Finger pain after accompanying dance class

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Adam

Posts: 1156
Joined: Dec. 6 2006
From: Hamilton, ON

Finger pain after accompanying dance...

I just played for my second dance class - and it was great! But here's the problem: after about an hour (in the hour and a half class), both times I've gotten some bad pain in my right index finger, around the joint closest to the fingertip. It comes from all that index strumming (or in today's class, I played a lot of pim arpegios for a soleá escobilla). The pain actually lingers for a couple of days afterwards. I think it's just because I'm not used to playing with that one finger for so long, but I'm wondering if anyone has any tips. Today I tried doing some stretches, but it didn't seem to help much. Any exercises? Is there a different way I should try playing? Or is it just a matter of building up strength?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 14 2009 19:11:16

NormanKliman

Posts: 1143
Joined: Sep. 1 2007

RE: Finger pain after accompanying d... (in reply to Adam)

It might be from stress on the joint caused by the fingertip being pushed back. Not much advice to offer, besides stopping when you feel sharp pain. Dance accompaniment is the best thing I've experienced for making my hands stronger and tougher, but there's a considerable risk of injury. Feeling generally sore is a good thing, but sharp pain in a specific area is a sign that it's time to stop before you do permanent damage. I don't know much about this, but I think that bruising the cartiladge from bending back the fingertip isn't so bad, and that the real danger lies in tearing ligaments/tendons.

When you alternate thumb and index (p-i-p-i-p-i...), you can alternate index and middle (p-i-p-m-p-i...) to take some of the load off of your index, especially in bulerías.

Also, make sure your striking-hand fingers are as close as possible to the strings at all times. Techniques like picado and rasgueado might be causing you to move your striking hand out of ideal position. When your fingers strike the strings from a distance, there's a lot more strain and stress. IMO, this is the main reason why it's easier to play when you've warmed up properly. We usually think warming up has more to do with "getting the juices flowing," which is probably also true (supply of oxygen to muscles, etc.), but I've noticed that when I'm not warmed up, I'll move my fingers out of ideal position, as if I were instinctively trying to "put my weight" behind the task, which of course doesn't work as intended. I think this is where fat little hands and short fingers have a big advantage over big hands and long fingers.

Striking hand has to remain as still and relaxed as possible, especially the proportions of the arch formed by the back of the hand and the first joint of the thumb. It probably sounds pretty crazy, but I try to visualize an elephant's head and a centipede's legs.