Can you damage your hands if you play guitar to much?

Hero Of The Day · 12-31-2007, 12:37 AM

Obviously, playing guitar can damage your hands if you play over a long period of time. Carpal Tunnel, tendon damage, athritis, etc. I would like to know how to avoid this, if theres anyway too, and what to do if you already have it.

INeedX · 12-31-2007, 12:58 AM

I was actually wanting to ask something like this. I was wondering how much practice/playing is too much.
I know carpal tunnel is caused by repetitive motion repeated many times over a long period of time and can be avoided by changing the motion, in other words if you're going to do one repetitive motion you have to make a conscious effort to move that body part (hand, wrist, elbow or whatever) in other ways and frequently. Simple daily exercizes can ward it off.
Also I'd like to know some people's views on building hand strength for guitarists.

Aqualung · 12-31-2007, 01:09 AM

I remember Stringbender mentioning that he got messed up wrists from playing too much. He's probably got some good advice on this.

Hero Of The Day · 12-31-2007, 01:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by INeedX

Also I'd like to know some people's views on building hand strength for guitarists.

When i was just starting to play guitar, i read an articial that Dimebag Darrell was in. He said to build up strength in all your fingers, just trill up and down the neck. To start, go to the 1st and 2nd fret on the high E string, use your first and middle finger to trill a little bit and move on to adjacent strings, when you reach the low e string slide up a fret, do this until you reach the 12th fret. Then, use your middle finger and ring finger and so on and so on. It really works, after about a week of doing that every time before you play, your hands will be nice and strong.

The Coker Variations · 12-31-2007, 02:32 AM

Well I think at the least you should make sure you don't play straight for an hour. Every 5 or so minutes you should have a little rest and stretch your hands and arms. I recommend massaging your knuckles rather then cracking them (trust me its much better, especially in the long run).

Its probably best to do these stretches before you start playing as well. Don't just jump straight into the hard stuff but start slow and maybe play a scale and slowly build up speed to warm up your hands and get the blood flowing because from what i recall the hands have the worst blood circulation of your whole body.

As for strength exercises. Myself I just played a lot and didnt really do anything specific. Some people use those hand spring things (i can't remember what their called) but i don't think they'd really make a difference physically. If your just starting out I recommend practicing your barre chords to get your strength up. This way you'll get better at barre chords while improving your strength.

Mongo97 · 12-31-2007, 03:22 PM

Stretch, take breaks, practice good hand postion and picking motion.

And don't believe "no pain, no gain." Perhaps when you're first building your fingertips up, but after that first bit if you wrist, elbow, fingers start hurting STOP. Take 10, then go back.

Stringbender · 12-31-2007, 07:00 PM

You guys knew I would have somethjing to say on this! LOL.
What is being said here is good- VERY important stuff! Definitely stretch before and after playing- take each finger and (taking your other hand) slowly hold it against your fretting fingers and bend them slightly back to stretch them. If you stand a lot when you play- try sitting when you play and adjust where the guitar rests on your knee -this will help with the angle your fretting hand is attacking the strings. After playing really complex stuff- (where you stretch the hell out of your hands) this one might seem odd- take the thumbo of your left hand (or reverse if you play left-handed) and place it about on inch or so down from your left elbow. Press down and massage this area- after moving around a little, you will find your ulna nerve. This is the "funny bone" and it actually controls (I think) 3 of your fingers- massaging this with a little pressure will help to make sure that any inflammation from guitar playing is kept down and also that no scar tissue builds up.
OH- I'LL SAY THIS RIGHT HERE AND NOW- ODDS ARE IF YOU ARE JUST RECENTLY STARTING OUT ON GUITAR- YOU WON'T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS FOR YEARS AND IT DEPENDS ON HOW MANY HOURS OF ABUSE YOU PUT INTO YOUR YEARS! -However, stretches can help. I did damage from 30+ years of playing- challenging myself to play harder and faster (like Bach and Rachmaninoff pieces) and between typing all day (with my hands at one angle) then playing guitar all night (with my hands at a different -odd angle) it really did some damage. pace yourself- stretch often- don't jump in Randy Rhoads stuff right off the bat- ease into it slowly.. and pay attention to each little twinge or pain you get and let your doctor know! I'll give more pointers when I have time!

