Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

To preface, I have always avoided posts on bass player forums about injuries or strains, because they have never happened to me. But now I have joined the club.

I just got back home from a sizzling jazz set and I am pleased to say I and the others really wowed the audience. However, I am not pleased to inform that the top side of my left wrist (fingerboard hand) now has a pretty chronic strain in it. It leads me to wonder, if I keep playing these "intense" sets without warm ups, could I permanently injure myself?

Wanting to avoid that I thought I'd seek anyone's opinion about how to warm up or heal an injury...

Who knows; I've tweaked my fretting hand and wrist a number of times on different things, mostly non-musical and I've always bounced back. I usually just don't think about it. I wish you a speedy recovery!

I'd wear a lined jacket before the set, and maybe wear a terrycloth sweat band over the wrist to keep it warm.

paologregorio wrote:I'd wear a lined jacket before the set, and maybe wear a terrycloth sweat band over the wrist to keep it warm.

I hadn't thought about keeping it warm... thanks!

I'd ask Carol Kaye about this (you know who she is, right?). She has a lot of experience and good advice. There's a forum she runs on her website.

http://www.carolkaye.com/

paologregorio wrote:Who knows; I've tweaked my fretting hand and wrist a number of times on different things, mostly non-musical and I've always bounced back...

One thing to think about, the older you get, the less you tend to bounce. Definitely, take care of your hands/wrists, do warm-ups, etc. Maybe try adjusting your strap to change your hand position a bit, maybe even do that a couple of times a night just to change the stresses a bit.

I had a similar problem, due to a broken wrist when I was a kid, but I'd just play through the pain, etc. Eventually, it got to the point where I could no longer play. My fretting hand would just go totally numb after a few minutes of playing. I couldn't even move my fingers. After a couple of surgeries, I can play again and my hand doesn't go numb, but there's still a lot of pain there.

Anyway, I hope your hand gets feeling better soon!

Some physical conditioning could also help, as could supplements. You probably don't need to do a whole lot of conditionting, just more than you are doing. Some sort of glucosamine/chondroitin joint formula works for the joints. I forget what works best for muscles; adequate potassium? Not sure on that one.

Man up.
I played a gig with my right hand in a cast from my fingertips to just below my elbow. I taped a pick to my thumb and didn't play many solos.
True story.

cjj wrote:

paologregorio wrote:Who knows; I've tweaked my fretting hand and wrist a number of times on different things, mostly non-musical and I've always bounced back...

One thing to think about, the older you get, the less you tend to bounce. Definitely, take care of your hands/wrists, do warm-ups, etc. Maybe try adjusting your strap to change your hand position a bit, maybe even do that a couple of times a night just to change the stresses a bit.

I had a similar problem, due to a broken wrist when I was a kid, but I'd just play through the pain, etc. Eventually, it got to the point where I could no longer play. My fretting hand would just go totally numb after a few minutes of playing. I couldn't even move my fingers. After a couple of surgeries, I can play again and my hand doesn't go numb, but there's still a lot of pain there.

Anyway, I hope your hand gets feeling better soon!

I'm awfully sorry about your injury CJ. This is small comfort at best, but you know, Jaco Pastorius had a broken wrist too (from when he played drums)! Scott Pope (iiipopes) has a similar issue to yours with his fretting hand but I believe his might be related to tendonitis instead. That can't be pleasant and I'm really sorry but I'm glad you soldier on anyways! Never stop the music...

I think you're right about switching hand position--I wear the bass pretty high already but the idea about changing which muscle groups are most strained is a good idea and it makes a lot of sense.

I am probably going to wear a wrist warmer for one of these gigs and see what happens. Who knows? As for nutrients, I eat pretty well already (definitely enough bananas to maintain a good supply of K+), but I'll look into the supplements for joint flexibility. Seems like it couldn't hurt.

From the Mayo Clinic:

In cases of a mild or moderate sprain or strain, apply ice to the area as soon as possible to minimize swelling. Use ibuprofen to reduce swelling.

Home treatment:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sprain ... e-remedies

My legal waffle - treat yourself at your own risk!!

Actually, an NSAID like ibuprofen before a gig might be a really good idea to prevent this sort of thing from happening. Thanks John!

captsandwich wrote:Man up.
I played a gig with my right hand in a cast from my fingertips to just below my elbow. I taped a pick to my thumb and didn't play many solos.
True story.

Bada$$! I once pulled an arm muscle mid-song that was connected to my index finger, so I couldn't raise it all the way. Got through the end of the set playing nothing but barre chords...it was bizarre.

Reminds me of the time my drummer stabbed himself in the hand with a screwdriver while setting up. The guitarist, was working with an exacto knife..he heard this, said "what?" and then sliced his hand with the knife. Both dudes wrapped their wounds and played...That was back in the days of punk rock though, so the blood dripping on stage was considered appropriate.

paologregorio wrote:Some physical conditioning could also help, as could supplements. You probably don't need to do a whole lot of conditionting, just more than you are doing. Some sort of glucosamine/chondroitin joint formula works for the joints. I forget what works best for muscles; adequate potassium? Not sure on that one.

I'll second that! Glucosamine & chondroitin may not be the answer for everything, but a chronic pain in my right hand, near the thumb joint, has all but disappeared after I started using these supplements. Of course, they won't replace a proper warm up, which can never hurt.

Man, we're sounding like a bunch of old ladies talking about our joint pains...

At this time of year that is especially important to keep your hands warm and also go through a simple warm up routine on the bass before actually getting into playing.
I've found that as I've gotten older, I need to warm up before playing busy bass parts.