Wrist Troubles

xXColaXx · #1 03-29-2011, 12:07 AM

I'm not sure if this is the location to post about this but it may have something to do with technique so I will start here.

I have noticed after practicing more and more often that I am getting a pain around my right wrist on both the top and the bottom. I also feel a slight pain on the back of my hand. It seems like the angle I hold my wrist at to access the strings may be causing it, but I can't find another way that is functional. Most videos I see, the bassists are holding their wrists in the same manner as I am.

Am I doing something wrong or have I just been playing a lot lately and it is taking it's toll?

tylerwylie · #2 03-29-2011, 12:51 AM

What kind of pain is it? Few tidbits I can offer as I went through a 'muscle adjustment' when I moved to 6 string.

Keep your thumb pointed towards your headstock when you go higher up on the neck(higher frets, or towards the body I guess).

Apply as little pressure as possible with your thumb while comfortably fretting, this will reduce the pressure you're putting on your hand and make you faster.

Maybe adjust your elbow to keep your wrist as straight as possible, adjust your strap and bass to have the neck higher off the ground. This will shift a lot of the load to your elbow (which can take it better than the wrist).

(This is if you're fretting with your right hand).

If you're picking with your right hand, try adjusting your position and or elbow to keep your wrist straighter, also check out the floating thumb technique.

JimmyM · #3 03-29-2011, 02:03 AM

you should be able to play all day and it should never hurt. you're clearly doing something bad to your wrist. best thing to do is keep it as straight as possible and keep it relaxed, and if it ever hurts, know that you're doing something wrong. if you can get some lessons from someone good with technique, absolutely do so.

tylerwylie · #4 03-29-2011, 02:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

you should be able to play all day and it should never hurt. you're clearly doing something bad to your wrist. best thing to do is keep it as straight as possible and keep it relaxed, and if it ever hurts, know that you're doing something wrong. if you can get some lessons from someone good with technique, absolutely do so.

Well all day might not work for callouses....

Plays_For_Dog · #5 03-29-2011, 02:13 AM

Where is your elbow? Is it comfortably tucked close to the body, or is it flying wild and out of control? You don't have to have a T-Rex arm, you just need to make sure you keep your wrist in line with the elbow, and the elbow comfortably close to the body. The elbow's position can cause discomfort in the wrist and hand.

Or, the most obvious answer.... your pain is the tendons and muscles strengthening from practice. You should be able to tell the difference between sore muscles and strained muscles/tendons.

As always, if the pain intensifies or fails to fade away, consult an orthopedic doctor before damage is done.

JimmyM · #6 03-29-2011, 02:18 AM

tyler, calluses are a different matter. not much you can do about them

dog, honestly, playing bass is not such a strenuous activity where you should have sore muscles. pain is always bad, especially wrist pain.

tylerwylie · #7 03-29-2011, 02:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

tyler, calluses are a different matter. not much you can do about them

dog, honestly, playing bass is not such a strenuous activity where you should have sore muscles. pain is always bad, especially wrist pain.

I had pain in my left wrist when I went to 6 string bass, I made sure I warmed up, did stretches, and in reality it was just sore muscles...now I can slowly push the length of my practice sessions to allow me to practice for longer. Used to be an hour would make my wrist sore, now it'll take 3 hours. Soon enough it'll take 5 hours.

There are some parts that will get worked out definitely.

lowfreq33 · #8 03-29-2011, 02:32 AM

Gotta watch that 90 degree wrist angle....

DeclanG · #9 03-29-2011, 03:17 PM

There are lots of things that can cause it. Angle of the bass, angle of your arms/hands, pressure you are applying to the srtings etc. Personally for me i get the same soreness on my left wrist when i play live as ive noticed i put more pressure on the string than i would at practice. No major pain apart from on songs where i have to spread my fingers alot which sometimes results in a sorta cramp feeling. Id say just look at the usual things that can cause pain while playing and try adjusting them until you notice a difference. Trial and error if you will

JimmyM · #10 03-29-2011, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeclanG

There are lots of things that can cause it. Angle of the bass, angle of your arms/hands, pressure you are applying to the srtings etc. Personally for me i get the same soreness on my left wrist when i play live as ive noticed i put more pressure on the string than i would at practice. No major pain apart from on songs where i have to spread my fingers alot which sometimes results in a sorta cramp feeling. Id say just look at the usual things that can cause pain while playing and try adjusting them until you notice a difference. Trial and error if you will

you could use trial and error, but you could also go to someone who knows something about pain free technique and learn from them and save yourself a lot of trial and error.

