Arm pain?

[twangin6]

I have been grinding away on the bass for the past couple of months and I have a nagging pain near my elbow of my fretting arm. It is inside of the forearm. I don't remember injuring it. Anybody have to deal with that before?

[fearceol]

Originally Posted by twangin6

I have been grinding away on the bass for the past couple of months

Maybe this is your problem. You might be over doing it. Other causes (assuming it's bass related) could be the height you wear the bass, keeping the wrist straight, keeping the hand relaxed and not "death gripping" the neck, keeping the thumb at the back of the neck (roughly in line with the middle and ring fingers), not warming up (and down) properly with gentle stretching exercises. You could also be over stretching on the lower (1-5) frets. Check You tube for L/H technique.

[Chris K]

+1 to all of that.

And...

twanging6, is your bass WELL BALANCED? Or do you have to support the neck with your fretting hand?

[twangin6]

My Fender P-bass is pretty well balanced. I think tension and technique are contributing issues. My ring finger and pinky seem to trigger the pain.

[Fletcher Lanning]

If you wear your bass slung low then that is a likely culprit. Try wearing your bass a little higher on your body and concentrate on keeping your wrist straight.

The other common problem that could cause the issue you describe would be gripping the neck like you were strangling a snake. A lot of people do that at first but you should remember two things. One, it doesn't take very much force at all to hold the strings down, so you don't need to squeeze. Two, try to keep your wrist straight and your fingers arched around the neck so the tips of your fingers come down straight on to the board.

[Commreman]

Please, whatever you do, deal with this NOW, while it is still manageable. My story is outlined in painful detail here:

No options left - It's surgery for my tendinitis

[Fetusyolk]

whatever you do, STRETCH before and after playing. stretch well but don't overdo it.
stretch your fingers, your arms, your shoulders back, palms wrists the whole shabang. everything plays a factor. I'm 18 having problems with it (keyboard generation i guess) but im keeping it manageable- stretch , anti-inflams, and STOPPING when there's any pain. i had to give up my piano class because it destroyed me.

it will go from that elbow pain, to you not being able to grip things, or do anything without pain. get it taken care of. i stretch throughout the day-find the RIGHT ways to stretch- you can do more bad than good if you do things incorrectly. if you can get it under control on your own that is good- if it gets worse GO TO A SPECIALIST. no waiting-

in the process of everything, they put needles in my arm, shocked me, stabbed me down my back - like i said the whole shabang.
this isn't just a little thing- it's bigger than just that little pain in your elbow. if your elbow starts to feel numb that's another sign of problems- your tendons all connect. one thing you can do to help your situation quickly is to get (i don't remember the name) an arm strap that is magnetic and puts pressure on your tendon right below your elbow. it helps increase blood flow and helps relieve your arm stress. look it up, they're not that expensive and get the job done.

also don't forget to warm up.. this is good during a sound-check , (even silently) don't challenge your arms/hands until they're warmed up. and even so...

be serious about this- it will affect your future conditions of living if you don't.

good idea linking that thread. when all this started i found a thread that sal4bass started [ i believe this one: When Your Wrists Let You Down. it helped out alot and made me realize it's not just something that happens to someone else

[twangin6]

Icing it right now.

[Fergie Fulton]

Sound like you have all the symptoms of Tennis Elbow check the link.

http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/h...s_elbow.html#2

Not knowing what you do for a living or how you use your body, if these sound like your symptoms ( easy to check, when the pain comes use a strap just under the elbow on the forearm to relieve the tension, if this works then it is most likly a tennis elbow related problem ) see a medical profesional and deal with it now, not later but now.
Even if it clears up get it seen to..if you don't know why it stopped, you don't know when it will start.
As said ice is your friend in this one, but get it seen to.

[LarryO]

http://www.eatonhand.com/hw/hw007.htm

[Sahm]

If you don't have the resources for full time lessons right now, I would at least try to schedule a couple one-off lessons to get you in front of a reputable teacher who can analyze your technique. It's hard to diagnose over the internet. You may also be doing everything right, but your pinky and ring finger are getting worked out let they've never before, so you're feeling that. Get in front of a pro though, to be sure.

