• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

TENDINITIS - just got back from the doctor

#21
Yes, really good advice on the computing link, guys.

heavyfunkmachine - I gave myself an RSI this Christmas season (tendonitis is an RSI); the entire family was sick and homebound and I spent far too much time catching up on past computer work (and yes, playing video games). I slowly developed a numbness in my left hand's ring and little fingers which I didn't notice the seriousness of until my first gig back. Yow! It was like fretting the bass with a couple of frozen sausages.

Two weeks of fairly intensive computing in an ergonomically unfriendly position had managed to give me the injury that years of touring intensely technically demanding bass parts with the NNQ hadn't.

If you have the faintest hint that this condition might be related to computer use, and especially if you play videos game on your computer, DON'T PANIC but STOP IMMEDIATELY and don't do it again until you've addressed the ergonomics. Do this today - buy an external keyboard and a trackball or other alternative pointing device. Set up a proper computer desk, do NOT compute with a laptop lying on your bed. I repeat - do this IMMEDIATELY. It is essential to set up properly, and it is also essential to set up *differently* to the way you were doing it before to encourage your weight and stress to distribute itself differently.

Invalid Link Removedfor proper layout, and follow them. Get your weight off the heels of your palms or your forearms. Once again, if you have even the faintest idea that computer use might be aggravating this, do all of this NOW. Don't kill your bass career for a love of computing plus a lack of a desk and chair.

If it's related, you will probably start to improve rapidly simply by stopping the offending activity.
 
#22
+1 on the video game/PC idea. Personally, I've found that even though the tendonitis/carpal kinds of pain tend to be worst when you're jamming, the more I practice I actually have less pain in my hands. If I practice regularly and use wrist rests on the computer, my hands are pretty much good. Taking a B vitamin supplement can also help. And tiger balm!!!
 
#23
bassists guide to injury mgmt is a great book. i have had problems too with wrists, hands and tendons. one thing i figured out is that using a mouse or trackpad was contributing to my bass playing pain. i stopped using a computer for a week and my hands felt much better. it's the combo of bass and computer that gets me.

i have had luck with the tennis elbow armbands while performing. also taking ibuprofen before performances has helped. stretching, warmup and self massage :ninja: has helped too. one great thing that i need to get better at doing is icing down AFTER shows. an ice pack or a dixie cup that has had water frozen in it are great for cooling the inflammation. that really makes a big difference for me.
i also use aspercreme.

all of this plus really watching technique has helped a bunch. i switched to jazz bass necks for a while too. wider necks were giving me pains. now i have a stingray again but i am able to adjust my left hand technique to avoid the strains that lead to pain before.

good luck to ya!
 
#25
Hi- sorry you are having problems, I am 50, have played for almost 40 years now, I had careful classical training and still have had problems. One thing you can try is to have a chiropractor actually watch you play. He may suggest some things to try. Also, be very careful about bending the wrist at an extreme angle (with either hand, this is most important with the right though). Another thing to investigate is massage therapy; my chiropractor has shown me some massage techniques, when coupled with warm-ups, have really helped me. The main thing is to stay on it- keep looking for solutions, look into Alexander technique, and speak with as many physical therapists and others who work with the body as you can. Always take your bass and SHOW them how you play. Depending on medication is only a short-term solution.
Good Luck
Jon Schwabe
 
#26
I've found playing short-scale to be very helpful. I think, for some reason, short-scale is stigmatized as being less manly, or less bassish. It's not. Short-scale can rock!

Switching your mouse hand can also be helpful. Takes some getting used to, but it helps. Constant clicking is a terrible thing.

One other thing about ibuprofin ... it's not good for your liver in any quantity, especially if you drink.
 
#27
I've got the same problem, I sleep with a brace on my left hand/wrist. It helps it alot, by giving the joints and tendons time to fully relax. Then I take a little aleve before jamming no problems so far. GOod luck!
 
#29
CrashClint said:
Computer use can also cause a problem. On my day job I am behind a computer all day then in the evenings I am on my bass. Doing this I noticed soreness and discomfort more readily. I play a 6 string bass which does have a wider neck that puts your wrist in more of a bent position.

I went to my Doctor and he pulled out a keyboard and asked me to type on it like I do at work. After watching me for a minute he recommended I get a ergonomical keyboard, so I picked up one of the Microsoft ones with the split keyboard. It made all the difference in the world.

