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Old 05-17-2010, 05:03 PM
nm_guitarist nm_guitarist is offline
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Default Playing a guitar after a hand or wrist injury?

I have been playing guitar for about three years now. I broke a metacarpal bone in my hand and my wrist yesterday during a softball game. I got a fiberglass cast put on this morning. I learned to play the guitar as part of music therapy program because I'm bipolar. I'm always learning new songs. I will have to wear a cast for 8 weeks and after that I might need to wear a splint for a couple of weeks and I will have some therapy. Is it painful to play again after a hand injury and not playing in awhile?
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Old 05-17-2010, 05:21 PM
15 Man 15 Man is offline
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First of all, Welcome to The Forum!

Sorry to hear about your injury. The short answer to your question is - YES. How much pain will depend on how severe the injury is. At the very least you’ll have to go through building up the calluses again. I just had elbow surgery in January and it took me a good couple of months to get my playing skills back close to where I was before hand. And yeah, there was some pain during the process. My playing skills still aren’t all the way back to where I’d like them to be. However, that’s due more to having too many other things going on that cut in on my playing time than anything else.

It's funny (sort of) that you mention this. The last few days my left wrist has been hurting like heck and I have no idea what I did to it. It's not from playing because I've been away for a few days. If it keeps up I may have to forget about playing for a week or two until it gets better.

Good luck with your recovery!
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Old 05-17-2010, 06:21 PM
Marc Durso Marc Durso is offline
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I have two steel plates, 12 screws, two criss crossed wires and artificial bone in my wrist joint. Cast from fingers to shoulder. Six months of excruciating therapy. Ah, but I can play again!!!! So, heal, follow your therapist's instructions, be patient.
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Old 05-17-2010, 06:28 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nm_guitarist View Post
I have been playing guitar for about three years now. I broke a metacarpal bone in my hand and my wrist yesterday during a softball game. I got a fiberglass cast put on this morning. I learned to play the guitar as part of music therapy program because I'm bipolar. I'm always learning new songs. I will have to wear a cast for 8 weeks and after that I might need to wear a splint for a couple of weeks and I will have some therapy. Is it painful to play again after a hand injury and not playing in awhile?
Hi nm_guitarist…
Which hand? Picking or fretting?

Here's what you need to ask your doctor(s)...
''If I’m playing my guitar and feel pain, am I doing further injury?" That is the biggest issue with injury, healing and playing. Then you need to see if there is a way you can adapt your playing for fun and growth.

If it's just pain - I can endure pain and play - but if it's resulting in either slowed healing, mal-formed healing or further injury it's best to wait.

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Old 05-17-2010, 07:34 PM
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I had to lay off guitar for most of this year due to 3 tendon surgeries (2 in left hand, 1 in right), and as a side-effect, I lost the feeling in my 2nd & 3rd fingers in my left hand until just a week ago.

So yes, there's a ton of pain when I play, and I have to say I totally love it ;) Feeling anything including pain is better than nothing.

The best thing that helped me most after the surgeries was intensive PT/OT (physical and occupational therapy at the local hospital. I've been doing that for 4 months, and have another 2 to go. The PT's let me know whether I've gone too far with practicing, taught me to recognize it, and just to make it more practical, the general rule is that while healing from an injury, it's best not to keep playing endlessly through pain.

I can play for hours now, but have to take a break for 5 minutes of each ~60, and do a few exercises when it is worst.

Best of luck to you --
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Old 05-17-2010, 08:57 PM
Bingoccc Bingoccc is offline
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It hurts.. Check it out with your doctor then get over it. Pain is part of life.
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Old 05-17-2010, 09:19 PM
richnrbq richnrbq is offline
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Sorry to hear about the injury and, yes, it's definitely a journey back from something like this but totally worth it and totally motivating.

After a lifetime of playing fairly seriously, I severed a tendon in my right hand that took me out of playing keyboards and guitar for almost a year. The very first time I was able to simply place my fingers on the keyboard and make a basic chord brought tears to my eyes, it was just so great to feel that connection between playing and hearing a sound again. I didn't know how much I would get back at that point, but for the moment it was enough.

Thank God, I've pretty much recovered all motion and more importantly can play pain-free with abandon. You will heal and you will be able to play again. Hang in there, do what the doctor tells you, go for it with the physical therapy when the time comes and it'll come back.

Have faith, friend!

Rich
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Old 05-17-2010, 09:39 PM
Wade Hampton Wade Hampton is online now
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I broke my left wrist two and a half years ago, and was pretty upset about it since I maintain an active paid music schedule, leading a church music group among other things.

Some gigs I had to flat out cancel, because they were too soon after the injury for me to fulfill. I kept leading the music group, and found that within two weeks I could start playing mandolin again.

Guitar took me about a month to get back to, and it was still difficult for at least a month or so after that. The last of my instruments that I got facile upon was the mountain dulcimer, which was actually the most painful to resume because I use all the fingers of my left hand and press downwards, in fingerings that are closer to piano fingerings than anything else.

But my doctor was astonished at the speed of my progress in regaining a full range of motion, and told me he was convinced that it was my musicianship that made the vital difference. He told me that others with the same injury generally take two to three times as long to make the same progress I made. I was fully functioning again as a musician within six weeks, and had been back to playing mandolin within two weeks, though I was still wearing the wrist brace until that six week mark.