[Commreman]

Originally Posted by Fergie Fulton

Sound like you have all the symptoms of Tennis Elbow check the link.

http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/h...s_elbow.html#2

Not knowing what you do for a living or how you use your body, if these sound like your symptoms ( easy to check, when the pain comes use a strap just under the elbow on the forearm to relieve the tension, if this works then it is most likly a tennis elbow related problem ) see a medical profesional and deal with it now, not later but now.
Even if it clears up get it seen to..if you don't know why it stopped, you don't know when it will start.
As said ice is your friend in this one, but get it seen to.

Fergie - The OP said his pain was on the inside of the elbow - that would be Golfer's elbow, but the treatment modalities are the same - NSAID's, stretching, strengthening, ice, and rest. If the OP can get access, ultrasound treatments are wonderful. I picked up a portable unit over the summer that I use a few times a week, and it's great. There is also a company called thera band that has just completed a study on using a device called the flex bar as an antidote to tennis/golfers elbow. I picked up the green version that offers 15 pounds of resistance and have been using it for the past two weeks. At first, it was painful, but it is working! Perhaps Twangin' should look into it. Just google Flex Bar and follow the links.

[twangin6]

Thanks for all the information. Sounds like golfers elbow. It is on the inside of the elbow. I had tennis elbow on my right arm a few years back. It took along time to get rid of it. I iced my inner elbow down about four times last night and it feels much better today. I have been playing very little and paying close attention to my technique when I do. I have just started playing the bass a couple of months ago to try to get a rock/blues thing going. I had played guitar for many years. I am liking the low end. It is what moves people!

[twangin6]

I didn't see your post prior to my reply. Thanks Commre, I'll check it out.

[sayman]

I feel for ya. I've been playing every day for 25+ years but a couple years ago I started having hand problems. I had to change my technique and place my hands to more ergonomic-friendly positions. I also lightened up my touch a lot. The old dog had to learn new tricks.

Fun getting older.

[Fergie Fulton]

Originally Posted by Commreman

Fergie - The OP said his pain was on the inside of the elbow - that would be Golfer's elbow, but the treatment modalities are the same - NSAID's, stretching, strengthening, ice, and rest. If the OP can get access, ultrasound treatments are wonderful. I picked up a portable unit over the summer that I use a few times a week, and it's great. There is also a company called thera band that has just completed a study on using a device called the flex bar as an antidote to tennis/golfers elbow. I picked up the green version that offers 15 pounds of resistance and have been using it for the past two weeks. At first, it was painful, but it is working! Perhaps Twangin' should look into it. Just google Flex Bar and follow the links.

They are basicaly the same sort of thing,( gereralisation) it is an over use of the elbow( in this sort of case) that results in sensations in the little finger side (ulnar side) of the hand. But many things can cause this as the Ulnar nerve is so exposed in places along its route.
But you know and i know that ice is the first place of call. Reduce the swelling and you will reduce the pressure on the nerve and then look at it again. As there was a previous episode in the other arm i would be inclined to look at the same sort of problem as there may be a common denominator to this one. But do not let this be the excuse or turn into complacency about this problem. What i am saying is don't guess what the problem is, find out and accept the consequences of putting it right.

A player will as a rule, find a way to justify not doing anything about it, ignore the warnings the body gives which is why i say get it checked out, don't be put off by all the great advice here, mine included, but get to the bottom of this while it is in your control.

Ed, thanks for the link i will check this out.

[Commreman]

Fergie - Look here for the Flex Bar:

http://info.thera-bandacademy.com/flexbarelbow

This link has all of the research linked in as well, with a video on how to use this. I had the surgery on my right arm. I am using this, with other methods to avoid the same fate on my left.

[LarryO]

http://www.handuniversity.com/topics.asp?Topic_ID=4

http://www.handuniversity.com/topics.asp?Topic_ID=8

[Fergie Fulton]

Originally Posted by Commreman

Fergie - Look here for the Flex Bar:

http://info.thera-bandacademy.com/flexbarelbow

This link has all of the research linked in as well, with a video on how to use this. I had the surgery on my right arm. I am using this, with other methods to avoid the same fate on my left.

Thanks Ed, if it checks out i'll put it in the health sticky when i next up-date.
Have a great New Year and hope 2010 works out for you.

[tobie]

Originally Posted by LarryO

http://www.handuniversity.com/topics.asp?Topic_ID=4
http://www.handuniversity.com/topics.asp?Topic_ID=8

Excellent site! It helped me pinpoint a condition I've recently developed as 'Radial Tunnel Syndrome' (http://www.handuniversity.com/topics.asp?Topic_ID=1).