Music Resource · 01-05-2008, 09:21 PM

Stretching before, inbetween playing each hour, and after playing. Take breaks. It makes a big difference in playing as well. Switch to other instruments and then back again each day - it helps to avoid repetitious movements.

Aqualung · 01-05-2008, 10:21 PM

In Musicophilia I read about musicians who do the same repetetive, small-muscle movement over and over that their brains re-align to where the muscles overlap and get tangled and so the movements cannot be accomplished. That would suck.

indieaaron45 · 01-09-2008, 10:01 PM

Yes!!! take lots of short breaks.

INeedX · 01-10-2008, 05:07 AM

That's cool because I just naturally take little breaks often usually to stop and think about the music I'm looking at or whatever, but I'll play for a few hours.

Stringbender · 01-10-2008, 05:46 PM

A good thing to do before and after playing (I will do this sometimes before playing live) is to fill up a sink with water (as hot as you can stand) and put your hands in for a few minutes and stretch your fingers. You don't want to leave your hands in too long because you don't want the skin or calluses to get too soft. After playing, soaking in hot water and then wrapping in a towel for a few minutes is good for the hands and fingers.

Brain · 01-12-2008, 04:18 PM

I've played alot guitar in the few years I've been playing and never had any 'hurt'. 1 time I played constantly for 8 hours.. didn't hurt abit.

Joel · 01-13-2008, 08:06 AM

I overworked my wrist playing drums poorly once, and during the 2 weeks it took to get back to 100%, playing guitar was definitely bad for it.

Cirrus_Minor · 01-13-2008, 10:56 PM

Man, I really should have paid attention to things like this. I actually think I have developed some slight tendonitis in my left hand ring finger. I noticed it a little yesterday, or the day before, and now again today, but a bit stronger. I instantly started searching on the internet about what could be wrong, and this seems correct. Its a little sore where I think my tendon is on my forearm, and my ring finger is not really sore, but seems a tad weak almost. Actually, not even weak, more like I can feel its on the verge of being weak.

So, does anyone have any recomendations as to what to do? I've heard a few days rest and an anti-inflammatory should do the job. Is that true? How do I prevent it from happening again?

EDIT - Keep in mind, it's very slight. I looked into tendonitis some more, and I think it's just slightly inflamed as of now, and the real pain and numbness that comes with tendonitis hasn't actually hit yet. I'm stopping playing guitar anyways of course, but I'm glad I'm stopping now rather then doing some more serious damage.

Stringbender · 01-14-2008, 02:59 PM

Ibuprofen (advils) will help -as will putting some slight pressure massaging the tendon. Resting it for a few days is good too- you can usually pick up a decent wrist/hand brace too. i have a brace for carpal tunnel- it's maybe about a foot long-and you put your hand through and it holds your wrist at an angle (it's really very comfortable) and sleeping with this on for a couple days really helps. Of course, in my case the damage has been pretty severe from some 30-odd years of playing. you can check out drug stores or any super-large-marts around for a brace. A few days of resting in a brace and some advils should help tremendously. keep an eye on everything- if it gets too painful or feeling numb or weak- see a doctor. Anything else I can say to help- I'll be happy to.

Jowed · 01-14-2008, 07:42 PM

Hey can this happen to any other instruments? Like drums? Or piano?

Mongo97 · 01-14-2008, 10:56 PM

It can happen with any repetitive motion...

Typing, playing an instrument, playing with yourse....er... and other things!

thomasdk · 01-15-2008, 06:55 PM

Take time to rest your wrist with a beer!

Stringbender · 01-16-2008, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thomasdk

Take time to rest your wrist with a beer!

good idea! It's cold so it's like putting ice on an injury, a can has a good curve to it (which is essential to hold your hands in a natural curved position- many doctors reccommend holding a tennis ball) -this would work perfectly! but you have to make certain not to run out of beer.

Neverlife · 01-24-2008, 04:23 AM

all this wrist stuff is nice, but my god when you start, your fingers will get torn up, especially if you play bass, but the Bassist Salve (somewhere on this site, search for it) Really does work.

