Avoiding hand cramps

[Skybone]

Stretching your fingers out before playing will also reduce cramp. For example, put all your fingertips together and then push, don't let any other part of your hands touch, just the fingertips. You will feel the muscles stretching. Just a moderate pressure is enough to start your muscles stretching, but do it quite a few times before you start playing.

Strap length is another one to look out for, the more extreme the strap length, the more acute the angle of your wrist on your fretting hand. A straighter wrist will mean more blood flowing into your fingers.

Used to get cramp a lot when I played guitar, especially if I was playing chords all the time. The finger stretches really helped, and still do.

 

[Biggbass]

Hydration and Bananas (potasium helps with cramps)

Back in my younger years I was active in the sport of off road motorcycle racing. One season, when I was accumulating points that had me in the top 3 within the State I decided to go all healthy with my diet and took raw corn & salad for my race weekend food.
We had a 50 mile course with a first man to the finish line race on Sunday morning and I held first place all the way to within a mile of the finish line. Then my legs started cramping up so badly I had to pull off the course. I was a good mile ahead of the #2 rider but had to sit there on the side of the course trying to uncramp my legs as the #2 guy caught up and passed me. Then I bit the bullet and rode the last mile with both legs stretched out
straight, in pain from the cramps. I passed the finish line and rode to my trailer/pit, dumped the bike and hit the ground., unable to move without cramping up badly. A few minutes later one of my riding buddies, who was a pro class racer, elevated my legs on a lawn chair and gave me a couple of aspirin and water. I laid there for an hour before I could finally move.

What I learned from this experience and from my friend's advice was:
1) I ate the wrong foods and didn't carb up
2) Lactic acid build up causes muscle cramps
3) Potassium prevents Lactic acid build up
4) Aspirin thins the blood and helps flow, also helping to prevent cramps

I carried the learning from that experience forward and use it now for prepping for gigs.
It works.

Bananas? Sure, but you'll get a better dose of Potassium from tablets and you'll need to eat several bananas to get the same dosage from just a couple of tablets.
I usually take 4 and keep a couple of aspirin in my pocket for back up if needed,
or take them on the way home.

 

[primusfan1989]

Bananas? Sure, but you'll get a better dose of Potassium from tablets and you'll need to eat several bananas to get the same dosage from just a couple of tablets.
I usually take 4 and keep a couple of aspirin in my pocket for back up if needed,
or take them on the way home.

Never heard about the aspirin trick but it totally makes sense, gonna give it a shot. Id still prefer to eat some bananas that take pills

 

[Modder]

Hi all

Brilliant responses on all this thanks so much! A quick update. I've stared doing the stretches and warm ups and have ensured I drink a load more water and eat a banana a day. Ive also shortened my bass strap so have the neck closer to hand. I still think I may ultimately get a medium scale bass as I do find I feel over stretched at the lower frets and I think this may be contributing to general fatigue: but that will be longer term if for no other reason than cost!

Our next gig is Feb 11: I will try to report back on how it goes!