Any other bassists have hypermobility...?

tazthewonderdog · #1 12-10-2011, 10:37 AM

I'm not sure how many other people on this forum have hypermobility, but I do. It sucks- hypermobility is a hereditary disease of the joints, and it feels a lot like arthritis. I have shallow sockets and weak wrists and ankles. I get dislocations easily, and because my wrists are so messed up, I can't slap (or really even play with my fingers, which leads to picking, which I don't like as much as fingers.) without extreme pain.
Anyone else have this?
Anyone know how I can still play without pain? Wrist braces help, but after awhile my hands go numb from losing circulation... then it's a disaster.
Don't just say I should quit bass- because that's silly!

I just want to know if anyone else has found a way to overcome this... any help would be great!

Wiki link- (my computer blocks it- hope this works) http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&...Pu6Yl9H6L_wh3g

Any advice?

perfektspace6 · #2 12-10-2011, 10:47 AM

Not very smart to do something that causes continual and extreme pain. Sounds like surgery isn't an option given the problem. You can take pain meds to dull the problem but I am of the opinion that pain should be felt so you know when to back off an activity that may be harming your body. If the braces don't work I'm not sure what advice you are expecting to hear.

If it were me I would stop playing. Nothing is worth chronic pain and possibly long term damage.

tazthewonderdog · #3 12-10-2011, 10:58 AM

Surgery isn't an option- steroid injection is though. Not sure I want tiny stones though... haha.
And it's not likely to cause long term damage, if anything it would strengthen the wrists, which (like steroid injection) would build more muscle and take strain off the joints, therefore taking away pain... but that would probably take a lot of playing.

HolmeBass · #4 12-10-2011, 11:02 AM

I disagree w/ perfektspace6. Life is short, might as well do something you love, even if you have to sacrifice for it. I would continue searching for a doctor that might be able to help you devise a strategy to make it work.

Also consider short scale basses, or maybe even a Kala UBass, or at the very extreme work on keyboard bass. Making music isn't really about the instrument, and neither is playing the role of the bass in a musical ensemble. If you think like and play like a "bass", then you're the bass player. Is Neal any less a bass player in SoulLive because he works his magic on the keys? I say no.

dmusic148 · #5 12-10-2011, 11:17 AM

Geeze, sorry, that sucks. Well, I would think that proper bracing, wrist wraps maybe? Ace bandage?, would help a lot- keep things where they belong, without causing circulation loss.
A doctor or physical therapist might be in order, to help you with some exercises that would help to strengthen the supporting ligaments etc. in order to, again, keep the parts where they belong.
Technique, for someone like you, probably needs to be as correct and clean as possible. Playing with correct posture( wrists as straight as possible, fretting hand elbow out somewhat, bass roughly at torso height) should go a long way. Play as lightly as possible, with BOTH hands.
A neck-divey bass will amplify your troubles, so avoid those.

Finally, if it hurts, don't do it- you will probably seriously, and possibly permanently, injure yourself if you do.

tazthewonderdog · #6 12-10-2011, 12:22 PM

Massage therapist gave me advice and stretches to do, and I do them all the time. I'll try those braces you mentioned as soon as I can.
And I have an Ibanez SoundGear, so it's not a neck diver at all, neither is my Schecter. However, my P-copy is... haha the strap button is above the 12th fret. Quite annoying I say! That thing weighs 10 pounds though, so I don't play it much.
Thanks for the suggestions!

bassmandtf · #7 12-10-2011, 01:03 PM

I know where your coming from. I've suffered from hypermobility and it sucks! All my fingers are affected and my little fingers lock at joint above the knuckle! This makes it impossible for me to span 4 frets on the neck. Makes it a little tricky to play stuff and I have to work harder to get the same out of the bass. Saying that I'm in 2 hard working bands and I love every second I'm playing live. I suffer pain but I'd rather have the pain over giving up the bass and the kick I get out of storming a gig!

BIG97BEN · #8 12-10-2011, 01:10 PM

The steroid injections they give you aren't the kind to give you "tiny stones". They lower inflammation and reduce pain. I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome along with sever back problems. Number one symptom of EDS is hyper mobility, and I've have had numerous injections in my back. Strengthening your hands through exercise such as physical therapy should help out greatly, along with possibly injections although you should consult your doctor. You may never be pain free, as I wont be either, but if playing bass brings you joy you would look into it. I'm sure your doctor can explain all these things better than anyone on here, including those with alot of experience. Hope it helps.