MetalIsUrMom · 01-26-2008, 06:52 PM

Breaks are hard for me cuz I love playing my guitar and I don't wanna stop. haha.

Hero Of The Day · 01-27-2008, 02:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MetalIsUrMom

Breaks are hard for me cuz I love playing my guitar and I don't wanna stop. haha.

I know that feeling. Everytime i think about breaking, i'll say ok, just one song. Then 2 hours later..... another 2 hours later....... done! I play about 6 hours a day, with hardly any breaks inbetween. But i do stretches and warm-up stuff to loosen up.

Brain · 01-28-2008, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hero Of The Day

I know that feeling. Everytime i think about breaking, i'll say ok, just one song. Then 2 hours later..... another 2 hours later....... done! I play about 6 hours a day, with hardly any breaks inbetween. But i do stretches and warm-up stuff to loosen up.

lol you're quite a guitar nerd huh

I bet Malmsteen didn't even practice that much (seeing he was a bad-boy).

yeesha · 01-28-2008, 01:50 PM

Yes, too much of everything can hurt you. Playing the guitar a lot can create aches and pain to your fingers.

12-31-2007, 12:58 AM	#2
INeedX Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 46 Thanks: 10 Thanked 8 Times in 7 Posts Rep Power: 33	I was actually wanting to ask something like this. I was wondering how much practice/playing is too much. I know carpal tunnel is caused by repetitive motion repeated many times over a long period of time and can be avoided by changing the motion, in other words if you're going to do one repetitive motion you have to make a conscious effort to move that body part (hand, wrist, elbow or whatever) in other ways and frequently. Simple daily exercizes can ward it off. Also I'd like to know some people's views on building hand strength for guitarists. __________________ No, It's not a drug reference it's a song lyric and the lyric isn't a drug reference.

12-31-2007, 01:09 AM	#3
Aqualung Pshaw! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Washington Posts: 11,548 Thanks: 527 Thanked 731 Times in 684 Posts Rep Power: 271	I remember Stringbender mentioning that he got messed up wrists from playing too much. He's probably got some good advice on this. __________________ Here we go. Mushu cereal for breakfast with duck sauce.

12-31-2007, 02:32 AM	#5
The Coker Variations Official Reviewer Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Australia Posts: 279 Thanks: 21 Thanked 37 Times in 28 Posts Rep Power: 50	Well I think at the least you should make sure you don't play straight for an hour. Every 5 or so minutes you should have a little rest and stretch your hands and arms. I recommend massaging your knuckles rather then cracking them (trust me its much better, especially in the long run). Its probably best to do these stretches before you start playing as well. Don't just jump straight into the hard stuff but start slow and maybe play a scale and slowly build up speed to warm up your hands and get the blood flowing because from what i recall the hands have the worst blood circulation of your whole body. As for strength exercises. Myself I just played a lot and didnt really do anything specific. Some people use those hand spring things (i can't remember what their called) but i don't think they'd really make a difference physically. If your just starting out I recommend practicing your barre chords to get your strength up. This way you'll get better at barre chords while improving your strength. __________________ It comes to us all, It's as soft as your pillow Last edited by The Coker Variations : 01-06-2008 at 01:06 PM.

12-31-2007, 07:00 PM	#7
Stringbender Guitar Junkie Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: they call it "Earth", the structure is called a "house". Posts: 1,525 Thanks: 264 Thanked 200 Times in 173 Posts Rep Power: 131	You guys knew I would have somethjing to say on this! LOL. What is being said here is good- VERY important stuff! Definitely stretch before and after playing- take each finger and (taking your other hand) slowly hold it against your fretting fingers and bend them slightly back to stretch them. If you stand a lot when you play- try sitting when you play and adjust where the guitar rests on your knee -this will help with the angle your fretting hand is attacking the strings. After playing really complex stuff- (where you stretch the hell out of your hands) this one might seem odd- take the thumbo of your left hand (or reverse if you play left-handed) and place it about on inch or so down from your left elbow. Press down and massage this area- after moving around a little, you will find your ulna nerve. This is the "funny bone" and it actually controls (I think) 3 of your fingers- massaging this with a little pressure will help to make sure that any inflammation from guitar playing is kept down and also that no scar tissue builds up. OH- I'LL SAY THIS RIGHT HERE AND NOW- ODDS ARE IF YOU ARE JUST RECENTLY STARTING OUT ON GUITAR- YOU WON'T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS FOR YEARS AND IT DEPENDS ON HOW MANY HOURS OF ABUSE YOU PUT INTO YOUR YEARS! -However, stretches can help. I did damage from 30+ years of playing- challenging myself to play harder and faster (like Bach and Rachmaninoff pieces) and between typing all day (with my hands at one angle) then playing guitar all night (with my hands at a different -odd angle) it really did some damage. pace yourself- stretch often- don't jump in Randy Rhoads stuff right off the bat- ease into it slowly.. and pay attention to each little twinge or pain you get and let your doctor know! I'll give more pointers when I have time! __________________ Only with the eyes closed can one begin to truly see.

