Bass elbow ?

[GRAHAM SG1]

I have noticed over the last few weeks an ache in my left elbow, I have practised a lot recently and wondered if my playing was the cause, its not painful enough to be tennis elbow, I use my left arm on the bass neck .
Have any of you guys noticed this ??

[bobunit]

Originally Posted by GRAHAM SG1

I have noticed over the last few weeks an ache in my left elbow, I have practised a lot recently and wondered if my playing was the cause, its not painful enough to be tennis elbow, I use my left arm on the bass neck .
Have any of you guys noticed this ??

Have you experienced tennis elbow in the past?

[SurferJoe46]

I get this same pain when I play particularly stiff strings. It's odd - but I can go for weeks and not feel it and then one day it's back.

Originally I thought it was my ROTO flats that did it - but now I'm not sure that's the whole cause. Mixing up the basses I play and alternately not playing the P with the ROTOS seemed to be hit-or-miss and the elbow would hurt pretty much when/if it felt like it.

The worst time I had it I had been playing while seated and took on an odd sitting pattern - one you need to play in a desk chair that has arm rails - so I think that might have been instrumental.

I can't stand for long for skeletal reasons, so I find if I sit in the wrong type of chair I get the elbow pain to return. What I've found is that using a tall stool that keeps me in a better posture helps a lot.

There are two distinct elbow pains: Tennis & Golf are different in that one is on the inside of the elbow, the other on the inside of it.

Golfer's elbow, or medial epicondylitis, is similar to its counterpart, tennis elbow.

The primary differences between these conditions are the location of the pain and the activity that leads to injury.

However, both conditions are caused by overuse of the muscles and tendons of the forearm, leading to inflammation and pain around the elbow joint.

What is golfers elbow?
These problems, tennis elbow and golfer's elbow, are both forms of tendonitis.

Tendons are the ends of muscles that attach to bone. Because of the force of the muscle, the points of insertion of the tendon on the bone are often pointed prominences.

The medical names of Tennis Elbow (lateral epicondylitis) and Golfer's Elbow (medial epicondylitis) come from the names of these bony prominences where the tendons insert, and where the inflammation causes the pain.

The pain of golfer's elbow is usually at the elbow joint on the inside of the arm; a shooting sensation down the forearm is also common while gripping objects.

What causes golfers elbow?
The mechanism of this injury can vary from a single violent action to, more commonly, repetitive stress injury where an action is performed repeatedly and pain gradually develops.

No one is immune from these injuries, but they are most common at the beginning of the golf season, or when the offending activity is increased in intensity or duration.

Golf is one common cause of these symptoms, but many other sport- and work-related activities can cause the same problem.

Another common cause of this injury is with weekend carpenters who use hand tools on occasion.

Golfer's elbow is usually a self-limited problem, and does not cause any long-term disability.

Treatment is rarely surgical, as this condition is well managed with a little rest and proper rehabilitation.

* Lifestyle Modification
Lifestyle modification is important if golfer's elbow does not resolve or if it recurs. With athletes, often a change in technique (see below) can resolve the problem.

* Changing Swing Mechanics
Golf clubs should be sized properly, including grip size. Swing mechanics should be evaluated to ensure patients are swinging properly. See a golf pro/instructor for a swing and club evaluation.

* Anti-inflammatory Medications
Anti-inflammatory medications are often used to help control pain and inflammation. The oral forms of these medications are easy to take, and often help control the inflammation as well as manage the pain associated with golfer's elbow.

* Cortisone Injections
If these conservative measures fail, a steroid (cortisone) injection is a reasonable option. If a person has tried more than two cortisone injections without relief, it is unlikely that additional injections will benefit the patient.

* Stretching & Exercises
Some simple stretches and exercises can also be helpful in controlling the symptoms of golfer's elbow. These exercises should not cause pain, and if they do the exercises should not be done until the pain resolves. By strengthening the muscles and tendons involved with golfers' elbow, you can help prevent the problem from returning.

................and by extension, we can apply this to playing bass too.

I hope it isn't a bad case. It can last years. Is the pain on the outside or the inside of the elbow? Get to a Sports or Arts medicine doctor and have it looked at. Do you also type a lot on a computer keyboard? Computer keyboards can destroy arms.

Ed S.

[Commreman]

It starts out mild, and then gets full blown if you choose to ignore it. My painful experience a year and a half ago is here:

No options left - It's surgery for my tendinitis

Don't let this be you!

[fearceol]

Originally Posted by edspyhill01

Get to a Sports or Arts medicine doctor and have it looked at.

+1.

[MatticusMania]

I thought this thread was about a Bass Ebow and that the OP just made a typo.

My apologies, I cant help you with this issue.

[BigOldHarry]

Originally Posted by bobunit

Have you experienced tennis elbow in the past?

