I started playing the bass around two months ago. However, I was playing 2-3 uninterrupted hours a day with relatively poor technique and no strap, and around 2 weeks ago I developed tendonitis down the ulnar nerve of my fretting hand. It’s the most pronounced in the pisiform bone at the bottom of the pinky. I also get some pain on the side of both elbows. I took about a week off icing and taking Advil, but it still feels pretty much the same. Has anyone else ever dealt with this kind of injury? What exercises can I do and should I stop playing entirely as long as this persists?
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Beginner ulnar injury
- Thread starter weab00
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- injury tendonitis
Find a chiropractor and an acupuncturist.
The chiropractor because it's a sure bet your issues are at the elbow or up in the shoulder and neck. Trust me. A good chiropractor may ask you to bring in your bass to see your posture.
The acupuncturist to aid in nerve flow to the hand.
Temporarily cut out caffeine. No push ups or anything that has your hand bent like that at the wrist. Do you ride bicycles? Compression of the ulnar nerve is often caused by hand position on the handle bars.
Sit very straight and play very lightly. Try playing your bass at an angle like a classical guitarist so your right hand/wrist is straight and not bent over top of bass.
There is a strong possibility that you've had posture issues that are showing up or are exacerbated by the bass playing.
Since you want good health and we want you to keep playing look into these suggestions. Do all these things before any thought of surgery!
The chiropractor because it's a sure bet your issues are at the elbow or up in the shoulder and neck. Trust me. A good chiropractor may ask you to bring in your bass to see your posture.
The acupuncturist to aid in nerve flow to the hand.
Temporarily cut out caffeine. No push ups or anything that has your hand bent like that at the wrist. Do you ride bicycles? Compression of the ulnar nerve is often caused by hand position on the handle bars.
Sit very straight and play very lightly. Try playing your bass at an angle like a classical guitarist so your right hand/wrist is straight and not bent over top of bass.
There is a strong possibility that you've had posture issues that are showing up or are exacerbated by the bass playing.
Since you want good health and we want you to keep playing look into these suggestions. Do all these things before any thought of surgery!
Another option would be to see a real doctor.
Hi weab00 
Welcome to TB (Talkbass)!!!
A lot of people have!
More info:
Take good care of your hands!
Health Related Issues To Playing
the best option!
Yep! Go see a doc! ASAP!!!
may the bass be with you
Wise(b)ass
Welcome to TB (Talkbass)!!!
A lot of people have!
More info:
Take good care of your hands!
Health Related Issues To Playing
the best option!Yep! Go see a doc! ASAP!!!
may the bass be with you
Wise(b)ass
Been there. It sucks. There are some exercises you can do to help stretch your arm out before you play that my Dr had me do. Do them every day. Also get a tennis elbow brace and wear it for a couple weeks.
Most likely you’re pressing too hard with your fretting hand. You’ll learn it doesn’t take as much pressure as you think it does.
Most likely you’re pressing too hard with your fretting hand. You’ll learn it doesn’t take as much pressure as you think it does.
see a doctor and get a referral for a physical therapist.
and yeah, pressing too hard will cause problems, and i was guilty of it myself for years. the harder i'd play with my plucking hand, the harder i'd fret the strings - since i was mostly playing in metal bands, i was often fretting too hard.
and yeah, pressing too hard will cause problems, and i was guilty of it myself for years. the harder i'd play with my plucking hand, the harder i'd fret the strings - since i was mostly playing in metal bands, i was often fretting too hard.
Real doctors rarely ask what you do or how you work or exercise. They will tell you they’ve studied diet for an hour in all their years of study. While they know their drugs, when they aren’t pushing what the rep is pushing to them, and they can be brilliant surgeons what the OP has may be purely structural. That’s not in an MD’s wheelhouse.
It takes an egoless car salesman to recommend another manufacturers car when he knows he doesn’t have what’s right for you.
Yes he should see an MD but be an advocate for himself and entertain all of the possible therapies.
A doctor's advice would be best. But feel free to post a video or some pics, if you want our amateur opinions what you could do differently/better!
Without seeing your playing, I have these general tips:
Without seeing your playing, I have these general tips:
- Limit your practice to 30 minutes, then take a break.
- Turn up your amp and play with a lighter touch.
- Get your bass professionally "set up" so it plays with a light and comfortable "action."
- Use comfortable and ergonomic technique! In particular the thumb placement is critical, and avoid stretching/reaching with that pinky.
- Avoid the concept of "exercises" because what you actively don't want to do is build muscles and strength. You are already strong enough to play the bass, and you should be focusing on playing softer, not harder. Ignore anyone who tells you to "man up" or "power through" or "no pain no gain."
I actually don't mind the acupuncturists. If they're well regarded in their field and the needles are clean, a calm and relaxing environment with a practitioner that believes he's helping you can potentially be very healing. The placebo effect is real even if the supernatural elements of acupuncture aren't. Chiropractic on the other hand is potentially very dangerous. I tend to defer to medical professionals with expertise in biology and chemistry and not magic.Real doctors rarely ask what you do or how you work or exercise. They will tell you they’ve studied diet for an hour in all their years of study. While they know their drugs, when they aren’t pushing what the rep is pushing to them, and they can be brilliant surgeons what the OP has may be purely structural. That’s not in an MD’s wheelhouse.
It takes an egoless car salesman to recommend another manufacturers car when he knows he doesn’t have what’s right for you.
Yes he should see an MD but be an advocate for himself and entertain all of the possible therapies.
limiting your practice time is a good idea. when i started playing guitar, my instructor told me to play for 30 minutes per day and no more to start out.