01-05-2008, 10:21 PM	#9
Aqualung Pshaw! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Washington Posts: 11,548 Thanks: 527 Thanked 731 Times in 684 Posts Rep Power: 271	In Musicophilia I read about musicians who do the same repetetive, small-muscle movement over and over that their brains re-align to where the muscles overlap and get tangled and so the movements cannot be accomplished. That would suck. __________________ Here we go. Mushu cereal for breakfast with duck sauce.

12-31-2007, 12:37 AM	#1
Hero Of The Day Buckethead's Best Bud Join Date: May 2007 Location: Where do I live? ....Over There... Posts: 2,898 Thanks: 326 Thanked 198 Times in 173 Posts Rep Power: 145	Obviously, playing guitar can damage your hands if you play over a long period of time. Carpal Tunnel, tendon damage, athritis, etc. I would like to know how to avoid this, if theres anyway too, and what to do if you already have it.

12-31-2007, 03:22 PM	#6
Mongo97 Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Deepest Darkest Suburbia Posts: 392 Thanks: 4 Thanked 103 Times in 74 Posts Rep Power: 102	Stretch, take breaks, practice good hand postion and picking motion. And don't believe "no pain, no gain." Perhaps when you're first building your fingertips up, but after that first bit if you wrist, elbow, fingers start hurting STOP. Take 10, then go back.

01-05-2008, 09:21 PM	#8
Music Resource Music Polls Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 182 Thanks: 24 Thanked 13 Times in 12 Posts Rep Power: 35	Stretching before, inbetween playing each hour, and after playing. Take breaks. It makes a big difference in playing as well. Switch to other instruments and then back again each day - it helps to avoid repetitious movements.

01-09-2008, 10:01 PM	#10
indieaaron45 Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Rep Power: 27	Yes!!! take lots of short breaks.

01-10-2008, 05:07 AM	#11
INeedX Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 46 Thanks: 10 Thanked 8 Times in 7 Posts Rep Power: 33	That's cool because I just naturally take little breaks often usually to stop and think about the music I'm looking at or whatever, but I'll play for a few hours. __________________ No, It's not a drug reference it's a song lyric and the lyric isn't a drug reference.

01-10-2008, 05:46 PM	#12
Stringbender Guitar Junkie Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: they call it "Earth", the structure is called a "house". Posts: 1,525 Thanks: 264 Thanked 200 Times in 173 Posts Rep Power: 131	A good thing to do before and after playing (I will do this sometimes before playing live) is to fill up a sink with water (as hot as you can stand) and put your hands in for a few minutes and stretch your fingers. You don't want to leave your hands in too long because you don't want the skin or calluses to get too soft. After playing, soaking in hot water and then wrapping in a towel for a few minutes is good for the hands and fingers. __________________ Only with the eyes closed can one begin to truly see.

01-12-2008, 04:18 PM	#13
Brain Guitar Yunkie Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 464 Thanks: 92 Thanked 55 Times in 46 Posts Rep Power: 52	I've played alot guitar in the few years I've been playing and never had any 'hurt'. 1 time I played constantly for 8 hours.. didn't hurt abit.

