Entrapped

[JoshS]

Hi all,
Been lurking for a few months now, enjoying the read and learning.

I played a little back in HS, took a few lessons, never really was any good, college got busy and never played again. Several moves, several jobs, several other hobbies, got cancer, changed jobs a few more times, had a child, and 20 some years passed.

For the better part of a year, been struggling with my left hand. At first I thought I broke it. Have gone through several diagnoses and more splints than I could count. The orthopedic surgeon cannot figure out my wrist and thumb, but a neurologist/EMT diagnosed ulnar nerve entrapment. (I blame chemo for it all...maybe). I had this nerve released, and was told I'd never really be able to use my 4th and 5th finger again much. I accepted this, but my best friend from HS suggested with some rehab I might. Figured playing bass would be instant feedback.

So, despite all this, I dug my old knockoff P from the basement and started trying. It needed work, so after a few weeks I got a slightly nicer, definitely newer setup. Since had a setup on the Cort including Dimarzio pickups and it sounds reasonable now. Have been working through the StudyBass online program for a few months now.

It still hurts. There are awesome days, and days it is seriously painful. I'd like to buy a nicer bass, but then I'll have a day I just cannot play without pain at all. So, I'm still working on it a little to see if I improve...or give up. Forgot how much I loved it, though. And that's my story.

 

[Oddly]

Wishing you all the best in this struggle.
I had hand issues myself and moving to a short-scale bass helped a lot, so maybe that's a possible road to look down?
Lighter strings too.
Exercises for your hands might help, but I'd leave suggestions on that to someone like @Fergie Fulton .
And of course, don't ever try to keep on playing through the pain...that will only aggravate your problems.

 

[MalcolmAmos]

I also had hand issues. CT from fretting a 6 string acoustic electric guitar. Being 84 years old I finally had to give up playing rhythm guitar. Point of my post; I think we all come to a time when we must say good-by to our old friends. Only you know if that time is now.

If so have you given any thought to a three string cigar box slide guitar? slide cigar box guitar - Bing video


Always something out there we can still make music on. Good luck which ever way you end up going.

 

[JoshS]

Cheers and Thank you both. I will spend some time on the Fergie Fulton vids on his website!

I should clarify, it came of as whiney, and I tagged it as such - but I'm actually optimistic. If I didn't play without a little pain, I'd never play at all as it is more or less constant, but waxing and waning in severity. Some days are pretty great, some less.

I [re]took up bass in the hopes of stretching out those 4th and 5th fingers. It is maybe working, although I don't have great dexterity (yet?) and occasionally miss. My hands are huge, and also curious - some days the smaller size of the Talman works better, some days I like the bigger neck on the P.

 

[Fergie Fulton]

Hi all,
Been lurking for a few months now, enjoying the read and learning.

I played a little back in HS, took a few lessons, never really was any good, college got busy and never played again. Several moves, several jobs, several other hobbies, got cancer, changed jobs a few more times, had a child, and 20 some years passed.

For the better part of a year, been struggling with my left hand. At first I thought I broke it. Have gone through several diagnoses and more splints than I could count. The orthopedic surgeon cannot figure out my wrist and thumb, but a neurologist/EMT diagnosed ulnar nerve entrapment. (I blame chemo for it all...maybe). I had this nerve released, and was told I'd never really be able to use my 4th and 5th finger again much. I accepted this, but my best friend from HS suggested with some rehab I might. Figured playing bass would be instant feedback.

So, despite all this, I dug my old knockoff P from the basement and started trying. It needed work, so after a few weeks I got a slightly nicer, definitely newer setup. Since had a setup on the Cort including Dimarzio pickups and it sounds reasonable now. Have been working through the StudyBass online program for a few months now.

It still hurts. There are awesome days, and days it is seriously painful. I'd like to buy a nicer bass, but then I'll have a day I just cannot play without pain at all. So, I'm still working on it a little to see if I improve...or give up. Forgot how much I loved it, though. And that's my story.

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Hi JoshS, sorry to read you are having problems.

There is no physical reason from a simple nerve entrapment that you cannot regain full function of your hand.

But if your thumb is an issue then it is not Ulnar entrapment, Thumb and Forefinger issues are not part of Ulnar Nerve issues, but peripheral nerve issues are a known side effect of Chemo.

PM me if you have any questions.

 

[JoshS]

Hi JoshS, sorry to read you are having problems.

There is no physical reason from a simple nerve entrapment that you cannot regain full function of your hand.

Thank you. That is my hope, and the impetus for trying to rehab in this way.

But if your thumb is an issue then it is not Ulnar entrapment, Thumb and Forefinger issues are not part of Ulnar Nerve issues, but peripheral nerve issues are a known side effect of Chemo.

PM me if you have any questions.

I actually think it is potentially 3 separate issues.
1) The entrapment should theoretically be fixed, and now the rehab. My elbow is still more or less dead (numb), but I'm getting a bit of feeling back in the fingers slowly. (I actually didn't even notice how "dead" my fingers were until diagnosed by EMG and pointed out by ortho - I went to get seen for the thumb and wrist).

2) The thumb hurts. Orthopedic surgeon writes it off as OA. I just don't believe it. OA localized to one joint only, in my non-dominant hand, with absolutely no relief from APAP or NSAIDs or ice or topicals, and which increased use has zero impact? The OT believes the X-ray shows no more than normal wear and tear and that hypermobility is causing it to unseat. He gave me some exercises which are maybe working.

3) The wrist feels crushed. Weird movement sends shooting pain that I can only describe as electric up the radius and ulna (or both) depending on the movement, and I have this constant desire to try to get my hand stretched out (and just can't). This may have been the dacarbazine, which you point out is a known AE. When I got it, at first they refused to give me a port and it just KILLED my arm with pain. Curiously, I had it in my toes too, but all of this was localized to the distal part of the L extremities. Over the years, the parasthesias have lessened, but this wrist thing came up concurrently with the thumb and entrapment.

So....I don't know where to go from here. But I am changing insurances this summer which will give me a second opinion in orthopedics.

Definitely appreciate the offer to PM. Let me see if I can get a new doc and then perhaps chat about what you might think. But I am most certainly open to suggestions.