FretlessMainly · #11 03-29-2011, 06:56 PM

One of the most likely causes is resting your right forearm on the upper bout of the bass. The only part of my right arm/hand that touches the bass itself is the tip of my right thumb. Never had any wrist pain in over 30 years. Get that elbow up and away from the bass.

DeclanG · #12 03-30-2011, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

you could use trial and error, but you could also go to someone who knows something about pain free technique and learn from them and save yourself a lot of trial and error.

Very true

hrodbert696 · #13 03-30-2011, 09:05 AM

Put yourself through a brief stretching routine each time before you start playing. I was starting to have some wrist pain but it's been fine since I started stretching out my hands and wrists before playing. DManlamius on Youtube has some good ones, and I think ChrisK's site Chris K | Shakin' the grounds does too.

xXColaXx · #14 03-30-2011, 12:29 PM

Sorry for not responding sooner, I never got notification there was a response on my thread. I got curious and came to my thread to find all of this!

First of all, let me say thank you very much to everyone who has replied, reading through has been very helpful for me understanding the importance of good bass posture. I haven't been feeling too well the last few days so I haven't played bass much. I went back to it yesterday and didn't really have much pain at first but it got mild as I played.

The pain is in my, for the lack of a better term, fingering hand not my fretting hand. It does seem like I often feel that my wrist is bent at a near 90 degree angle.

@Fretlessmainly I find that my forearm rests on the body of the bass, more so when I am in the sitting position. I will try to keep only my thumb anchored on the bass to see if that helps me.

The way I would describe the pain is if any of you rarely play drums then you play for a while, you get that tight, sore, tension feeling in your wrists and in the back of your hand.

I have been playing bass for years but much more often over the past year. To me it seems strange this is just happening now with the same bass I have played for a while.

xXColaXx · #15 03-30-2011, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hrodbert696

Put yourself through a brief stretching routine each time before you start playing. I was starting to have some wrist pain but it's been fine since I started stretching out my hands and wrists before playing. DManlamius on Youtube has some good ones, and I think ChrisK's site Chris K | Shakin' the grounds does too.

Thank you very much for this link. It has many helpful things on there. I appreciate it!

DeclanG · #16 03-30-2011, 12:45 PM

Of course it could also be tendinitis. I think someone briefly mentioned it above. If it is, you need to look after it as it can get alot worse if not addressed. There is a good page i found HERE which tells you all about it and how to take care of it.

xXColaXx · #17 03-30-2011, 02:55 PM

That was very informative, I bookmarked it to refer back to later. I never thought it could be that serious, this is an eye opener that I think more musicians should know about.

Russell L · #18 03-30-2011, 05:41 PM

Try this: bring your elbow forward a bit, enough so that your your wrist is not so bent. (I don't mean slid your arm forward on the bass, keep it back, but just don't cock your elbow way back). Also, try not to rest all the weight of your arm on the bass. I find that my wrist is bent no more than 45° and my arm isn't just hanging on the bass, but kinda floating. My fingers aim at the strings at about a 45° angle, too, not coming straight down at them. I might be unconventional, but I can outplay anyone I know as far as time-wise goes. Six-hour gig, no prob. It's my feet that give out most on me. But my wrist has NEVER hurt.

scotch · #19 03-30-2011, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

you should be able to play all day and it should never hurt. you're clearly doing something bad to your wrist. best thing to do is keep it as straight as possible and keep it relaxed, and if it ever hurts, know that you're doing something wrong. if you can get some lessons from someone good with technique, absolutely do so.

JimmyM is 100% right! Playing bass should not hurt. Either your playing posture is really weird, or a combination of activities is taking it's toll (internet/mouse overuse? tennis? bowling? strangling marmots?)...

There's some other good advice in this thread, but it would really be smart to get a real-world, in-person evaluation on your playing technique by a credible teacher with some years under their belt. There's no way we here on TB can effectively diagnose what's truly wrong & your health is more important than almost anything!

Good luck!

xXColaXx · #20 03-31-2011, 12:12 AM

i have messed around with a few things to try to see the problem. Here is the best description of how I play that I can give.

My thumb is anchored on the pickup and is pointing directly as the bass body. My other fingers are pointed almost directly at the bass body as well but perhaps slightly angled towards the bridge. My arm just below my elbow rests on the bass body in sitting position in standing position its just below middle of my arm closer to the wrist that is against the bass body.