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Hurt my wrist while playing - what to do?

Gozerian

Gozerian

Guest
Aug 10, 2018
5
1
49
Denmark
#1
Two days ago, as I was playing my bass, I felt a sharp pain in my wrist and heard a little crunch, I could feel a little pop too. It hurt like hell, so I gave it a rest. Thought I was ok to play today, but hadn't played for long before the same thing happened, and now my whole arm hurts from the elbow and down.

Both times, it happened while stretching across the first few frets. Stretching is a bit of a atruggle for me, even on my short scale, and my guess is I must have developed a really bad technique.

Any idea what I did to my wrist and why? And what should I do now, take a long break?
 
#3
Based on your description (and in my non-doctor opinion), it sounds like you sprained or otherwise injured your hand trying to stretch (medical term "hyperextend") beyond your body's natural range of motion. My recommendation is to take a complete break from playing the bass, follow doctor's advice until your body is healed, and then start back up with simple, comfortable exercises, with a good teacher who specializes in safe technique. :)

The most important thing to remember is: DON'T STRETCH YOUR HAND!!! Keep your fingers close together and relaxed.

You should never experience any of these sensations while practicing bass (and you should stop immediately if you do): pain, numbness, tingling, pinching, cramping, burning, stiffness, blistering, or other discomfort. Ignore advice from any teachers with a macho "no pain, no gain" attitude.

If you want to post a "hand selfie" or video of your playing posture and technique, I bet you'll get some good advice. :)
 
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#6
Can you describe what this "stretching accross the few frets" is? Did you force your fingers to stretch, like using your right hand to spread the fingers of your left hand?

In my experience, I have had many injuries in the past, wrist injury (sprain, not broken wrist) takes a while to heal. In my case, my left wrist took about two weeks before the pain subsided, while my right wrist took longer, maybe up to a month.

You have to rest your wrist and take a break from playing for a while. See a doctor if you need to. Stop playing bass until the pain subsides... and be careful when using your injured hand. If you don't see a doctor you may want to immobilize the wrist, wrap a band around your wrist to limit the movement.
 
#8
gln1955 said:
Without a physical exam and maybe some imaging, no one on here has any idea what you did to your wrist. See your doc.
Click to expand...

+1. It always amazes me when people who have injured themselves in some way, post here asking what to do. To me.. (and I hope to most).. the answer is (or should be) obvious. See a doctor !!!!

OP..sorry if the above comes across as a bit harsh, but no one here is qualified to answer your question.

Hope you make a speedy recovery. :)
 
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#10
Well, my doctor doesn't want to look at it. Says it sounds like tendonitis or arthritis and that I should quit playing. Of course no one here is a doctor, but I am sure I am not the first to have had some kind of pain or injury from playing, and experience is valuable too.

Anyway, I have had someone check out my playing. I squeeze too hard, apparently! Not sure if that is what is causing the trouble, but I guess it could be. That is going to be tricky to unlearn. But right now I guess I am going to have to take a break and see if rest helps, and then try to learn to be more gentle when I play.
 
#11
fearceol said:
+1. It always amazes me when people who have injured themselves in some way, post here asking what to do. To me.. (and I hope to most).. the answer is (or should be) obvious. See a doctor !!!!

OP..sorry if the above comes across as a bit harsh, but no one here is qualified to answer your question.

Hope you make a speedy recovery. :)
Click to expand...
No offense taken, but see my post above. My doctor doesn't really care. Just looking for some experience
 
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#12
When you are ready to start back up again after your break, I'd be happy to take a look at your hand selfies or videos and give you some tips. I had bad tendonitis in my left wrist once (not from playing the bass) and made some changes to my bass technique as a result.
 
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#13
Gozerian said:
Anyway, I have had someone check out my playing. I squeeze too hard, apparently! Not sure if that is what is causing the trouble, but I guess it could be.
Click to expand...
Well, squeezing too hard certainly causes extra (and unnecessary) strain, but the single biggest cause of bass-playing injuries is probably fretting (or plucking) with a severely bent wrist. And if you're struggling to stretch over four frets, especially down near the nut, there's a good chance that you're guilty of this. If so, I would make fixing this aspect of your technique a higher priority than just trying to squeeze less.
 
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#14
can you change doctors? or get your doctor to refer you to a specialist?

the way arthritis is treated vs tendonitis isn't the same, and having arthritis can have other ramifications. with either, playing more gently or learning not to play with the grip of death can help - it's helped me - but in the heat of the moment, it's not easy to remember to play gently. perhaps it might help to play with a stretchy sleeve - they make these for those who suffer from carpal, which this could also be.

btw, i've had tendonitis for years, and i sleep in wrist braces to keep from bending my wrists while i'm asleep. that helped me to some degree.
 
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#15
I'm not a doctor, and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
Get a referral for either an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in wrist injuries, or for a hand specialist. In the mean time, I suggest RICE.
R - rest
I - ice
C - compression
E - elevation

Your symptoms sound similar to an injury I had years ago from playing even after I was experiencing pain. Don't use it if at all possible until it is looked at, and probably will require an MRI to diagnose.
 
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#17
Personally, I won't worry too much about it. I would rest my wrist for a week or so...stop playing bass, immobilize my wrist (limit the movement) and don't use it to so lift heavy objects. Wait until the pain subsides before play again.

Wrist sprain will heal by itself, unless you break your wrist...like when you fall and try to break your fall and break your wrist in the process, in that case, then you'll have to see a doctor.

Once your wrist is healed, work on your technique, and strengthten your arm and forearm muscles to avoid tendonitis. In my experience, tendonitis is caused by muscles imbalance.
 
#18
Gozerian said:
Well, my doctor doesn't want to look at it. Says it sounds like tendonitis or arthritis and that I should quit playing. Of course no one here is a doctor, but I am sure I am not the first to have had some kind of pain or injury from playing, and experience is valuable too.

Anyway, I have had someone check out my playing. I squeeze too hard, apparently! Not sure if that is what is causing the trouble, but I guess it could be. That is going to be tricky to unlearn. But right now I guess I am going to have to take a break and see if rest helps, and then try to learn to be more gentle when I play.
Click to expand...
The death grip is a common reason for hand injuries. The sooner you can quit doing it, the better off you will be. Same with the right hand...no need to expend any more energy than you have to to get the job done.

And once you're able to play again, learn ergonomic techniques that keep you free of pain. Most people are able to play 100% pain free with these techniques. A teacher versed in these techniques is a good ally to have. The main thing is to keep your hands in as natural of positions as possible, without any major wrist bends or extra exertion. And no death grips!
 
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#19
Gozerian said:
No offense taken, but see my post above. My doctor doesn't really care. Just looking for some experience
Click to expand...

Then it's time to seek out a doctor who DOES care. ;) Sorry, but I still maintain that people on here are not in a position to give medical (yes...by all means they can offer advice on good technique etc..) advice. Everyone is different and have different experiences.
 
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#20
geesharp said:
P
Wrist sprain will heal by itself
Click to expand...

How do we know it is a sprain ? :thumbsdown:

To quote the OP :

"I felt a sharp pain in my wrist and heard a little crunch, I could feel a little pop too. It hurt like hell, so I gave it a rest. Thought I was ok to play today, but hadn't played for long before the same thing happened, and now my whole arm hurts from the elbow and down."
 

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