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Posts: 3055
Joined: Aug. 30 2008
From: Boston, MA, U.S.A
recovering hands
hey guys, does anybody have any home remedies for those sore fingertips and tendons? how do you guys like to relax after a good guitar practice?
both my hands feel tired but im a bit worried specifically about my right index finger. it's feeling a bit weak, stiff, and sore right at the base joint. is there anything i should do/avoid?
hmm.. I can´t remember when I had pain coz of practice anymore.. I just remember I cooled my arms when they hurt..and went on playing. Never thought about relaxing. Not a recommended way of practice... but when you are young you can do that.. No pain no gain, right?
Well.. now I have almost no time to practice.. I only play 2-3 hours a week..that could be the reason why I have no pain..
put your hand in lukewarm water and lay off the practice for a few days. going between hot and cold showers on a tense hand is good too to stimulate circulation
Hi – Sorry to hear about your hands. I've had plenty of hand problems – with arthritis, and a fall where I landed hard on both hands. I have found that heat is the best help for sore hands. When you finish practicing, try massaging your hands with each other under reasonably hot but not burning water. Work your fingers and hands around for a few minutes under the water. Also sometimes if you're watching TV or YouTube, wrap a heating pad between and around your hands while you're sitting. And you might try some simple anti-inflammatory medication – a couple of Tylenol or Aleve, but don't take them for too long. I hope this helps.
Is it inevitable that normal practice should result in weakness, pain, stiffness etc. ?
Or are there things we can do: 1. Changes to technique that strains the hands less. For example, I used to have a lot of problems with my left hand tightening up, because my fingers weren't parallel with the frets. I was angling my fingers causing stress.
2. Warm-up exercises that stretch the tendons and muscles ready for practice. For the right hand, I always do the the 'finger flicking out from the wrist' thing. And move my fingers and wrist in all directions. I'm sure there are tons more on the search.
3. Dietary changes - To loosen joints and keep them lubricated, good quality oils (cod liver, olive oil) are great. Have a salad every day, and chuck on the olive oil.
does anybody have any home remedies for those sore fingertips and tendons? how do you guys like to relax after a good guitar practice?
both my hands feel tired but im a bit worried specifically about my right index finger. it's feeling a bit weak, stiff, and sore right at the base joint. is there anything i should do/avoid?
could be lots of things, most likely to be either playing too long without rest or using inappropriate muscle tension. or both.
inappropriate muscle tension could be using too much force to execute necessary movements; could be the mal coordination of flexors and extensors (ie. flexor not turned off when opposite extensor is turned on); or could be unecessary muscle tension in the neck and shoulder region restricting nerves and blood supply to hands. Or any combination of those 3.
there could be general issues with how you are sitting and/or holding the guitar.
good luck.
"it's never going to be perfect, just play the damn guitar." - right?
hey guys, thanks for the help! i took a day off yesterday and feels much better already but im playing it safe and plan to take it easy for the rest of the week. i'll have to find something else to work on it in the meantime.
lately, i've been practicing everything without a capo. i may be using more force than necessary to play cleanly. i'll have to watch out for this. thanks for reminding me.
my individual practice time is four hours long then i have group practices, performances, etc. i wasn't feeling any pain until i started playing for dance classes again, which is now larger and im still playing unamplified. my right index only really bothers me when i do the flicking motion of a rasgueao. do you guys think it's excessive force as mark suggested? does my finger just need to get stronger? should i get an amp?
as for sitting position, i'll try to look for tension but the only time i feel uncomfortable is when my leg or ass goes numb. i do strength training and stretching as akatune suggested and it really helps, i feel. i dont think strength training makes you slow either.
i'm going to keep away from the guitar, try some of the heating methods suggested, eat some healthy food, and hopefully in a few days, i'll be able to "just play the damn guitar"
im still playing unamplified.... should i get an amp?
uh-oh... yes!
from what little i know of it, flamenco history is littered with cases of guitarists straining fingers and being unable to play, or unable to play all techniques (a common one seems to have been straining the a finger and unable to play arpegios) the cause being overly forcing rasgeo playing for dance/tablao cuadro unamplified
i read that PDL's dad wouldn't let him play in tablao's when he was young 'cos he didn't want him straining his hands playing unamplified
quote:
i'll try to look for tension
one of the problems with "tension" is that it is almost imposible to "find" because it becomes habitual and familiar, it stops registering as a feeling, and we don't realise we are doing it, even to the extent that we don't feel "right" without it
from what little i know of it, flamenco history is littered with cases of guitarists straining fingers and being unable to play, or unable to play all techniques (a common one seems to have been straining the a finger and unable to play arpegios) the cause being overly forcing rasgeo playing for dance/tablao cuadro unamplified
i read that PDL's dad wouldn't let him play in tablao's when he was young 'cos he didn't want him straining his hands playing unamplified
****! im not risking it. time to invest in some good amplification. thanks for the warning. you could have saved me a finger.
quote:
one of the problems with "tension" is that it is almost imposible to "find" because it becomes habitual and familiar, it stops registering as a feeling, and we don't realise we are doing it, even to the extent that we don't feel "right" without it
so how can i spot it? with a teacher?
quote:
I don't want to be silly to offer you too much advise, because I know your playing is more advanced than mine. However, you should practice all your stuff without a capo. Every song I do I practice mostly without one, and sometimes with one. I throw on a capo more when I'mplaying for others. Playing without a capo strengthens the hands.
hey man, everyone can learn something from somebody. i'll take every bit of info i can get. but i think you read me wrong. i practice WITHOUT a capo. when i play for others, i put it on, but i like practicing without because i don't want to become dependent on it which actually did happen at some point.
My friend that suffers from arthritis recommended this product to me for pain in my knees from running, and my wrists and right hand thumb from playing guitar:
You can get the oil, gel, or make your own solution from the bath flakes. This stuff really kicks ass on my pain.
I recently used it on my Mom after a knee replacement. She said it helped her also. The magnesium has a calming effect on the tendons, muscles, and nerves.
MSM and Hyaluronic Acid are also very good for joint and connective tissue.
most people try to "do" something else to "correct" it, which only adds to the trouble.
Ask yourself what you need to do to play, and then do that, and nothing else. If you use this process a lot, and practise it away from the guitar also, it has the potential to bring a lot of improvement.
Ask yourself what you need to do to play, and then do that, and nothing else. If you use this process a lot, and practise it away from the guitar also, it has the potential to bring a lot of improvement.
cool, thanks mark! i'll start incorporating this concept into my practice.
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