Quote:
Originally Posted by BenderR  Just a couple of added thoughts. One week ago today (to the minute) I was in the recovery room after being operated on by an orthopaedic surgeon. I've had minor tendon related problems in my left arm for years, but nothing I couldn't manage by massaging deeply on my left forearm just below the elbow. Then, about two years ago I started to find that playing even a 34" scale elctric bass was causing me pain almost instantaneously. Playing a DB was pretty much out of the question. I switched to a 30" scale bass (on the advice of a medical professional that also played bass) and kept plugging along. (Actually, a Fender Mustang bass is a pretty decent sounding electric in spite of its size. It sounds somewhat like a P-Bass.)
Last summer I experienced sharp pains in my left shoulder and immediately thought "rotator cuff". I tried some of the more passive approaches, rest, moderate exercise and anti-inflamatory medication, but the problem seemed to persist as a mild chronic pain with flare-ups, usually related to reaching above my head.
Finally, this spring it got bad enough that I sought out an orthopaedic surgeon and he did an x-ray, then scheduled an MRI. Upon seeing the results he suggeted surgery to reliefve impingement caused by bone spurs and repair the tendon. When I woke up from surgery I found that my left arm was in a sling but not strapped to my torso. I had won the shoulder surgery lottery . . . my tendons were fine! All they had to do is remove some bone spurs (probably related to an injury that occured in the '80s) and almost instantly the strength returned to my left hand.
I do mean almost instantly too. I actually played my Mustang bass 12 hours after the operation and within a few days I was able to play a 34" scale bass with comfort. Just for the sake of comparison, before the surgery I was doing good to last one measure on a 34" bass and a DB was no longer even in my thought process. I don't know if I'll ever be able to handle a full scale DB again but even the progress I've made in the last week has placed some interesting electric uprights within my reach. Even an NS Design Bass Cello would be a huge step in the right direction and at least I'd have an instrument that can be bowed.
I only mention all of this to bring out one single point, there are other conditions besides CTS that can cause problems. In my case surgery, and only surgery did the trick. I've seen the photos of the inside of the joint and prior to surgery everything was scrunched together like sardines. Other than some residual soreness where they stuck the arthtoscope in and a bit of rawness where they actually trimmed the bone I am experiencing no pain and have regained much of my range of motion.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery. |
I posted about my problem under the "basses" section & have had only one reply. I Guess I should have started here. My problem turned out to be a badly herniated disc in my neck. I've suffered from pain & numbness from my neck down to my fingers off & on for over 10 years. I know several people who are dealing well w/ CT, I don't want to confuse the 2 problems, and try to rush anyone into surgery. However, I believe that in many cases, if all other options fail, surgery may be the best option for many such conditions. This should only be done after seeking several highly qualified opinions and trying other treatments 1st. Don't let anyone rush You into it. I had an operation called an anterior cervical disectomy 3 weeks ago. The disk was removed & the 2 vertabra fused. The disk was compressing my spine and the nerve root of all the major nerves in my left arm. Bone spures were there too, and my condition may have been even worse than yours(in all due respect). Years of physical theropy and swimming and other treatments simply couldn't do the trick. Some of the problem was bass related, some from other factors(highscool football 30 years ago, a bike wreck...). Playing the bass made the pre-existing problem worse over time. I agree with the above info on repetitive stress injuries as well. Some surgeries give immediate results, mine will be gradual over a 2-3 month period. This is a serious yet routine operation with success rates over 90%. There are NFL players who have had this operation. My point here is that choosing surgery as the final option is not something to fear. In one of the above posts, someone said that surgeries have limited success. I respectfully request a clarification as to which specific surgery was being referred too. The statement may be correct about some surgeries, but please be specific and don't generalize. This can be misleading. Please directed us to your source of information. A good place to start a search for info is MedlinePlus.com. I'm sorry to hear about other peoples problems, but it's also nice to know that I am in good company. Good luck to us all.
P.S. I'd love to hear from anyone with my problem & share info on recovery. I had a chance to talk to Paul Ellison about this & he said a herniated disk is a common problem w/ bass players. I sugjest that anyone suffering from any kind of arm pain ask your Doc about disk problems. If a Doc or Chiopractor says You don't need an xray, find another one who will, then compare what they say. If it's a disk problem, it probably will NOT need surgery, don't let me worry You!!