I hardly ever experience any discomfort in my wrist and if I do at all, I will play my 4 string jazz bass instead of my 6 string.

As a musician it is very important to be proactive in taking care of yourself. I know it has been said over and over, but take the time to stretch and warmup. Another TBer wrote that he squeezes his hand into a fist as tight as he can then releases and stretches his fingers out as far as he can. I have added this technique to my warmup and it works pretty good for me.
Click to expand...

+1 to the ergo keyboard. I type 92 wpm. Something about manual dexterity crossing disciplines, I guess. When I started working for a living I started getting these cysts on my wrists, both in the same place. I hawked an ergo keyboard from the supply closet and it immediately got better. The following week, I took one home and I've used it for 12 years. I am currently typing on a laptop, but if I plan on typing for long periods of time, I use the ergo.

I can always tell if a keyboard used to be mine. I wear the texture off pretty fast.
 
#31
Tendinitis or tendonitis (from the Greek Τενοντίτις) is a painful inflammation of a tendon. Generally tendinitis is referred to by the body part involved, such as Achilles tendinitis (affecting the Achilles tendon), or patellar tendinitis (jumper's knee, affecting the patellar tendon). Chronic overuse of tendons leads to microscopic tears within the collagen matrix, which gradually weakens the tissue.
Click to expand...

Wikipedia - "Tendinitis"

However, I'm not certain that "TENONDITIS " is a word in English :D
 
#34
i had this very same problem and it got so painful i couldnt even work....went to the doctor and got a cortizone shot and it felt better in about a half hour....i also do not like drugs and shots for everything...but i tried everything else(ice,ibuprofen,rest)....they didnt work for me...might work for others tho....i just had too not only for playing but for my job.....
 
#35
There's only one real way to remedy it, STOP PLAYING for a while. Put your wrist in a brace and LEAVE IT ALONE.

They can give you a cortisone shot, but it'll just wear off, and you're messing with some pretty serious stuff.

If it's happening during ordinary day-in-day out motion, then you need to change something. I had some chronic wrist pain a while back, turned out I was sleeping on it; head resting on hand bent at 90deg angle.

If it's something out of the ordinary, then just don't do it anymore. One time I waited tables at work all day, carrying 3 heavy plates at a time in my fretting hand. Then went home for a hard 3-hour jam. THEN went for a night ride on my mountain bike with the brakes/handlebars setup wrong. Next day I couldn't even move my wrist.
 
#36
i putted my bass in the flight case and lock it... i know myself... so i´ve hidden the key :ninja:

besides that im looking closet to what i do and dont with my left hand---
anyway, what im more concern about now its not getting this again. im pretty sure its bass related, so i have to figure out what to do with my playing.
 
#37
I had this problem too. I work on computers all day, played in a band, AND went to school at night learning stenography (more wrist abuse).

The key is to keep your wrist as straight as possible while you give it time to heal. It will not heal unless you actually stop using it for awhile. I wore a wrist brace all day for about 2 weeks straight. A lot of people have a tendency to bend the wrist at a sharp angle while sleeping, so wearing the brace at night is also helpful.

Once my wrist started healing, I slowly went back to playing my bass. I wore the brace while I played as well. This was a great way to sort of reinforce keeping the wrist as straight as possible while playing.

Good luck to you. Give it some time and it will get better.
 
#39
It was reccomended to me to wear the braces. I was on my way to getting carpel tunnel, which to my understanding, is the next step after tendonitis. I had it in both wrists :hmm:

One thing that was made clear to me though, and this might apply to you, is that the brace should not be kept tight on your wrist as this can actually hamper circulation through the wrist and cause more pain/numbness. It should be worn just tight enough to keep your wrist from bending too much.

It seems to make sense that your wrist would get weaker over time if you were to wear the brace FOREVER. heh Seriously, it seems to me (and Im no doctor, just a bassist :)) that it would take wearing the brace for a pretty long time to actually lose muscle strength in your wrist.
 
#40
If you google on images for "median nerve", just the pictures and photos will enlighten any bass player as to WHY the left wrist should be as straight as possible. Beware though...there is some pretty graphic "medical" images coming on page 1.

I am changing my left hand technique immediately. Mark the date 1/28/08.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back