Carpal Tunnel...im scared

[Misanthrope]

Recently ive been playing with both of my bands on a daily basis cause we have a pending gig to atend, And one band with 3 new songs ( all of wich we will play ) and the other with a brand new guitar player ( wich i have to teach like 4 songs ) ive been on rehearsal on an almost daily basis for 2 to 5 hours of guitar playing. Now i never done so much playing in my life, and im also using chats and forums more than normal over the course of the last few weaks...

Now a problem i thought i was free of is presenting: Increasing pain in my hands. My hands hurt, the base of my fingers hurt ( and on my left hand almost the entire finger on all fingers ) and i feel numbness and stiffness and even a bit of tingling on my fingers ( specially on my left hand ). Can i have carpal tunnel syndrome?

I dont know what to do, ill check with my aunt ( she is a doctor and she can also recomend me to other doctors ) but so far i have to practice the entire week at least for 3 hours daily. There is no way around it because of the upcoming gig on saturday we are already on the flyers and stuff and we are really expected to be there. After this i could probably stop for like a week or 2 but this rythm will keep up for some time cause of our knew guitarist and when i have to teach a bass player ( we dont have one in 1 of the bands ) so thats another month or so of semi daily or daily basis...Im really scared guitar is my life to me i dont wanna stop and compromize my bands but what if i have to? Its a hard situation if i have carpal tunnel and i wouldnt know what to do.

Any advise you guys might have?

 

[Arch]

Stop wacking off that hard.

 

[Rei Toei]

don't panic, it's pretty normal your hands hurt since you've been playing guitar so hard
put ice on your wrists whenever you can, and if they hurt a lot you might consider anti-inflammatory medications and wrist braces similar to those used by in-line skaters. your aunt will surely give you more precise hints, though
take care

 

[Siren]

Well, as Rei said, don't panic.
Imo, the best you can do right now (ie before visiting a doctor) is to rest your hands as much as possible, even quit chats, posting too much and the likes for a little time, but then i'm no expert...


Best wishes, i hope it's nothing and you recover soon

 

[Phyros]

I think Siren´s right, just let the doctors fix yer hand, and you´ll be fit for fight faster than you could say "sex laxar i en laxask"...

-phyros (waiting to get his hands on some MP3´s of Misanthropes music)

 

[Misanthrope]

Hehehe, there might be a good chance of it since both bands are being recorded and some local promotor wannabe wants to do a compilation cd, so it could be done for at lest one of the bands and with luck the 2 bands. Not to worry as soon as i get a go ahead to play for straight weeks at the time 4 hours at day or so i will record both bands demos ( probably by getting a better souncard and a decent mixer and recording on the pc, i could get so so cuality wich shall fit now )

Misanthrope ( who shouldnt be typing this much anyway )

 

[mousewings]

I hope your hands get better.

As for advice, I don't know anything about carpal tunnel. You should see your aunt about that.

You have my wishes for your hands getting better...

 

[Wolfman Von Jones]

I dont think you have carpal tunnel, you are just over worked, dont put heat on it it will only cause it to swell more and not really do anything, ice it, and if continues to bother you, talked to your aunt or go to a doctors office.

 

[Melancholia]

Misanthrope@ i hope you'll feel better soon

(obviously i have no idea about carpral tunnel...)

 

[FatherVic]

well you should take care of your fingers.....but as you know if you keep it this way, your fingers will get used to it, you know callus get tougher and tougher and then you won't notice...
but the process is very painfull!!!

 

[yourdeadgroom]

Go to the doctor!!!! I can not stress this enough!! Go tomorrow! And/or go to a physiotherapist (sp?), atleast for one visit, to get some advice! Do not screw around with it, catching things early is vital. I speak from experiance, I've got a permanantly compressed disk in my left wrist, which, while it in no way affects my ability to play, can be uncomfortable. This was due to bad technique and suchlike.
It was sore for a while, eventually I went to a doctor and he said it was something I was going to have to work through myself. So I went away, and after a few months of it still being sore, came to the conclusion he was a dickhead (which he was). Went to a physio (who freaked when she heard what the doctor said), ended up getting treatment. Now, instead of it hurting all the time, it only hurts when I overdo it. But it is a major pain in the ass.
And make sure to warm up properly before playing, do hand stretches (before you pick up the guitar), massage your hand/arm a bit, and then pick up your axe and do warm-ups. And take breaks, even for 30 seconds every 10 minutes, just let your arm hang limp.
It could just be that you have a slightly wrong technique, or need to build up a muscle or something, a physio will be able to tell you.

Good luck

 

[Thanatos]

what are the names of your bands Misanthrope?

 

[Misanthrope]

Koldun - Melodic Death metal with jazz parts and a lot of improvisation ( in both jazzy solos and typical melodic stuff )

Night of kupala - Doom metal with jazz harmony ( a lot of jazz chords over distorsion making a very weird yet relaxing and darker sound, i dont know why not every metal band out there doesnt tries 7ths, sus4, add9 and 11 and the like ).

 

[rahvin]

not much to say on the subject myself, but i feel the others gave some pretty good advice. seeing a doctor soon sounds like a sensible idea, too: better safe than sorry.
but i don't think you should worry too much either. the way you put it, the cause-effect mechanism seems quite clear, and using your hands a little less should make things ok.

rahvin.

 

[Malaclypse]

now for some contrary advice
i experienced, when playing drums too much, that i got blisters on all my fingers. normal. sometimes i need to play on... i even played until my hands were bleeding. this may hurt at first, but now i can play more and faster without hurting my hands at all. it's a training effect, more or less.
well, but if your wrist hurts, better stop playing, this seems to be something totally different.

 

[Humanure]

Carpal Tunnel usually takes a long time to set in,iirc, so I wouldn't be all that worried. Seeing a doc and cutting back a bit after those shows of yours couldn't hurt, though.

 

[Kovenant84]

hrm.... im gettin carpal tunnel cause my keyboard is still on the ground (have yet to move computer)... but i've never heard of someone getting it from playing guitar... you should probably go see a doctor tho

 

[Misanthrope]

Originally posted by Humanure
Carpal Tunnel usually takes a long time to set in,iirc, so I wouldn't be all that worried. Seeing a doc and cutting back a bit after those shows of yours couldn't hurt, though.

Well i have been playing for over 10 years, 8 of them with terrible position.

 

[Wolfman Von Jones]

Youll be fine my feathered friend.

 

[Humanure]

Well, according to WebMD (I'm such a loser...) Carpal Tunnel wouldn't affect the pinky finger. Since you said that all fingers hurt I would guess that you don't have it, but that's coming from a mere wannabe med student. Here's the link if you want to check it out, but as Nick said, you should be fine with a little rest.

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/1680.50851