This doesn't mean that you and I had the same injury: as you've no doubt learned by now, the wrist is an exceedingly complex collection of bones, nerves and sinews.

But I would urge you to make every effort to play as soon as you possibly can, however awkward it may be at first (and possibly for some time to come.) But keep your hand in, and it will probably help speed your recovery.

I know it did in my case.

Hope this helps.


Wade Hampton Miller
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Old 05-18-2010, 07:14 AM
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What Larry says: Check with your doc to ensure the pain is 'good' pain. But what Wade says: Play again as soon as possible.

I've had two right wrist surgeries in the past two years. There were enough nerves severed in each case that it took awhile for the fingers to do what the mind was asking. But my doctor encouraged me to play as soon as possible, cast and all. Anything to get those fingers moving again. But once more, you should check with your doctor to make certain that's what she/he wants for you, I'd suggest.
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Old 05-18-2010, 07:16 AM
Aaron Smith Aaron Smith is offline
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All good advice here. The other advice that I would offer is to make sure you are seeing an orthopedic hand specialist, who has completed a fellowship in hand surgery. I would speak with your doctor to ensure that he has experience treating musicians, and make sure that he understands that the music is part of your therapy for bipolar disorder.
Good luck in your recovery!
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Old 08-28-2018, 09:41 PM
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I know this is an old thread, but I fell twice & sustained two separate L hand injuries four months apart--both of which required surgery a month after the second injury. First time was a tirangular fibrocartilagenous complex (TFCC) tear--basically torn cartilage on the ulnar (elbow) side of the wrist. The fall was more of a strain, but 6 wks later (when I was nearly all better) I truly tore the TFCC propping myself up in bed with that hand. Surgeon first thought it was tendinitis, gave me a cortisone shot & a lace-up semi-rigid brace. When neither worked, an MRI revealed the TFCC tear. I'd played 3 gigs in the interim, each more painful than the last (except for not being able to make barre chords, guitar was easier than dulcimer). I followed advice to rest my hand and play only for the gigs. Big mistake (see below).

In June, en route to the surgeon's office for a cortisone shot into the TFCC, I fell again and this time fractured my L scaphoid bone (in the palm, just above the wrist, on the thumb side). Had to have 3 surgeries in one session: debridement (cleanout) of the TFCC, internal fixation (metal screw) of the scaphoid, and an ulnar shortening osteotomy: because I was born with an ulna 4mm too long, my TFCC got torn when I fell and was vulnerable to further injury unless my ulna was shortened to normal length. 6 weeks in a hard molded cast-brace, including my thumb.

Got the cast off last week and started occupational (hand physical) therapy yesterday. Seems my tendons got shortened during all those weeks of immobilization (both the cast-brace post-op and the lace-up brace from April-July) which was why it became progressively more painful to make chords requiring stretching. Paradoxically, the dulcimer is easier for me now than guitar (although I do need to re-arrange some fingerings on dulcimer solos).

Here's the rub: I SHOULD NOT HAVE STOPPED PLAYING between gigs! The reason each successive gig hurt more & more was because I wasn't keeping my tendons limber--and they got progressively shorter. Besides my hand therapy exercises, my therapist now wants me to play guitar every day as much as I can tolerate--and play the chords I find most difficult for my fingers to reach. Once I've made progress there we'll work on grip and finger strength (and independent finger isolation, impairment of which was a lifelong problem I'd never realized, with my teeny paws) to bring back the barres.

I will echo Aaron's advice--see a hand-specific orthopedic surgeon who has experience in doing loads of these procedures. Harder to find one who is a musician or who treats musicians as well as athletes (mine treats some of Chicago's pro sports teams), especially if you have insurance issues. Medicare will pay for only 12 PT sessions per year, so I will likely go out of pocket to seek advice from a musician-specific ortho clinic (IL Bone & Joint, Rehab Inst. of Chi., or maybe even a consult at NYC's Hospital For Special Surgery).

See your doctor--and ask point-blank: "if it hurts am I causing it harm?" If not...USE IT OR LOSE IT.
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Old 08-29-2018, 04:40 AM
Rpt50 Rpt50 is offline
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After injuring (and re-injuring) my wrist in motorcycle mishaps, I have found short scale guitars like the GS mini far easier play. The downside however is that now that I have played the mini so much, "normal" guitars seem harder to play, even though my wrist is much better. This has opened up new GAS possibilities. I have already acquired a short-scale bass, and I am keeping my eye out for a short scale electric.
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Old 08-29-2018, 05:09 AM
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Bob Womack Bob Womack is offline
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If it is the left hand, pick up slide for he recuperating weeks.


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Old 08-29-2018, 05:18 AM
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It all depends on the damage done. That and the passion to play guitar. I think it takes the same passion to play guitar after a hand injury as it took to initially start playing guitar. A couple of years after my injury my fretting hand is still handicapped, weak and painful. I still enjoy playing so I do. Good luck.
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Old 08-29-2018, 07:06 AM
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So sorry! I purposefully avoid certain pick-up sports where I can injure a finger as I make $$ with music. I never would avoid a softball game! Yikes!
Years ago, I was playing guitar as much as 6 hours a day, and I dropped a brick on my left thumb. I broke it. I played slide until I recovered. I never got good, but I had fun.
If you use the guitar for therapy, keep your hands on the instrument. Learn slide. Learn picking techniques.
But don't re-injure yourself in your enthusiasm!
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