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Ouch, thumb issues

bigdaddybass12

bigdaddybass12

Feb 26, 2021
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6,491
Earth
#1
Ouch, it feels like I have tendonitis or trigger thumb on my fretting hand. I missed way too many notes at my gig last night! I kept trying not to use my thumb for fretting. I can fret without my thumb, but some songs you just can’t get around it. I told the lead to reduce my pay per note I missed. Any suggestions ? Cortisone shots, brace,
 
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#3
Curious if you hold your thumb behind your second finger and have it pointing towards the ceiling rather than letting it lie more naturally on the neck, pointing (more or less) towards the nut.
 
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#4
What can be done depends on exactly what the cause is. The way to start evaluating this would be regular radiographs (xrays) of hand/thumb. If these do not show any significant abnormality of the bones, MRI would be the next best step as it "sees" all the tissues not adequately evaluated by xrays (tendons, muscles, ligaments, bone marrow). Some degree of osteoarthritis (wear & tear degeneration) of the 1st MCP joint (@ base of the thumb) is virtually universal in any one who does a lot with his hands by around age 55-65). Ultrasound can play a role here, mostly in dynamic evaluation of tendons and to provide guidance for injection of meds or aspiration of fluid. Good luck.
 
#5
I had the same issue for a year on my right thumb. It just kept getting worse until I couldn't slap anymore, and could barely play. I saw a hand specialist and tried a cortisone shot. Helped about 80% but the pain was still there and started coming back slowly. Back to the hand specialist and opted for trigger release surgery. What a relief! Within a week I was playing again, and (currently at two weeks post op) I'm quite certain I'll be able to slap soon.

It's a simple outpatient procedure. 3 hours, complete with pre and post op. I highly recommend you consider release surgery (based on my outcome) if the issue doesn't clear.

Take away: SEE A DOCTOR.
 
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#7
bigdaddybass12 said:
Ouch, it feels like I have tendonitis or trigger thumb on my fretting hand. I missed way too many notes at my gig last night! I kept trying not to use my thumb for fretting. I can fret without my thumb, but some songs you just can’t get around it. I told the lead to reduce my pay per note I missed. Any suggestions ? Cortisone shots, brace,
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Go to the doctor. I have similar problems with my fretting hand and thought it was arthritis or an injury, it turned out to be carpal tunnel. Strange things happen when nerves are messed with, you need to get tested and diagnosed.

I thought I was in for all kinds of surgery and bs but a brace and wrist pad for my computer keyboard pretty much solved it. Meloxicam is pretty good too, haha.
 
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#8
First you must determine what the injury is. If it is tendonitis then look into the surgery. Injections are only temporary relief and the problem will come back. I have had 5 fingers between both hands plus the right thumb released. No more problem. You might want to alter your technique as the thumb should not be used to fret notes. Good luck.;)
 
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#12
BigJohnAZ said:
Go to the doctor. My wife had trigger finger. The only recourse is surgery. It's a physical issue within your hand.
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I had trigger finger in my left hand little finger - the doctor fixed it with a single cortisone shot.

She said, if it came back I could have on more shot and then after that the only solution would be a surgical procedure.

Fortunately it never came back and that was almost 10 years ago.
 
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#13
bigdaddybass12 said:
Ouch, it feels like I have tendonitis or trigger thumb on my fretting hand. I missed way too many notes at my gig last night! I kept trying not to use my thumb for fretting. I can fret without my thumb, but some songs you just can’t get around it. I told the lead to reduce my pay per note I missed. Any suggestions ? Cortisone shots, brace,
Click to expand...
My advice is you need to see an orthopedic hand surgeon, like now. I’ve had problems with my thumbs for the last 10 years. Your journey may be different than mine based on your diagnosis. But here is mine

My condition 4 years ago got to the point when it was keeping my up nights so I broke down and went to a Specialist my condition was an over worn basal thumb joint. That is the bottom bone of your thumb joints. These bones normally have enough space between them so thumb will move freely. As we age that gap decreases and we get inflammation and eventually bone on bone rubbing. In my case, at age 72 and 60 years guitar and bass not surprising.

I started with quarterly cortisone shots that were very effective and occasionally some Ibuprofen. Eventually last summer my left fretting hand degraded to the point where the shots were not as effective. A revisit X-ray showed the gap in my basal joint had reduced significantly and playing was no longer fun.

So last December I had a surgical procedure called a (pardon the spelling here) trapezectomy with tendon reconstruction. Basically, they remove the basal bone from the thump, harvest a tendon from your forearm, wad it up and anchor it with screws when that bone was. December 4th 2024 I had the surgery. I’ll spare you the gory details, but you may want those after your consult with your doctor. Shoot me a PM if interested.

This procedure takes about a year for a full recovery, however I could play along with an hour set of one of our recorded performances at 6 weeks post op, and played a whole gig in March. Today playing wise I’m pain free with a few glitches, nothing anybody would notice. Over all, I can play just as well as before the operation.

In a nutshell, the operation was a success. I’ve been able to resume my passion and the joint pain is gone. I’m glad I had it done and it was well worth what I had to go through to get to this point. I save what I had to go through for your PM request.

I Hope this is useful. And best wishes.
 
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#15
First thing I will say is you shouldn't be needing to use your fretting hand thumb for actual notes.
I can't think of a bass line that would benefit from that technique.
The proper position for the fretting hand is directly behind the note on the fingerboard.

This seems like a hangover from guitar players, I've seen lots of guitar players using their fretting hand thumb.

I bet it's your body telling you that you're doing something very un-ergonomic.

Yes go to your doctor to remedy the issue, and then work on improving your proper technique.

Best of success and happy healing to you.
 
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#16
Dirk Diggler said:
First thing I will say is you shouldn't be needing to use your fretting hand thumb for actual notes.
I can't think of a bass line that would benefit from that technique.
The proper position for the fretting hand is directly behind the note on the fingerboard.

This seems like a hangover from guitar players, I've seen lots of guitar players using their fretting hand thumb.

I bet it's your body telling you that you're doing something very un-ergonomic.

Yes go to your doctor to remedy the issue, and then work on improving your proper technique.

Best of success and happy healing to you.
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I was wondering if that was what he meant. I’m trying to imagine how that would work but my thumbs aren’t that long
 
#17
Dirk Diggler said:
First thing I will say is you shouldn't be needing to use your fretting hand thumb for actual notes.
I can't think of a bass line that would benefit from that technique.
The proper position for the fretting hand is directly behind the note on the fingerboard.

This seems like a hangover from guitar players, I've seen lots of guitar players using their fretting hand thumb.

I bet it's your body telling you that you're doing something very un-ergonomic.

Yes go to your doctor to remedy the issue, and then work on improving your proper technique.

Best of success and happy healing to you.
Click to expand...
Yeah, i was trying different positions with my hand. At the gig is not the best time! Missed a few notes. I keep my wrist straight, most notes i can fret easily. The song thag hurts the most is “on the road” by canned heat. (Of all songs! )!played in F index finger on 1st fret 4th string,
Painful note is the 2nd, little finger on 4th string 4th fret. I keep my hand/fretting tight, in other words I utilize all fingers to minimize moving my hand. I believe that is what has caused my pain. I saw a guy playing. It looked like his fingers were all together, he kept is fingers together and skillfully played. He utilized each finger but they were all together. He was not reaching for that note with his little finger. Thoughts ?
 

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