01-13-2008, 08:06 AM	#14
Joel Biggest gig ever was a talent show Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Cold Cold Canada Posts: 272 Thanks: 32 Thanked 27 Times in 25 Posts Rep Power: 39	I overworked my wrist playing drums poorly once, and during the 2 weeks it took to get back to 100%, playing guitar was definitely bad for it. __________________ Wrong or right, Black or white, If I close my eyes, Its all the same. Joels Guitar Setup = Ibanez RGA Prestige 121 --> Dunlop Crybaby --> Boss Super Overdrive --> Fuchs Tube Job --> Traynor YCS50 (PODXt Live in loop) --> Ears

01-13-2008, 10:56 PM	#15
Cirrus_Minor Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 602 Thanks: 194 Thanked 92 Times in 77 Posts Rep Power: 91	Man, I really should have paid attention to things like this. I actually think I have developed some slight tendonitis in my left hand ring finger. I noticed it a little yesterday, or the day before, and now again today, but a bit stronger. I instantly started searching on the internet about what could be wrong, and this seems correct. Its a little sore where I think my tendon is on my forearm, and my ring finger is not really sore, but seems a tad weak almost. Actually, not even weak, more like I can feel its on the verge of being weak. So, does anyone have any recomendations as to what to do? I've heard a few days rest and an anti-inflammatory should do the job. Is that true? How do I prevent it from happening again? EDIT - Keep in mind, it's very slight. I looked into tendonitis some more, and I think it's just slightly inflamed as of now, and the real pain and numbness that comes with tendonitis hasn't actually hit yet. I'm stopping playing guitar anyways of course, but I'm glad I'm stopping now rather then doing some more serious damage. Last edited by Cirrus_Minor : 01-13-2008 at 11:12 PM.

01-14-2008, 02:59 PM	#16
Stringbender Guitar Junkie Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: they call it "Earth", the structure is called a "house". Posts: 1,525 Thanks: 264 Thanked 200 Times in 173 Posts Rep Power: 131	Ibuprofen (advils) will help -as will putting some slight pressure massaging the tendon. Resting it for a few days is good too- you can usually pick up a decent wrist/hand brace too. i have a brace for carpal tunnel- it's maybe about a foot long-and you put your hand through and it holds your wrist at an angle (it's really very comfortable) and sleeping with this on for a couple days really helps. Of course, in my case the damage has been pretty severe from some 30-odd years of playing. you can check out drug stores or any super-large-marts around for a brace. A few days of resting in a brace and some advils should help tremendously. keep an eye on everything- if it gets too painful or feeling numb or weak- see a doctor. Anything else I can say to help- I'll be happy to. __________________ Only with the eyes closed can one begin to truly see.

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01-14-2008, 07:42 PM	#17
Jowed Unregistered is Cool Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Somewhere - hey isn't this a little too long? Nah but this is a kinda long place to live... Posts: 119 Thanks: 15 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts Rep Power: 31	Hey can this happen to any other instruments? Like drums? Or piano? __________________ Last edited by Jowed : 01-14-2008 at 07:53 PM.

01-14-2008, 10:56 PM	#18
Mongo97 Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Deepest Darkest Suburbia Posts: 392 Thanks: 4 Thanked 103 Times in 74 Posts Rep Power: 102	It can happen with any repetitive motion... Typing, playing an instrument, playing with yourse....er... and other things!

01-15-2008, 06:55 PM	#19
thomasdk Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 13 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Rep Power: 27	Take time to rest your wrist with a beer!

01-24-2008, 04:23 AM	#21
Neverlife Dungeon Master Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Newman Grove, NE Posts: 2,010 Thanks: 55 Thanked 84 Times in 75 Posts Rep Power: 0	all this wrist stuff is nice, but my god when you start, your fingers will get torn up, especially if you play bass, but the Bassist Salve (somewhere on this site, search for it) Really does work. __________________ "Today is the tommorow, you worried about yesterday"

01-26-2008, 06:52 PM	#22
MetalIsUrMom Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 4 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Rep Power: 27	Breaks are hard for me cuz I love playing my guitar and I don't wanna stop. haha.

01-28-2008, 01:50 PM	#25
yeesha Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 20 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Rep Power: 27	Yes, too much of everything can hurt you. Playing the guitar a lot can create aches and pain to your fingers. __________________ music to my ears Music lovers love to shop, too.

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