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Anyone deal with wrist problems related to slap technique?

jplunara

jplunara

Supporting Member
Jul 21, 2010
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#1
Wondering if I can crowd source this one. I’ve been having issues with an acute flare of what I am almost sure is tenosynovitis and tendinitis in my wrist and right thumb from leaning much harder into slap technique combined with logging a lot of time entering data on computer/phone as a cherry on top. Has any one else dealt with this and then subsequently found a remedy or an alteration that worked? There is some slap work on my set list that I’d really at least like to play without injuring myself. Come just as I’ve gotten competent with slap triplets and different rhythms etc…

I rested it and had it feeling quite a lot better, but I’ve been doing some more slap work and it’s back. So now, I think I’ve narrowed it down to an issue with that technique. I play super light .089 E thomastiks and I do not have a heavy hand as I’ve already dealt with tendinitis that progressed to tendinosis in the middle finger I’m eventually going to have to do trigger finger release for I’m sure.

In the mean time, I’m back to night time brace, diclofenac gel (helps tremendously), and stretching…
 
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#2
jplunara said:
Wondering if I can crowd source this one. I’ve been having issues with an acute flare of what I am almost sure is tenosynovitis and tendinitis in my wrist and right thumb from leaning much harder into slap technique combined with logging a lot of time entering data on computer/phone as a cherry on top. Has any one else dealt with this and then subsequently found a remedy or an alteration that worked? There is some slap work on my set list that I’d really at least like to play without injuring myself. Come just as I’ve gotten competent with slap triplets and different rhythms etc…

I rested it and had it feeling quite a lot better, but I’ve been doing some more slap work and it’s back. So now, I think I’ve narrowed it down to an issue with that technique. I play super light .089 E thomastiks and I do not have a heavy hand as I’ve already dealt with tendinitis that progressed to tendinosis in the middle finger I’m eventually going to have to do trigger finger release for I’m sure.

In the mean time, I’m back to night time brace, diclofenac gel (helps tremendously), and stretching…
Click to expand...

Do you have a short video of your slap playing? Then we can help better.
 
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#5
Thanks for the clip. It’s a bit hard to see but I don’t see anything really wrong. Only thing I notice is that you seem to hit the string more on the edge of the tip of your thumb. You could try to hit it a bit lower on your thumb, just past the knuckle, somewhere where the nail starts.

Also you can try to bounce the thumb from the string instead of striking through the string to the next string. Both techniques are valuable but the bouncing is better if you want to go faster.

To really see it better it will help if you could film your whole posture from the front, not just the wrist.
 
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#6
Les Fret said:
Thanks for the clip. It’s a bit hard to see but I don’t see anything really wrong. Only thing I notice is that you seem to hit the string more on the edge of the tip of your thumb. You could try to hit it a bit lower on your thumb, just past the knuckle, somewhere where the nail starts.

To really see it better it will help if you could film your whole posture, not just the wrist.
Click to expand...

Callouses tell no lies… this is the usual contact point for me. I’ll do an additional video when I get the chance and do a wider one with an actual song so that it’s 100%. It seems like I have a bit of a predisposition to RSI in general, although I think it’s partially because I pushed myself way too hard when I was a teenager learning to play and powered through pain and what not. Having to learn how to not do that as an adult to make up for past transgressions against my body (story of adulthood, right?)
 

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#7
Before I go any further, I am NOT a doctor or a PT but simply someone who has personally dealt with wrist issues, injuries and pain.

My best guess is that the problem is not your technique per se, but that the movement(s) aggravate a - likely unrelated - injury from the past.

Speaking to a medical professional and insisting on getting an MRI ASAP would be my suggestion.

Wishing you the very best of luck.
 
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#8
I play with very similar slap technique, mostly thumb corner/tip and a lot of the modern down/upstroke approach. Same strings, same light touch, super low action.

I have arthritis in both wrists, though my left is weaker than my right. I also went through a serious round of De Quervains Tenosynovitis, which I aggravated at the gym picking up some weights but was probably compounded by years of wearing down my joints. I have a history of tendonitis, too.

When things got really bad I could barely play music at all, I basically retired from live gigging because my hands couldn't do it anymore. After over a year of pain I got a cortisone injection in my left wrist and, while it was a really miserable procedure, it was like magic! I haven't needed another one and it's been a couple of years now.

I shifted to playing my bass in a more classical guitar position, especially when I'm up higher on the neck, and that also helps keep my wrist angles clean and avoids getting into painful positions.

Also, make sure you have good gel wrist pads for your keyboard and mouse! When you spend all day on the computer it makes this stuff so much worse, but proper wrist support and straight wrists while working can really make a difference.
 
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#11
JimmyM said:
You are moving your thumb. Try keeping your thumb as still as possible while staying relaxed, and move it from the forearm.
Click to expand...
The illustrious Jimmy chimes in on one of my threads… yes, there are points where I am using the action of the thumb more, something I’m going to be looking at and adjusting. It’s gotten a lot better at this point.
 
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#12
JonathanPDX said:
I play with very similar slap technique, mostly thumb corner/tip and a lot of the modern down/upstroke approach. Same strings, same light touch, super low action.

I have arthritis in both wrists, though my left is weaker than my right. I also went through a serious round of De Quervains Tenosynovitis, which I aggravated at the gym picking up some weights but was probably compounded by years of wearing down my joints. I have a history of tendonitis, too.

When things got really bad I could barely play music at all, I basically retired from live gigging because my hands couldn't do it anymore. After over a year of pain I got a cortisone injection in my left wrist and, while it was a really miserable procedure, it was like magic! I haven't needed another one and it's been a couple of years now.

I shifted to playing my bass in a more classical guitar position, especially when I'm up higher on the neck, and that also helps keep my wrist angles clean and avoids getting into painful positions.

Also, make sure you have good gel wrist pads for your keyboard and mouse! When you spend all day on the computer it makes this stuff so much worse, but proper wrist support and straight wrists while working can really make a difference.
Click to expand...
ajkula66 said:
Before I go any further, I am NOT a doctor or a PT but simply someone who has personally dealt with wrist issues, injuries and pain.

My best guess is that the problem is not your technique per se, but that the movement(s) aggravate a - likely unrelated - injury from the past.

Speaking to a medical professional and insisting on getting an MRI ASAP would be my suggestion.

Wishing you the very best of luck.
Click to expand...

I think you're both on to it. I switched jobs and I'm working on a laptop at about 2% of what I was doing. It's improved so much, I'm sure it was flaring existing inflammation. New work computers, that I spend waaay less time at, have the pads etc for a real mouse, not clicking a track pad and what not.

I do have some old RSIs and traumatic injuries to the arm, does put higher risk of flares in general. This was a new pain for me, though.

I AM actually an RN, and working in rehab now side by side with PTs and OTs. I'll pick their brains if the pain comes back. But YouTube therapists helped get over the hump…
 
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#13
jplunara said:
The illustrious Jimmy chimes in on one of my threads… yes, there are points where I am using the action of the thumb more, something I'm going to be looking at and adjusting. It's gotten a lot better at this point.
Click to expand...
That’s good to hear that it’s better. I don’t know if the thumb moving is what’s causing your pain entirely but it can’t be helping.
 

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