Fellow Guitarists Please Help: Wrist hurts intensely

[Mike 03]

After laying off playing for a couple of months I did a three hour session last Sunday and by Monday had wrist pain and mild swelling (this is my strumming hand, not the hand that is on the neck).

I rested it for a week and today played for three hours. I can hardly move the damned thing.

What is so strange about this is that I've gone as long as almost a year without playing and the only problem then was just rebuilding callouses on the chord-making fingers.

I've been playing since 1994 or thereabouts and never have I had a wrist issue.

I did what most people would do and Googled guitar wrist injuries but all of them seem to apply to the hand that forms the chords, not the strumming hand.

Is this sort of injury common? How long do I have to lay off, or should I just play through it?

I gave it an entire week to heal and that didn't help at all.

I am so happy to be playing again--it's so good for my mood that I can't stand the idea of not playing for an extended period of time.

The only "treatment" other than the six days of rest is that I'm wearing a wrist support, but it doesn't help much.

Also, it's not JUST the wrist but I would say about half of the forearm that hurts. The wrist is the epicenter of the pain, but the arm hurts/is numb about two thirds of the way to the elbow.

Any advice or suggestions would be hugely appreciated.

ON EDIT:

If this is carpal tunnel, what do I do?

[XemaSab]

1. That sounds like possible carpal tunnel

:(

[FarLeftRage]

2. Yes... that is what it sounds like

I've been playing for about 25 years now and never had that happen.

[Mike 03]

3. Uh-oh. This doesn't sound good.

But I appreciate the input.

Yikes...

:-(

[XemaSab]

4. I had carpal tunnel and if you baby your wrist, it can go away

Lots of advil, heat, wear a wrist brace especially to bed, and so forth.

[FarLeftRage]

5. It does not sound good...

But, let me ask you this: do you spend alot time typing?

It may be traced to over use of the keyboard...

Not a doctor, just curious... thanks.

[no name no slogan]

6. THIS ^

I got carpal tunnel many years ago. I had been playing guitar for a decade, at least 1/2 a day. However, I had a job that involved a lot of repetitive stress on my wrist, and this is what caused the problem.

As I didn't have insurance at the time, I couldn't get it treated, except for the Advil/heat/wrist brace routine. Eventually, it went away, but I had to take it easy on that arm for a few months.

[Twillig]

7. Do you stretch before picking up the guitar?

John Petrucci is big on stretching:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrAaMLpP20k go to 3 minutes in.


Also how do you rest your right arm for playing? Acoustic or electric with sharp edge on the top like a Les Paul? If you press your arm against that edge that could hurt, it does to me.

Best of luck.

[wickerwoman]

8. Maybe tendonitis?

I had to give up the clarinet because I could barely hold the thing. The pain was focused on my wrist tendon and sort of spiraled up my forearm most of the way to the elbow.

http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/handwristsurgery/a/wristtendonitis.htm

[mitchum]

9. Take narcotics...

that will take care of the pain
and slow you down enough to develop tasteful phrasing :)

In all seriousness, good luck

[MilesColtrane]

10. Whatever it is, you can't play through it.

Could be carpal tunnel, or tendonitits, or you could even have a ganglion.

Keep ice on it and rest it. (don't play)

After another week, try picking up the guitar, but don't play for more than 5-10 minutes at a time. Take a break for an amount of time equal to what you just played.

If it doesn't get any better see a doctor.