LOL

I had both elbows done about 10 years ago - Doc said that playing bass didn't help my left elbow, but it didn't cause it (it might be my years working putting up fences...)

Get thee to a doc and ask about lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow).

[rollerberg2000]

I used to get tennis elbow in my fretting arm when my Rickenbacker was my main squeeze. It was neck heavy, I found myself holding the neck up while I played it all night and it was wearing me out! I went back to playing a Precision and the pain went away, that's when I made the connection.

[ggunn]

I was having problems with my left elbow for a while. It hurt especially when I picked up my bass by the neck with my left hand, raised the headstock about head height and stuck my right arm through the strap to put it on. The rest of the time I was playing I would get little stabs of pain when I moved certain ways.

I changed my behavior; now when I pick up my bass off the stand with my left hand, I only lift/hold the headstock about waist height with my elbow against my hip and then transfer the weight to my right arm to lift the strap onto my shoulder. I noticed an immediate improvement and now my elbow doesn't bother me at all any more.

If it hurts when you do something, stop doing it.

[dozicusmaximus]

I've had tendonitis (a Navy doctor called it "loosey juicey" once. haha) since I was 13. It really only acts up when I play for 3-4 hrs with neck heavy/thick guage strings, sometimes.
Fish oil is supposed to be good for the joints I hear. Anti inflammitories/pain pill (Naproxen), help a little.
It's only really bad a combined time of a month a yr. I usually try to not think about it and hope it feels better the next day. I have to pop my elbows if I can in the morning, so they don't sieze up during the day.

Originally Posted by rollerberg2000

I used to get tennis elbow in my fretting arm when my Rickenbacker was my main squeeze. It was neck heavy, I found myself holding the neck up while I played it all night and it was wearing me out! I went back to playing a Precision and the pain went away, that's when I made the connection.

I came to a similar conclusion but with classical guitar. I could not use a footstool because it bothered my back and left hip. So I bought and tried about 8 - 10 different kinds of guitar supports. The elbow got so bad I had to stop playing the end of April 2009.

When I tried to go back to CG about 14 months later I finally realized that the supports did not keep the guitar stable so therefore I was tensing my left shoulder and elbow to hold the guitar neck steady. There were a few other causes: the CG neck was wide and shallow; and typing all day is really the cause and aggravates the problem.

I experimented with steel string guitars, narrower nylon string necks and guitar straps, but still could not go back to CG. Then I made one last observation, I could no longer hold down 3 and 4 strings at the same time with my left hand.

But I could play bass guitar! So I'm back to bass guitar and fretless at that. This time no tension in the left shoulder or elbow.

Ed S.

[GRAHAM SG1]

Good replies guys, my drummer had tennis elbow and he said I could not even lift the bass or amp so I eliminated that theory .
Its the bone on the outside of the elbow, it is definitely aggravated by playing, as suggested, I will alter my stance etc and see, strange as I have played guitar for over 20 years and not so much as an itch , maybe the bass requires mores hand/arm muscle power which I am developing ? also its a longer stretch being a longer (albeit a short scale) neck .
Oh well, they do say `no pain, no gain` .

[ggunn]

Originally Posted by GRAHAM SG1

Good replies guys, my drummer had tennis elbow and he said I could not even lift the bass or amp so I eliminated that theory .
Its the bone on the outside of the elbow, it is definitely aggravated by playing, as suggested, I will alter my stance etc and see, strange as I have played guitar for over 20 years and not so much as an itch , maybe the bass requires mores hand/arm muscle power which I am developing ? also its a longer stretch being a longer (albeit a short scale) neck .
Oh well, they do say `no pain, no gain` .

So you are going to your drummer for medical diagnoses?

My affliction was diagnosed as tennis elbow by my doctor, although it was not a severe case. He advised me to be on the lookout for specific movements that hurt, and (just like the old doctor joke says) "don't do that". When you repeatedly do something that hurts your elbow, you are making it worse, or at least prolonging your recovery. I could pick up my bass, but it hurt the way I was doing it, so I changed it, and my elbow got better.

FWIW. the gap between the points of the bones on the outside of my elbow is where my pain was.

Want to add one more bit of info about tennis/golf elbow.

In the Classical Guitar world there is the belief that Flamenco players almost never get Tennis Elbow in their right or playing arm. The reason, many think, is that they play rasquedos, which uses and strengthens the extensor muscles of the hand and arm. Fretting uses the flexor muscles exclusively.

I found that using a Digi-Extend to be helpful.
http://www.bpp2.com/physical_therapy...se-010315.html

You could do the same thing with rubber bands, starting with low resistance. That is the way I started. There are other similar devices but after reading online reviews I opted for the Digi-extend.

Ed S.