All treatments are potentially dangerous. More than three Cortisone shots aren't approved by Insurance because they cause spontaneous tendon rupture. It happened to my bookkeeper. Chiropractic low speed forceful adjustments are indeed dangerous. The AMA apologized to Chiropractic for decades of professing it was quackery. The adjustment that obstetricians do to infants legs post birth is an adjustment.
There is no placebo effect with acupuncture when it's used on animals. I know so many athletes and professional musicians who have avoided surgery and are pain free today. It's a 6000 year old healing art.
The Doctor sees disease as physical damage or pathological bacteria or viruses.
The Osteopath sees disease as blood impurities.
The Chiropractor as subluxations.
The Acupuncturist as a blockage of Chi.
Find a human being. All of those things are present.
Being a wise consumer you say hmm my car has a bent fender. Does it need a tune up? Oil change? New tires? New updates for the operating system? Body shop?
I don't have a bias because thanks to the amazing surgeons at Johns Hopkins I can see 20/20 and 20/10 when my cornea was detached from 1:00 to 11:00. I was hours from being blind. Chiro or Acu would have been the wrong modalities.
I was offering this to the OP as a choice.
OK, for those of us who don't know, a chiropractor is a real doctor. The "D" in "DC" stands for Doctor. You wouldn't say someone isn't a real bassist because you don't buy their band's music.
Where a GP doctor would recommend exactly what you are doing, rest, ice, maybe Advil, a therapist will be able to locate the physical issue and start you on a corrective path. That is, if you want to go that route.
Don't be afraid to see a physical therapist either, overuse injuries can be corrected long-term using exercises.
Check your technique and IMO 3 hours a day is a lot for a beginner so you're probably right that it is overuse.
Where a GP doctor would recommend exactly what you are doing, rest, ice, maybe Advil, a therapist will be able to locate the physical issue and start you on a corrective path. That is, if you want to go that route.
Don't be afraid to see a physical therapist either, overuse injuries can be corrected long-term using exercises.
Check your technique and IMO 3 hours a day is a lot for a beginner so you're probably right that it is overuse.
If it's not a placebo effect than what is it?
Nope. Find chi. Go ahead. You'll fundamentally change our understanding of reality.
None of us is a doctor, real or pretend, so we're all just stating our opinions. I like medical doctors. I think they're great.
I’ve been playing for several years with no lessons - just signed up for BassBuzz (2nd module), and I’m at now plucking much differently (correctly) and more consistently and my fretting hand is in the correct position and I’m using a light touch with both. I had to put my bass with the neck up higher to put my hand in the correct position. I used to get pain after 10 minutes. That’s not good. So far, much better. Sounds better too.
The good thing about the lessons is he kept reminding me and I used it consistently enough to find it works a lot better. I am starting off by getting into the position correct first now. Super important.
Good luck!
The good thing about the lessons is he kept reminding me and I used it consistently enough to find it works a lot better. I am starting off by getting into the position correct first now. Super important.
Good luck!
It took me years to stop gripping the neck like someone was gonna take my bass from me otherwise. It takes surprisingly little effort to press a string against a fret.
I'm speaking from experience. Doctors aren't the only game in town. Like what you like.
My next door neighbor a scientist at APL helped develop a vest that powers and recharges pacemakers from the body's own electrical energy. Chi the energies that flow through your body. What is that clip on your finger reading when you're in the hospital. Have you seen the device they put on your forehead to tell your blood pressure?
I am not hear to argue. When a race horse gets acupuncture it doesn't think it's going to get well. No placebo effect. Where I live there were numerous race tracks. Horses were treated daily by animal acupuncturists. I've seen the chinese point location charts for most domestic and farm animals.
NIH tested Acupuncture. The VA recommends it for pain therapy.
If your mind is made up let's stop. If you really want to know then perhaps over in PMs.
Your responses sound a bit snarky so in the spirit of discovery I'll bow out. The internet is your friend on this one.
Depending on where you live Medical Doctors are very keen to recommend alternative therapies and diet changes to aid healing.
I'd say you need to get to a good doctor and a good teacher. The doctor will help you recover from your current pain and the teacher will help make sure you don't do this to yourself again.
When I first started I also was playing for hours per day, but I never had ulnar nerve issues, carpal tunnel, etc. Some of that must be genetics and anatomy and luck because I had no clue at the beginning until I got a couple of good teachers that straightened out my technique.
When I first started I also was playing for hours per day, but I never had ulnar nerve issues, carpal tunnel, etc. Some of that must be genetics and anatomy and luck because I had no clue at the beginning until I got a couple of good teachers that straightened out my technique.
Tendinitis and ulnar neuropathy are two very different things. What exactly are your symptoms?
I am not sure how old you are, but I imagine a lot of players miss these injuries in the beginning because they are teenagers, a time when we probably all remember that our bodies bounce back or can absorb sudden muscular interruptions.
I would ice or cool the affected area after practicing. Also, those wrist braces you can buy at CVS or any drug store are nice because they keep your hand and wrist nice and warm so that, when you do play, you are already kind of loose. Obviously you would probably have to take it off before you play.
But if you are putting your hand in a position that evolution did not adapt our species for, then there will probably be a physical cost.
I would ice or cool the affected area after practicing. Also, those wrist braces you can buy at CVS or any drug store are nice because they keep your hand and wrist nice and warm so that, when you do play, you are already kind of loose. Obviously you would probably have to take it off before you play.
But if you are putting your hand in a position that evolution did not adapt our species for, then there will probably be a physical cost.