MrLenny1 · #9 12-10-2011, 01:22 PM

Try playing a bass without a strap. Their are guitar stands that let you play them on a stand. No strain on shoulder & arm. Work with Dr's & therapist. That sounds like a very severe thing you have.
I have fibromyalgia & the ulner nerve in the left arm is damaged and limiting my pinky & ring fingers on the hand. Therapy ,pain pills & playing have kept me going.
Don't give up, try new aides.
LOL

tazthewonderdog · #10 12-10-2011, 02:42 PM

Playing without a strap won't work. It's moving my fingers and fretting that hurts.

And I might go for those steroid injections though...

perfektspace6 · #11 12-10-2011, 02:53 PM

Do lighter strings and reduced tension help at all? Does strengthening the wrist and forearm muscles provide any relief. I'm sure you tried all that long ago. I don't know anything about your condition, just thinking.

I'm not for you quitting but I can't imagine playing and being in constant pain. It just wouldn't be worth it to me. Recently had to take time off from playing goalie in my hockey league due to a groin strain. I wanted to play so bad this past week but I knew it would only make things worse.

tazthewonderdog · #12 12-10-2011, 02:57 PM

Lighter strings won't help for me, seeing as I'm all about them drop-tuningz... as in I play way more Drop-C than standard. I do, however, have light strings for that, and my action's as low as she goes without sounding terrible.
and when my wrists are stronger, they hurt less.

James Judson · #13 12-10-2011, 04:25 PM

I would see a Naturopath. Western medicine is awesome at treating trauma but over all health is not in their vocabulary. Western medicine only treats symptoms and thinks if the symptoms are gone your healthy. If you need surgery or drugs thats what a Doctor is for. Do not let them tell you what you can or can not do. I was told I would never walk well but I wouldn't listen. I've been to the top of 10 mountains since my knee injuries, one of them (Mt Adams) 12,000 feet. Oh and painful every step. A Naturopath will treat you (all of you not just one spot). They rely heavily on nutrition and herbs (read NO SIDE EFFECTS). If I forget and take a double dose, no problem. Enough of my rant.

I have a friend (awesome bass player) that only uses one finger on his left hand. Not cuz of pain but because the rest of his fingers are not there. He makes do with what he's got. I'm sure some one has told him he couldn't play bass with just one finger.

And to the guy that says if it's painful stop, he's never been to physical therapy but of course that is really good advice if you don't know what the cause of pain is.

Get creative with it. Maybe laying your ax across your lap (ala Jeff Healy style) may be an answer. Left handed??? Keep experimenting and let us know what works as I may be in your situation some day.

Good luck to ya.

YMMV

Fassa Albrecht · #14 12-10-2011, 04:40 PM

I suffer from a congenital disorder which means my the ligaments in my hands and arms are much looser than normal, meaning the bones of my hand and wrist slide around, causing pains in my wrist, including nervous pains (which is why I have so much bother with playing bass!).

I can actually bend my fingers back 90 degrees or do, and as a kid I suffered from poor handwriting and poor co-ordination skills because my fingers just didn't work properly. I also found it difficult to play bass in the beginning because my fingers weren't able to press down on the strings with the fine motor control this requires...I seem to remember overshooting the fretboard on my G-string a lot.

I've been told there's not a huge amount I can do other than increase my muscle/ligament strength and keep my muscle fitness to a good standard. Funnily enough, playing the bass (which I incorrectly believed to be causing the problem) has become my solution. There's the option of steroidal injections but this isn't something I ideally want to do unless I really have to do so.

tazthewonderdog · #15 12-10-2011, 04:49 PM

Fassa, I have the exact same thing. I haven't played long, but maybe... just maybe... bass will help. Hope so.
James, I hate doctors. I haven't seen one about this, only a chiropractor and massage therapist who has both eastern and western massage degrees.

Fassa Albrecht · #16 12-10-2011, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tazthewonderdog

Fassa, I have the exact same thing. I haven't played long, but maybe... just maybe... bass will help. Hope so.
James, I hate doctors. I haven't seen one about this, only a chiropractor and massage therapist who has both eastern and western massage degrees.

The annoying part was that I'd been suffering wrist pain for years, doctors had kept telling me it was RSI, never bothered to send me to a specialist and then only after I practically begged for some help, sent me to a physio who told me in less than 5 min that bass wasn't the problem but this disorder.

Bass seems to help me in a lot of ways in that it exercises the small muscles of the hand as well as the wrist itself. Might not be the case for everyone but it seems to work for me.