Tendonitis?

80's_Metal

80's_Metal

Underglazed Hair Metalologist
Tendinitis (informally also tendonitis), meaning inflammation of a tendon (the suffix "itis" denotes diseases characterized by inflammation), is a type of tendinopathy often confused with the more common tendinosis, which has similar symptoms but requires different treatment.[1] The term tendinitis should be reserved for tendon injuries that involve larger-scale acute injuries accompanied by inflammation. Generally tendinitis is referred to by the body part involved, such as Achilles tendinitis (affecting the Achilles tendon), or patellar tendinitis (jumper's knee, affecting the patellar tendon).

I think I may be developing 1st finger/ guitarist/ powerchord/ tendonitis... ...pretend I am playing a barre F lets say.... where the fretboard touches my hand/start of my 1st finger HOLY BLOODY HELL! does it hurt. I mean I'm a big tough guy who is used to getting broken up and whatnot.... but this makes me flinch it is so sharp..... Like a knife.

Anyone ever had this happen... I am scared to keep playing as I don't want it to worsen...

X marks the spot...
IMG_20110512_170432.jpg
 
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Re: Tendonitis?

Stop playing NOW and go see a doctor.
Forcing yourself is only gonna make it worse.
 
Re: Tendonitis?

My hands start to tingle and such after a while. I've done setups and switched to thinner strings, and its helped a lot. If there is pain, something is wrong. Get it checked out.
 
Re: Tendonitis?

Lay off the guitar playing until it stops hurting. Tendonitis can develop into a much worse chronic problem if you ignore it. If you've been leaving your guitar alone for a couple weeks and are still feeling pain, check with a doctor.

When it's feeling better and you can go back to playing, you might have to modify the way you wear/hold your guitar, or change your technique to prevent pain. Many of us pick up bad habits (guitar too low, very bent wrist, poor thumb positioning, etc). Always slowly warm up your fingers and wrists before trying to jump into quick playing too . . . remember to listen to your body, don't ignore it if you feel a twinge of pain.

Best of luck for a recovery!
 
Re: Tendonitis?

Get it checked by a Orthopedic MD. I have achilles tendinits and I have to wear wedges inside my sneakers/shoes in order not to strain them. GuitarSV is right...need to warm up first.. If playing aggravates the pain or initiate it, you gotta STOP playing the guitar first and get it checked out.

If you ignore it and let it get worse, you may not be able to play for a long time.
 
Re: Tendonitis?

I've had tendonitis.. but my pain was higher up, in the thick part of my forearm.. also the pain was more of a burning pain (due to inflammation), not a stabbing pain like you're describing.. and the pain lingered on even after I would stop playing.. my doctor ordered me to stop playing guitar for a minimum of 2 weeks (which really sucked).. and sent me to a hand therapist who showed me some simple stretches to do before practicing.. I do these stretches unconciously now..

Obviously, tendonitis can develop anywhere.. and pain is nature's way of telling you to stop whatever it is you're doing.. go see a doctor if it doesn't go away in a reasonable amount of time.. hopefully you just jammed your finger or something without realizing it.. Good Luck!
 
Re: Tendonitis?

thinner strings and/or lower action... plus tendonitis it's usually a sign of bad technique, you've probably been squeezing too hard in a bad way for too long, position of your thumb in the neck is the key.

Good luck!
 
Re: Tendonitis?

I think you guys are all correct.... I have been playing strap really low, and only poor hand/wrist position way down 1st couple frets..... I play beefy strings in drop-C mostly..... It doesn't hurt to play at all, only when I touch off that one nerve/tendon on my first finger.... then FIRE!!!!! ha ha...

I have been trying to stretch it out and even iced it down.... seems to be helping a little bit.... I am always reluctant to go see the doctor. I'll try laying off for a bit.... see how it plays out. Thanks for the advice my brethren.

But I got a new guitar coming today!..... no promises there ha ha!
 
Re: Tendonitis?

Diego said:
Stop playing NOW and go see a doctor.
Forcing yourself is only gonna make it worse.
Click to expand...

+1,000

If you don't it will lead to tendonosis and surgery, which I will be having next month. It may be something different.
 
Re: Tendonitis?

stop playing right now.

I have tendonitis. I downtune to c# and play the ultraslinky 8s, just like Iommi did because his finger got chopped off. I still play, but no shredding marathons whenever I want (like I used to do that got me into trouble). you should look up ergonomic guitar playing online and also google hand tendonitis stretches. I went to a physical therapist and they gave me rubber bands and silly putty to squeeze. I also made up my own weightlifting and stretching regiments to slowly make things better for myself...needless to say bad tendonitis is a nightmare to a guitarist, it doesnt ever just go away...

make sure you stretch out, then warm up guitar exercises, then start playing guitar.
 
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Re: Tendonitis?

Stop playing for at least a week. When you get back to playing start making adjustments. Tendonitis is like a heart attack for guitarists - it tells you you need to start living more rationally, start focusing on what's important and understanding your own limits.

Mine came along a busy period at work when I was typing a lot on the keyboard...


It's scary but in a way it helped me a lot. I've stopped trying to be a shredder and started working on phrasing and songwriting.

Good luck and hope you'll feel better soon.
 
Re: Tendonitis?

point contact does not sound like tendonitis honestly - there is a tendon that runs over each of those joints in your hand, and it would likely hurt in more than just the x spot

Still, all the advice above applies

#1 Stop playing
#2 See a doc
#3 Less stress when playing / better ergonomic position
#4 Can't over emphasize #2
 
Re: Tendonitis?

MSM powder at the Vitamin Shopp is pretty good, mix like 3 to 5 grams a day, I use it for working out and it helps, ice helps inflamation on my arm
 
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