old hands

[Indiana Mike]

I'm 44 , Ive had my share of hand injuries due to stupidity at home or work and a neck fusion which affected my left hand (fretting) prior to surgery and for 6+ months post op.

A divorce and the aftermath as well as some failed music ventures left me uninterested for the last couple of years .
I was steps away from selling all my gear , but didn't thanks to the people on here.Glad I didn't

I'm getting back into playing again and my fretting hand hurts and tires. My forearm does as well.

Normal? Not normal ?

What can I do outside of playing to improve this . I'm looking for some self physical therapy ideas I can try . It's worse than it was when I was younger and trying to build stamina , like I am now

Thanks ...

 

[Johnny Crab]

Gradually build your strength and stamina back by practicing time limits and increasing them slowly over weeks, months. Keep track of your time and determine how long it takes to get to the "hurting and tired" part. Do that time period for a week or 2 and slowly increase it as you can.

Nutrition/diet can also play a HUGE part in avoiding the pain part(IMO). I'm 57 in a couple of weeks. Our sets are anywhere from 1.5~4 hours non-stop. After 6 years of "playing with my diet", I've found that a whey protein shake for breakfast with a handful of support vitamins, a can of tuna with the same shake at lunch, a banana + Amino Fuel(Twin Labs) in the afternoon before the gig-meal, and a banana + Amino Fuel after the gig on the drive home works GREAT. I tell my bandmates that I've got it down to a science when we do weekend or out of town gigs because then they observe this diet. EXPERIMENT with what you eat and feed the pain areas a diet that helps them. A diary of what you eat OR noticing that a "day of pain" was preceeded by eating certain item(s) will help you sort out what is best for your body. Chocolate or a lot of sugar = a lot of pain for me, even swollen hands the next morning.

The biggest part of "not being in pain the next morning" for me(arthritic hip) was the addition of the bananas and Amino Fuel.

I've also found that fingerless gloves(borrowed from my teen son for a winter gig outdoors for hand warmth) help a TON in being able to warm up fast, not cramp, and my fingers do not "get tingly" like they had been starting to do about 2 years ago. I play all the time now with fingerless gloves. If asked why at a gig, I tell them the above.

 

[Mike M.]

Gradually build your strength and stamina back by practicing time limits and increasing them slowly over weeks, months. Keep track of your time and determine how long it takes to get to the "hurting and tired" part. Do that time period for a week or 2 and slowly increase it as you can.

Nutrition/diet can also play a HUGE part in avoiding the pain part(IMO). I'm 57 in a couple of weeks. Our sets are anywhere from 1.5~4 hours non-stop. After 6 years of "playing with my diet", I've found that a whey protein shake for breakfast with a handful of support vitamins, a can of tuna with the same shake at lunch, a banana + Amino Fuel(Twin Labs) in the afternoon before the gig-meal, and a banana + Amino Fuel after the gig on the drive home works GREAT. I tell my bandmates that I've got it down to a science when we do weekend or out of town gigs because then they observe this diet. EXPERIMENT with what you eat and feed the pain areas a diet that helps them. A diary of what you eat OR noticing that a "day of pain" was preceeded by eating certain item(s) will help you sort out what is best for your body. Chocolate or a lot of sugar = a lot of pain for me, even swollen hands the next morning.

The biggest part of "not being in pain the next morning" for me(arthritic hip) was the addition of the bananas and Amino Fuel.

I've also found that fingerless gloves(borrowed from my teen son for a winter gig outdoors for hand warmth) help a TON in being able to warm up fast, not cramp, and my fingers do not "get tingly" like they had been starting to do about 2 years ago. I play all the time now with fingerless gloves. If asked why at a gig, I tell them the above.

Wow! I should seriously start looking into what you've prescribed myself! I'm 59 and a lifetime of physical jobs have taken some what of a toll on me as well. Great tips!

To the OP I was going to ask if you have health insurance? If so and if you're in that much pain it sounds like a trip to your doctor is in order. Physical therapy from a professional, perhaps?

Good luck in your healing process!

 

[bThumper38]

Hot/Cold water treatment works for breaking up mineral deposits in your wrists, it made a huge difference for me, I've been a sheet-metal worker my entire life and thought I would have to quit playing in my late twenties till a therapist told me about it. Hot water as long as you can handle, than Ice water as long as you can handle, It works! good luck. brian

 

[kr0n]

After 6 years of "playing with my diet", I've found that a whey protein shake for breakfast with a handful of support vitamins, a can of tuna with the same shake at lunch, a banana + Amino Fuel(Twin Labs) in the afternoon before the gig-meal, and a banana + Amino Fuel after the gig on the drive home works GREAT.

That's basically vitamins and protein only? No fat or carbohydrates at all.