Have You Ever Had Any Injuries That Kept You Away From Playing?

anon65884001 · #1 04-03-2009, 11:22 PM

Hi all
I don't know where to put personal stories related to music, so i guess i just have to put it here...

I just got a right thumb injury from intense street hockey
I was defending someone from scoring
And i awkwardly hit my right thumb on my belly
And the joints feel really really loose now

I had this 'injury' during November or December from volleyball
I was doing some overhead settings
Then i set it with my right thumb up too high, then it almost felt like i dislocated it

From that point,
I could not play ANY instrument for at least a month
Even worse,
It took me months to recover
And last week,
It was good enough for me that i could play electric bass, string bass, and cello (i had lots of problems with string bass on non harmonic thumb positions) with ease
So I was really excited to play some thumb positions on my double bass
And today

I got it injured again

It took me at least 4 MONTHS to recover alright
And i thought that it would take me at least an year to recover completely
So all i had to do was be safe for next 8 months
And

I guess that ill just quit all my instruments for few months
Then start again...

What's your story?

fretlessguy · #2 04-04-2009, 03:37 AM

Ten years ago I had "Tennis Elbow" (it has a medical name I cannot remember) that made me grit my teeth just to shake hands with folks from church. Needless to say, it came from playing the bass in an awkward position, so I had to have my doctor help me to learn a better way to hold and play it. I also had to lay off playing for 3 and 1/2 months, and wear a wrap around brace on my elbow for that amount of time.
The way I have held the bass since leads to what some would call bad technique, but it sure beats being in pain.

Commreman · #3 04-04-2009, 06:33 AM

It's called "lateral Epilcondylitis". My experience and surgery this year is outlined in great detail here:

No options left - It's surgery for my tendinitis

geeza · #4 04-04-2009, 07:03 AM

I have MS. I had a really bad relapse in '04. I didn't regain enough strength in my left hand to play until about 6 months ago.

thumpbass1 · #5 04-04-2009, 08:20 AM

Yes. I had an accident that had sliced the tendon away from the knuckle of my index finger on my left hand, leaving a nice 3 inch long deep slice as well. It was 6 weeks in a metal and fabric hand brace after a surgeon reattatched the tendon, and about 8 months to finally be able to play pain free at full strength.

I didn't waste time while waiting to heal. The brace left my thumb hanging out, so I learned how to play lap style blues guitar with a long shot glass on my thumb. It kept me sane from a desire to play music standpoint, plus I learned a new skill that I still enjoy today.

BassSlave · #6 04-04-2009, 08:42 AM

I had two separate injuries. The first was a tendon laceration on my plucking hand's thumb. I punched a window at work so I wouldn't hit one of the bosses (go figure). After the re-attachment it took about a year to heal. They put a long metal pin in the middle of the thumb and when they took it out the thumb was very stiff. So then a couple of years later, I lacerated the tendons in my plucking hand's arm severing the nerves and everything which made my hand totally paralyzed except for my index and ring fingers. I couldn't play two-handed bass for over a year, but leaned left-handed tapping. It took a couple of years after the brace was taken off to learn to play without cramping up my right (plucking) hand. My thumb was dead (again) too so it took a while to get all of my fingers back in sync, but I learned that thru preserverence and the love of music, that I spent those years learning theory inside and out, and transcribed a bunch of stuff. Now I can say that I am totally healed and 300% stronger and play very efficiently yet powerful when need be. That was about 20 years ago and I still reflect back on that time when I almost lost music for good, but the threat of that made me get serious, not that I wasn't already very serious working and practicing everyday before than.

T-Bird · #7 04-04-2009, 11:22 AM

Hi.

U-turning cager, I rear-ended at 80 km/h, high-sided over the car, 'ol ratty landed on top of me and if that wasn't all, my right ear went stone deaf from the smack onto the pavement. Kept me quite a few years off playing any instrument.
SUCKED BAD (still does, but at least I'm playing again

).

Regards
Sam

RickenBoogie · #8 04-05-2009, 09:10 AM

Severe cuts to the fingers usually slows the playing to a stop. I had a gig in the 80's where I was forced to play with one of these bad cuts, and I bled all over my bass. Looked like rock n roll, but cleaning dried blood from the fret board is no fun.

Wally Malone · #9 04-05-2009, 01:02 PM

In 2000 my bicep tendon was separated and I had surgery to have it reattached. I was performing in Tony & Tina's Wedding in San Francisco. My sub got ten weeks worth of work.

Wally

JTE · #10 04-05-2009, 02:01 PM

Lessee....

I used to work in HVAC installation, so I pretty regularly got cuts from the sheet metal as I was installing duct work. Couple of times it'd happen on Friday night, right at the tips where the callouses were. I just played with a pick or figured out different left-hand fingerings.

Once I put my bicycle down (I hate "bike lanes" because they're too dangerous- I told someone "Passing on your left" and the doofus turned to his left into me) at about 15 MPH. Not that fast but my helmet was in five pieces, the tip of my right humerus (at the shoulder) was in two pieces, and the tip of my right radius was in two or three pieces. I played keyboard bass for three gigs.

jte

CamMcIntyre · #11 04-05-2009, 10:34 PM

I broke my wrist really early on. Beyond that ::knocks on wood:: the worst I've done was really bad blisters.

southernrocker · #12 04-05-2009, 10:48 PM

I split my thumb open to the bone in a freak accident in the woods. This was not good for slapping.

cassanova · #13 04-06-2009, 02:17 AM

I got a boxers fracture back in 1992 and had my hand set in a cast. That pretty much put me out of the game for a little while.

Though I did take the stage to do a set here and there with some friends bands while my hand was still in the cast. Though difficult, its not impossible to play in one.

The_Ox · #14 04-06-2009, 09:30 AM

I broke my Left Wrist about three years before I decided to play bass. so I guess that doesn't count.

It was in a cast for six weeks.

I'm sure glad I broke that arm three years ago; If I did it now I don't think I'd forgive myself for it.

ShawnStones · #15 04-07-2009, 01:14 AM

I was still racing BMX the first few years I was learning/playing bass and hyper-extender my right hand thumb on the track one day. No slapping and no planting of the thumb made it very hard to pay and so I couldn't really touch my bass, or bike for about a month....it sucked.