[militant_x]

same thing happened to me. I can still play, but not for hours on end. It has turned playing guitar into a chore. The only way I can play now is to seriously spend atleast 20 min doing wrist, arm, finger stretches and warming up. This is probably how It should have always been but its pretty damn boring.

It was hopeless for a while but after I picked up my rg570 and got the petrucci dvd, learned his warm up things got better. I feel the thinner neck helped me out though... maybe its a hand size thing also... my hands are on the smaller side.

I try to play with a really light touch now...

Goodluck with it. I really stand behind the petrucci dvd warm up thing along with some wrist streches I picked up in aikido.

[distressed_romeo]

Originally Posted by militant_x

same thing happened to me. I can still play, but not for hours on end. It has turned playing guitar into a chore. The only way I can play now is to seriously spend atleast 20 min doing wrist, arm, finger stretches and warming up. This is probably how It should have always been but its pretty damn boring.

It was hopeless for a while but after I picked up my rg570 and got the petrucci dvd, learned his warm up things got better. I feel the thinner neck helped me out though... maybe its a hand size thing also... my hands are on the smaller side.

I try to play with a really light touch now...

Goodluck with it. I really stand behind the petrucci dvd warm up thing along with some wrist streches I picked up in aikido.

I picked up the bulk of my warm-up routine from my brief period studying aikido as well!

[Drew]

Originally Posted by jaredowty

Before I paid any attention, my thumb was kind of all over the place. But once I started focusing more, I used the classical position. I've never experimented with the blues position too much, but if it really helps I'll give it a whirl, and eventually try and switch up the two.

Ahh, my money says this is the issue. Bending in "classical" position is hell on your wrists.

[Ciprian]

Originally Posted by Drew

Ok...

First, your case sounds way worse than mine ever was, and you'd been playign a lot less. So, let's start with non-guitar stuff - do you have wrist pain anywhere else in your life? How much time a day do you spend in front of a computer? Is there anything else you could be doing that would hurt your hands? I got into trouble partly because of the guitar, but partly because I was spending a lot of time in front of a computer using a mouse and writing papers. Worth being aware about...

Second, you know this by now, but marathon practice sessions are a bad idea. 15-minute sessions, then take a five minute break to relax your hands and stretch them out.

Then, playing posture... You say you're paying more attention to it, but just how good is it? Honestly, at first, you want to throw looks to the wind and strap your guitar high enough so that when you're sitting, the guitar's resting comfortably, and when you stand up, the guitar doesn't go any lower. You'll look like a dork, but you'll be able to play.

Also, what's your thumb position like? there's two primary positions, "classical" position with your thumb behind the neck, and "blues" with your thumb over the top. Honestly, while classical gives you better reach, it's also much worse for your wrist. The blues posture on the other hand doesn't let you stretch as much, but is pretty effortless for your wrist. The secret is to learn to switch between them smoothly - watch some videos of Joe Satriani playing, his technique is flawless in this respect.

Also, believe it or not, you're better off with a thicker neck. In fact, Taylor was considering offering a "thick neck" option specifically for this reason. At the worst, while it hurt to play my Wizard-equipped Ibanez 520, I could still play my Strat without much discomfort. Again, it all comes down to wrist position - the thicker neck keeps your wrist more open, and open = relaxed.

Then, you have the basics down - cut caffiene (dehydrant), push water, alternate between a hot pack and an ice pack, etc.

Also, I took three weeks off and still had pain when I picked the guitar up - it'll take a few months for complete recovery, but after a month you should be able to get to a position where you can do a couple minutes a day. Believe it or not, tendonitis is a great learning aid for efficient technique, ;argely because if you DID have perfectly clean technique, you wouldn't have pain. So, jack your strap up, pick up your guitar with the thickest neck, and do maybe 5 minutes of 1-2-3-4 chromatics, slowly. If your hand position hurts, adjust it until it hurts less. Continue, not worrying about building speed but just regaining motion. My technique is way healthier today than it was when I first hurt my wrists playing, simply because it was a great feedback tool - when I wasn't playing with a good, relaxed wrist position, it would hurt. It's a strong incentive to get it right.

Lately the tendon that is on the far right-side of the forearm (while the palm is pointing towards the face, fretting hand) has been bothering me, not much, but sometimes I feel small pains (usually, after playing a while with a wrong playing posture, without taking breaks etc.) and if I massage it, I feel it is much stiffer than the same tendon on the right hand. The last few days it has started hurting a little more. It doesn't seem to be anything serious (Yet!) but I was thinking of taking a break for about a week or so, and after I'll pick-up the guitar again (I also have to buy a new strap - my current one just broke), I want to practice in a correct manner (& spend less time in front of a computer).

[Dive-Baum]

Originally Posted by includao

To prevent these issues I do bodybuilding and i'm fully aware of my technique mechanics.

I used to have a problem with that exact same thing when I was younger. That was before anyone ever heard of carpal tunnel...And for the record, I had 3 letters in High School...Football, Weightlifting and Swimming so let me just go ahead and tell you that strength has 2 things to do with wrist pain...Jack and shit. I was in your exact same boat, I planned on being a musician (of course who didn't in the 80's??? ) I wore wrist braces quite a bit. You may want to consider localized cortizone injections as well. While not a permanent solution, it could get you over the hump. Also be sure you keep limber, if pain permits. When you are in class do finger exercises...touch each finger tip to your thumb tip alternating. Also, see if different strap position ease the tension. Don't use the old James Hetfield method of guitar below you crotch. Having the guitar higher may look a bit dorky, but when faced with the alternative of not playing...it is a viable alternative.

Good luck

[Mastodon]

Originally Posted by Dive-Baum

I wore wrist braces quite a bit.

Good luck

I've always wondered how exactly wrist braces help.

How exactly do they help?

[Dive-Baum]

Well to be honest there are 2 schools of thought on that. One is that they actually do more harm than good. While they do imobilize whatever it is you are bracing, if left on for too long it can cause some muscle atrophy (bad) along with decreased range of motion or if the brace is applied to tightly, decreased bloodflow which inhibits healing (along with other problems which are pretty obvious). The other school on this is that the joint needs to be immobilized to heal. How often do you hurt something then walk around the next day bumping or re-hurting that same body part over and over. If it is braced, it is protected. I mainly slept with mine on and then during the day went 2 hours on and two hours off in intervals. That way I think you would maximize the potentials of both schools of thought regarding bracing.

[Mastodon]

Ohh, sorry I misinterpreted. You meant this kind:

I thought you meant this kind:

I read up on it some and found a company that sells a wrist band for typist and musicians.

They claim that the vibrations through your fingers into your nerves and muscles gradually harm them over time and that wearing their band (or applying any kind of pressure to the wrists) obsorbs some of that virbration.

[OzzyC]

Originally Posted by Mastodon

Ohh, sorry I misinterpreted. You meant this kind:

I thought you meant this kind:

I read up on it some and found a company that sells a wrist band for typist and musicians.

They claim that the vibrations through your fingers into your nerves and muscles gradually harm them over time and that wearing their band (or applying any kind of pressure to the wrists) obsorbs some of that virbration.

If that's true just get a nice Dream theater or Opeth wristband

[Dive-Baum]

The kind that imobilizes your entire hand. It will have a contoured metal strip going from above your wrist to your palm.