Wrist hurts while trying to play guitar

by Chris
(New Hampshire)



I've recently started playing guitar and I've noticed that my left wrist (the one I am fretting the guitar with) gets sore while trying to play or do any complicated kind of chords that require my wrist to be turned.

The soreness is only on the left side of the wrist where that little ball/bone like thing is.

I've had problems with my wrists before I started playing guitar, and I think it's mainly because of typing so much. I really want to get rid of this problem without having to get medication or surgery or anything like that. It's really holding me back from playing.

What do you think this is and can it be helped?

-Thanks



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Joshua Answers:

It absolutely can be helped.


1. What kind of problems did you have with your wrist before?

2. How much computer work do/did you do?

3. How bad, and how often, do you have pain?

4. How old are you?

5. Any other health issues/problems/pain?





Joshua Tucker, B.A., C.M.T.
The Tendonitis Expert
www.TendonitisExpert.com
















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Aug 20, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Answers
by: Chris


1. What kind of problems did you have with your wrist before?

A: Well before I started playing guitar, my wrists would still get sore from things that required them to be turned over - I figured that maybe they just weren't used to it, since I spend so much time working on the computer, but my left wrist especially gets sore very quickly when playing guitar. Things like heavy lifting/lifting weights would do the same thing. In the past, the pain has been near that bone area that I described.

2. How much computer work do/did you do?

A: Well - A lot... Too much really... I actually have my own business that I run on the internet, and I'm also a gamer. So I'm on the computer very often.

3. How bad, and how often, do you have pain?

The pain starts pretty quickly after I pickup the guitar and start playing - this is really the only time I've noticed the pain, because just about everything else I do doesn't require my wrists to be in that awkward position. It gets bad enough that I have to stop playing, and I usually try and stretch out my wrist. It's very uncomfortable - I wouldn't say it's excruciating, but there's no way I can play the guitar this way.

4. How old are you?

I am 16

5. Any other health issues/problems/pain?

I also get the occasional pain near the elbow, if I am lifting weights or trying to flex.
Sep 10, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		same
by: Tom

Hi, i have this same problem and i want to know how to cure it, do you know yet? thanks :)
Sep 10, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		PART 2 - Wrist hurts while trying to play guitar
by: Chris

I still have the problem - but what I've been doing is different wrist stretches, and massages every day, as well as icing it and such. It helps a bit, but it's still there.


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Joshua Comments:

Whooops. Sorry, lost track of this one.


So.

1. Ice Dips. A lot of them. As many as you can in a day for 7 days. Then lower the numbers and start to ....

2. Ice Massage. Get in there with an ice cube or a frozen water bottle. Get into all the forearm muscles, and the muscles in the thumb bad. Anywhere it hurts, get in there.


Essentially, guitar players use their muscles a lot. Muscle get tight, and stay tight. Connective tissue shrink wraps. The nervous system starts an inflammation process, which dumps pain enhancing chemical into the area.

Get the inflammation out. Stretch and spread and stretch the tissue with the ice massage, which also forces cold in deeper to counter inflammation.

After a couple weeks of hitting that hard, then continue to taper off using cold while you slowly start playing/typing more.


That's kind of the short version.

More questions, more answers.


Dec 28, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Same thing help? - Wrist hurts while trying to play guitar
by: Mr. X

Okay here's the problem, I've just started playing guitar recently and my wrist gets sore while playing to the point to where I have to stop, it especially gets sore faster when playing more difficult chords, probably because I have to have my wrist in an even more awkward position. I use my left wrist for frets and right for strumming I'm basically wondering if I can do anything to make the soreness stop appearing. I'm 18, I've never had any past wrist problems as far as I'm aware except for when playing the game "Guitar Hero" but the soreness I had from playing that game is the same as the soreness I get now. I've been surfing the web on the computer almost daily for many hours at a time sometimes from wake to sleep for many years now. The pain starts pretty quickly after I pickup the guitar and start playing. I'm trying to give as much detail as possible. I really want to play guitar.

Also I don't know what ice dips and stuff are, could you explain if that'll help my situation?


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Joshua Comments:

Learn about Process of Inflammation.

The Pain Causing Dynamic explains why you hurt, even at 18 (so much for being young and immortal....).

Learn How To Reduce Inflammation

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