health concern

[dalconthenovice]

so i didn't know exactly where to file this post but its important that i ask this, my fretting hand has been experiencing this weird pain and ache that has been making it difficult to play, not alot, but enouogh that i'm concerned, its just right above the wrist where the bone bump is (whatever its called) and its been hurting like hell, what can i do about this, what is it, is it going to get worse? keep in mind i'm only 20 years old, if this is arthritis i'm going to be very disappointed at my shattered dreams

[gumtownbassman]

carple tunnel syndrom ?
is your bass strap slung too low?

[Fergie Fulton]

Originally Posted by gumtownbassman

carple tunnel syndrom ?
is your bass strap slung too low?

Not every pain we experience is a problem but i may be. First off see a medical professional and then look to how you use your hands in daily life.

You are young so you should be fit and healthy, and that word is "should". there are many things that the hands and fingers show as pain or stiffness because they are always being used and in the fingertips a great number of concentrated nerve ends. You may feel problemms in your hands but that is not necessary wher the problem is. Any problem from the neck at C7( the bone of the spine) through the shoulder down the upper are and forearm threough the wrist in to the hands and to the finger tips.....can be felt in the finger tips......because thats where the nerves end.

In the link below is a previous post with some things to consider about your playing, but please see a medical profesional and explain the problem in full.

Your hands and their relationship to playing

[Eminentbass]

I've got pain in both my wrists and they both have developed a click. I'd recommend seeing a doctor. In my case it's just swelling in the joints from over use and some anti-inflammatories have been prescribed. It might not be as drastic as you think e.g tendonitis, arthritis or carpal tunnel but it's still worth getting it checked out.

[MalcolmAmos]

Whenever we ask our body to do things it is not used to doing there may be some pain. Your hands/fingers are doing things they are not used to doing. If it does not get better in a short period of time get professional help. Way back when I started 6 string rhythm guitar I too had wrist pains for a couple of weeks. They went away.

Good luck.

[Mark Wilson]

Yep.
I second everything that's been said.
Get to a doctor.

[Chris K]

Originally Posted by dalconthenovice

so i didn't know exactly where to file this post but its important that i ask this,

Once more I make a plea for a HEALTH section on this board.
Health issues keep coming up, but where to put them?

Stickies, FAQ on health: we need them.

Maybe some TB members are doctors, fysitoherapists willing to act as moderators for that section.

Mark, your opinion?

[Gord_oh]

get it checked out.
better to find out now, if its not serious or is fixable,
than down the road after too much damage has been done to need surgery or such.
IMO, go to a doctor.

[Fergie Fulton]

Originally Posted by Chris K

Once more I make a plea for a HEALTH section on this board.
Health issues keep coming up, but where to put them?

Stickies, FAQ on health: we need them.

Maybe some TB members are doctors, fysitoherapists willing to act as moderators for that section.

Mark, your opinion?

There is a health sticky to links to common problems associated with playing in Techniques. The problem with any web based health info is it is not specific, and therefore not applicable.
Apart from legal any obligation to giving specific advice without a medical examination leaves the whole side of this part of the site open to mis-use and mis-diagnosis.
Players have to search the links and make there own minds up to seek medical advice.
Even those that have had identical diagnosed medical conditions will have various different problems.

Medical advice has to be patient specific



There are few things we can do on-line to help but the most important is to try and help those looking for help, to give them relevent info to help support them going to see a medical profesional.
It about giving relevent quantifiable information to help the player understand that a doctor is needed, and if not see one to make sure.

Musicans, well anyone who relies on there hands for artistic purposes, will find many ways to justify not seeking medical attention for fear of the result they fear to hear. They will hod out till eventually there is no option, the condition passes the point of no return.

Strange that the idea of voluntary not using their hands for a long period of time to help releve a condition seems not to be an option many will consider, they want to play through the problems.

I have lots of reasearch links and info that i use to help those who seek me out for help, but i can do no more than advise seek medical help when this is on-line.

To even help those that have asked for my help takes time for me to understand their hand history though many questions. They disclose any medical diagnosis they may have had, information on any genetic problems are also needed to be considered. Even this is flawed because i have to trust the information as being a true representation of what i would need to be even close on the web.

So yes, we can help by always stating the importance of seeking out personal medical treatment that is specific to the problem by supplying info to links to help make a balanced view of the problem.

[JimmyM]

the absolute last place on earth where people should be allowed to dispense health advice freely is on talkbass. i have seen so much horrible and potentially crippling advice given on here that there is now a sticky making it a rule that you can't give advice if you don't know what you're talking about. the last thing we need is to encourage people to give more half cocked advice by giving them a health forum.

anyway, dalcon, you absolutely need to find a professional teacher who knows proper technique to straighten you out. if you have pain, you are doing something wrong, period. you should never ever EVER have pain when playing the bass, save for when you rub your first set of calluses.

[Mark Wilson]

Originally Posted by Chris K

Once more I make a plea for a HEALTH section on this board.
Health issues keep coming up, but where to put them?

Stickies, FAQ on health: we need them.

Maybe some TB members are doctors, fysitoherapists willing to act as moderators for that section.

Mark, your opinion?

I'll see what I can do.

[Chris K]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

the absolute last place on earth where people should be allowed to dispense health advice freely is on talkbass. i have seen so much horrible and potentially crippling advice given on here that there is now a sticky making it a rule that you can't give advice if you don't know what you're talking about. the last thing we need is to encourage people to give more half cocked advice by giving them a health forum.

Jim, you're absolutely right about not encouringing people to give half cocked advice. But at the same time you are contradicting yourself, since you yourself say you have already seen it here on TB. Advice is being sought and already given here, good and, alas, bad.

Health risks from playing bass do exist. The point of a health section is not to encourage quack doctors, but to give good info, f.e. by mentioning good websites or books, to give warnings against bad technical habits etc. (like you did just a few weeks ago against CTS!), to share personal experiences, to give mental support to fellow players who are confronted with physical problems...

In the General Instruction section we often say: find a teacher.
In a Health section we should always say: go see a doctor. However: not many doctors know about bass playing. Our own TB doctor, to ask questions, wouldn''t that be great?

[LarryO]

Your body is a lot like a car, even common symptoms can not be diagnosed without looking at it and doing diagnostic tests. It's even hard for you to describe your own pain. You said "right above the wrist bump".....which bump? radial styloid, ulnar styloid, radial lunate juncture.....etc? perhaps you even have a bump that isn't supposed to be there as in a ganglion cyst......In any case, see a Doctor. It could be so many things