Hand cramps - any advice?

[LBS-bass]

Not sure where to put this, doesn't quite seem like it fits under technique.

Anyway, I've been recording tracks with a drummer for the last two days and have probably spent between 8 to 10 hours all told in the garage doing this. Tonight I had a rehearsal and during the second song I had a cramp in my left hand that seemed to start with the muscle in my forearm that controls my ring and little fingers. Those fingers cramped up and I couldn't play the song. Every time I'd try to use those two fingers, they would cramp. That's never happened to me before.

I took some ibuprofen and shook my hand around and tried to work it out, and was able to finish rehearsal. I'm sure this is due to too much playing, but wondering if there's any advice as to what I can do for this, beyond just not playing so much. I have another rehearsal tomorrow afternoon but it will not be a very long one, probably just an hour and a half or so. The day after that I have more recording scheduled, but I think I need to schedule in a long break. Beyond that, any thoughts? Should I put ice on it? Heat? Just leave it alone?

 

[Lesfunk]

I’ve hydrated with sports drinks with electrolytes with good results

 

[BassBeginer64]

Do your 2 fingers cramp to the point you cant straighten them? I also have this problem, Doc prescribed potassium, which did the trick for me, for you might just need stretching, if you cramp up again, this sounds nuts try "pickle juice" this old trick was used when I had leg cramps when I would over do it at the gym and works pretty dang fast.

 

[LBS-bass]

Do your 2 fingers cramp to the point you cant straighten them? I also have this problem, Doc prescribed potassium, which did the trick for me, for you might just need stretching, if you cramp up again, this sounds nuts try "pickle juice" this old trick was used when I had leg cramps when I would over do it at the gym and works pretty dang fast.

Yes, I lost control of them completely and couldn't straighten them at all. Every time I would try to use those fingers to fret a note they would tighten up and I couldn't move them. Potassium and pickle juice, plus electrolytes? Huh. Worth trying, for sure. Thanks!

 

[Stumbo]

Muscle cramp - Symptoms and causes


Prevention
These steps may help prevent cramps:

Avoid dehydration. Drink plenty of liquids every day. The amount depends on what you eat, your sex, your level of activity, the weather, your health, your age and medications you take. Fluids help your muscles contract and relax and keep muscle cells hydrated and less irritable. During activity, replenish fluids at regular intervals, and continue drinking water or other fluids after you're finished.

Stretch your muscles. Stretch before and after you use any muscle for an extended period. If you tend to have leg cramps at night, stretch before bedtime. Light exercise, such as riding a stationary bicycle for a few minutes before bedtime, also may help prevent cramps while you're sleeping.

 

[jerry]

As I’ve aged I’ve had major cramping problems on gigs, making unintentional gang signs and other messes. As previously mention I now drink a ton of water and take potassium, I’ve also cut out caffeine four hours before gigs and cut down on salt, and I love salt. It all has seemed to help a lot.

 

[biguglyman]

Tonic water, bananas, magnesium... just a few of the suggestions I've gotten recently. I've been having the same issue for months now, but I'm an old fart. Sounds like you just overdid it.

 

[LBS-bass]

Thank you all. I am an old fart, too. Trying not to let it slow me down, but it kind of sucks getting old when I still feel like I have so much music left to do. I'm picking up potassium supplements today. I don't like bananas or I'd just go get some of those. Did have a fairly salty dinner of soup yesterday between the recording session and the rehearsal so I wonder if maybe that contributed to it.

 

[Scottgun]

Try a lower action and a lighter touch.

 

[bass12]

Massage your arm and hand. During rehearsal try to change up your positions as often as you can (the repetition is likely what's causing you problems so switching up the positions and fingering might help). Quinine (hence the tonic water suggestion in a previous post) can help with leg cramps; I'm not sure if it also would help with the cramps you are describing but it might. Stretch before you play and see a physiotherapist as soon as you can. Good luck!

 

[pappabass]

Eat bananas, has potassium in them. Good for cramps. Watch out for carpal tunnel.

 

[Jebberz]

Did have a fairly salty dinner of soup yesterday between the recording session and the rehearsal so I wonder if maybe that contributed to it.

