should be relaxed when playing and the bass should be strapped on in a comfortable position - forget about what looks cool, such as having the bass down by your knees somewhere or you could cause serious injury.As mentioned before the "no pain no gain" saying is total stupidity ,when your wrist hurts stop and have a break.Also make sure that you warm up before playing - just start slow, playing scales or something and get the fingers moving.If the wrist doesn't get better go and see your doctor thats what they are for.

Chili · #14 07-04-2005, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassplayer2106

Hi - play in front of a mirror and look for obvious points of stress you need to identify those and work to avoid them.You should be relaxed when playing and the bass should be strapped on in a comfortable position - forget about what looks cool, such as having the bass down by your knees somewhere or you could cause serious injury.As mentioned before the "no pain no gain" saying is total stupidity ,when your wrist hurts stop and have a break.Also make sure that you warm up before playing - just start slow, playing scales or something and get the fingers moving.If the wrist doesn't get better go and see your doctor thats what they are for.

I dont have the bass far down, its really hard to slap pop or even play funk properly i think when its to low, i stretch i writst (used to anyway) before i play and i tend to warm up, i think it must be my hand persition or something, i'll try looking in the mirro, thx for the tip

JimmyM · #15 07-04-2005, 12:16 PM

Sometimes I think that Kiwi Kid is purposely giving bad advice. I see him all over the forums giving some of the worst advice I have ever seen. Hell, you should see his advice for finding a teacher. It will make you laugh out loud, it's so ridiculous. I'd say either someone hijacked his account or he's just being useless on purpose.