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I've got an inflamed tendon. The main one on the thumb side of my left hand wrist, palm facing upwards. This thing is beginning to make me depressed, and also alarmed because in January I'll begin touring on a very tight schedual. I know a lot of you guys have been through this at some point.. your help is very much needed now. I'm at my wits end with this thing. There's a lot of information on the net but it's often contradictory or vague. What has worked for you guys?
I've been doing the following things:
I sleep with a splint, so I don't flex the wrist. I play very little guitar, almost none. I've used anti-inflammatory gel (diklofenak), especially in the beginning phase I have been on NSAIDs (naproxen) Quit NSAIDS after 3 weeks because I read in several places that it slows down regeneration. I take one supplement, Magnesium I use a natural product called FIX, which i massage onto the wrist I've done cold / hot baths after playing, or straining the left hand I'm going to eat pineapple and papaya today because I read something about their enzymes being good for keeping down inflammation.. besically I'm becoming desperate.
Tuesday I have a gig.. my left hand is weak, I hope I can play.. Friday I'm meeting a fysiotherapist
I've had this for a month now. It doesn't hurt much, but it's there and causes a lot of discomfort when flexing the wrist and my grip feels weak.
What did you do to strenghen the wrist? How long did it take for you to get better?
Did you really manage to stay off the guitar? Laying off the guitar completely is so difficult... it leaves an empty void. I try to fill it with other stuff but I can't even listen to music.. it just makes it feel even worse.
People are saying that increasing the bloodflow aids recovery.. would squeezing one of those squishy balls be a good idea?
Jag är helt nere över det här... allt går just nu som bäst med föreställningen vi kör.. massa bokningar. :-|
Doing rasgueados actually helped my recovery cause it strenghten the muscles. I also had a lite ball to squeeze. For the left hand i dont know. STOP playing til the infection goes away.
And i also starting to think more about my overall health witch also helped a lot.
I think i got better after a year or so but it always were coming back if i did more playing than usuall.
But no it is gone.
_____________________________
This is hard stuff! Don't give up... And don't make it a race. Enjoy the ray of sunshine that comes with every new step in knowledge.
Laying off the guitar completely is so difficult... it leaves an empty void. I try to fill it with other stuff but I can't even listen to music.. it just makes it feel even worse.
You're in a tough spot, but here's a suggestion: try listening to more non-guitar music, especially music that will challenge you to grow compositionally. When I'm not listening to flamenco, I typically listen to jazz (esp. Miles Davis) and classical (esp. Schoenberg and Shostakovich). Playing guitar is great, but there's great non-guitar music, as well. And it may be that listening to non-guitar music will help you improve your musical imagination for creating more interesting falsetas later on. Just a thought. Good luck with the rehabilitation of your wrist.
RE: Freaking Tendonitis! (in reply to machopicasso)
Thank you picasso
That's what I will do. I'll put this guitar-free time into some kind of musical use.. perhaps learn some new music software as well.. people always go on about logic. perhaps I'll check that out, if I get my hands on a mac.
Tomorrow I have my last gig, then it is two months off.
mrMagenta, I spoke with my acupuncturist about it, and it seems that are very good results with acupuncture and herbs.
I am not medical trained, but it had something to do with "re-humidifing" the tendons. In acupuncture it means bringing balance in the liver-chi, which is a standard treatment for bringing balance back into the body. It also makes you more relaxed, which is a good thing for playing anyway.
Get healthy soon, and good luck with your "last" gig!
Hmm. I tried it for a while but I caved in and started taking chords. I'll have to set up a very disciplined programme for right hand technique so that I'll stay focused. I'll need to tie my left arm to my leg.. Now that I think about it, I'll need to keep practicing the right hand, or my technique will become worse..
Can anyone tell me if massage is good or bad for this problem?
Many Thanks Kozz! I've never had acupuncture, but if it can help then I'll surely try it. Sounds like it could increase bloodflow. In a good way.
No probs! It surely increases bloodflow. Only they approach it differently; blood needs qi to flow, so when there's an interruption in qi, there's also an interruption in bloodflow.
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