Wrist pain and a busy schedule

[mashed potatoes]

I've been developing some terrible pain in both my wrists. The doctor I saw said I've been playing with a lot of tension and I've developed "lot's of tiny sprains" in both wrists. While I've been doing everything I can to eliminate this tension and to speed up healing, it's taking longer than I'd like, and it's hurting a lot more than I expected.
I think a lot of it stems from my shoulders, as I've noticed I can really tense them up whenever I'm sightreading, or whenever I'm nervous or tense throughout the day. I've been trying to relax them, stretching at various points during the day, icing both wrists, and taking ibuprofen for the swelling. I've also tried to be a little more focused on my meditation. Hopefully this will relieve some stress?

Is there anything else you guys would recommend?

Secondly, my upcoming schedule disagrees with my wrists a lot, and I think somewhere something has got to give
I recently agreed to take a gig with a killer fusion band. It's just one gig, but I've got to learn all their charts, and they are far from simple. Frequent meter changes, loads of killer slap lines and double thumps (the guy who I'm subbing for is a BEAST), and runs up and down the full register of the instrument. This stuff is going to take some serious time, and I don't think it's going to agree with my wrists that well. I also have two gigs this upcoming weekend with my funk band, as well as some time in the studio with them.

Basically, I'm trying to figure out if what I can do. Will playing excessively cause permanent damage? And is there anything else I can do to speed of the healing process of my wrists?

[lefty007]

The obvious advice would be, try to relax, rethink your playing approach, maybe do a setup on your basses with lighter strings and lower action and play softer (increasing the volume on your amp). If you play a heavy bass, get a good wide strap, or get a new lighter bass.

Are we talking about electric or upright bass, or both?

Also, do you spend a lot of time using a computer's mouse? I'm getting signs of carpal tunnel syndrome from the computer's mouse, not from playing bass.

[mashed potatoes]

Originally Posted by lefty007

The obvious advice would be, try to relax, rethink your playing approach, maybe do a setup on your basses with lighter strings and lower action and play softer. If you play a heavy bass, get a good wide strap, or get a new lighter bass.

Are we talking about electric or upright bass, or both?

I already play with very low action and use one of those nifty, comfy sadowsky straps. A lighter bass is an interesting option, as my Lakland DJ gets a bit heavy if I stand for more than an hour. Unfortunately my budget is very limited as playing is my only income for the next month.

The upright has been collecting dust ever since the pain developed, so it's just electric this past month or more

[mashed potatoes]

bump?