Salt is an enemy. It contributes to dehydration, gets your blood pressure higher and in the long run can make your veins harder. So my guess is it that can contribute, and probably a lot. A salt reduced diet can be hard to do at first, but when it became an habit, you then realise how many meals are overly salty.

Also check your playing posture. Your harm in a playing psidtion should feel relaxed, with no tension, with the less break angle in your wrist possible.. You may need to alter your strap lenght to acheive this.

Have a good setup that can mke you press less hard on your strings can hep too.

And at last, take the time to stretch and warm up before playing.

 

[TheReceder]

Been there.. except that it was my right my hand hand and the fingers would curl up to the point where I ended out having to play like a 50's bassist using my thumb to pluck. Ditto on the hydration and potassium.

When it happened on stage I'd usually be able to force my hand to open with the other hand and eventually get back to playing. To put it bluntly... I was scared...

 

[Keyser Soze]

I experienced cramps when the bandleader of the loud-ass jump blues band I was playing in eagerly agreed to the venue owner's request for an additional (fourth!) set because the place was poppin' and he was makin' coin. I started experiencing exactly the same symptoms you describe. (I was playing upright.) Fortunately, the repertoire was all in "guitar keys" (E, A, D, G) so I was able to craft new parts using open strings as much as possible and stopping the strings with only my index finger.

Altho I had never heard of it before, the tenor sax player's GF produced two bananas from outta nowhere and told me that potassium was great for cramps. I slammed 'em between tunes and, lo and behold, my cramps eased.

The owner came up with a nice bonus and we made more that night that we ever had at that venue.

Overcome your distaste for bananas? Or keep potassium supplements handy?

Good luck!

 

[HolmeBass]

Electrolytes include salts, of which potassium is one. Both pickle juice and bananas have a lot of potassium. The other component to stop cramping is water.

The electrolytes in human bodies include:

• sodium.
• potassium.
• calcium.
• bicarbonate.
• magnesium.
• chloride.
• phosphate.

So sodium chloride (table salt), potassium chloride, and magnesium chloride are all major salts. Evidently potassium is very important for muscles.

 

[LBS-bass]

I experienced cramps when the bandleader of the loud-ass jump blues band I was playing in eagerly agreed to the venue owner's request for an additional (fourth!) set because the place was poppin' and he was makin' coin. I started experiencing exactly the same symptoms you describe. (I was playing upright.) Fortunately, the repertoire was all in "guitar keys" (E, A, D, G) so I was able to craft new parts using open strings as much as possible and stopping the strings with only my index finger.

Altho I had never heard of it before, the tenor sax player's GF produced two bananas from outta nowhere and told me that potassium was great for cramps. I slammed 'em between tunes and, lo and behold, my cramps eased.

The owner came up with a nice bonus and we made more that night that we ever had at that venue.

Overcome your distaste for bananas? Or keep potassium supplements handy?

Good luck!

Yep, what I did too. Was a simple country-style song. I just played roots and open strings as much as I could using my index finger. Could not hit the fives or eights in the usual way but the song was in D so I could use the open D and A for much of it. I told the guys that if that ever happened at a gig I would be able to get through it, but it wouldn't be much in the way of fancy playing.

Just found out my husband bought bananas so I'm going to eat one even though I dislike them. And I ordered an electrolyte solution with potassium, magnesium and other good stuff. Should be here in a day or two.

 

[Fender_Bender]

Best bit of advice I can give you is not to rush into playing immediately. Go up and down the neck one fret at a time for a minimum of ten minutes to get a bit of a warmup going. Same principle as warming up before lifting weights. This has cut out all cramping/discomfort for me and you are much less likely to get an injury.

 

[Yango]

I used to have the left hand cramp issue on stage—and it was NOT pleasant. It turned out to be that my Jazz Bass neck was not the right size for my hand, it was too skinny. I bought a Musicman Stingray and a G&L LB-100 (Precision necks, 1 3/4” nut) and never had the problem again.

Try playing different basses, it may solve your problem.

 

[lz4005]

Ice, potassium and water. As much as you can stand of all three.

 

[equill]

Ice has turned out to do more harm than good. It helps dull the pain, which is good for distressing you less, but also reduces the ability to get "stop doing that" feedback from the damaged area. It's also been shown to cause tissue damage because many of the proteins involved can't cope with temperatures that low.