gafbass02 Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 (edited) Today for some reason all the knuckles on my right (plucking) hand ached from the minute i woke up, despite me not playing any more than usual lately (few hours a day). Just now i was playing and started to get shooting pains down my first finger on the same hand and now the knuckles on my other hand ache. Am i broken? ..and do we have a sticky anywhere on bass health issues like posture etc?, couldn't spot one? I play pretty tight back to the bridge, here is a of pic of me which shows my right hand position pretty well. Am i just getting old? Edited May 20, 2008 by gafbass02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdphysio Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 it could be one of many things. but if it persists over the next few days/week or so, either pop to your gp, or better still, find a local chartered physio to take a look at it (and your posture/ergonomics in general). good luck. karl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gafbass02 Posted May 20, 2008 Author Share Posted May 20, 2008 I will do, hope its short lived! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7string Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 I sure hope that the pain subsides on it's own accord. Peace Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 I would leave the bass alone for a couple of days and probably the computer keyboard too! Rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mybass Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 [quote name='gafbass02' post='203316' date='May 20 2008, 10:27 PM']Today for some reason all the knuckles on my right (plucking) hand ached from the minute i woke up, despite me not playing any more than usual lately (few hours a day). Just now i was playing and started to get shooting pains down my first finger on the same hand and now the knuckles on my other hand ache. Am i broken? ..and do we have a sticky anywhere on bass health issues like posture etc?, couldn't spot one? I play pretty tight back to the bridge, here is a of pic of me which shows my right hand position pretty well. Am i just getting old? [/quote] Hey, we are all gittin' older! You MAY just have a back or shoulder problem related to playing/posture. I now see a specialist/osteopath who has dealt with quite a few musicians and I get a check up every so often. A couple of years ago my wrist was in terrible pain. I could play but not lift gear or drive comfortably. I tried a physio who only worked on the actual outside wrist area over 4 visits and that was hopeless, more pain and NO gain. I visited this specialist and he immediately went to my back and shoulder areas. The problem was 80% healthier straight away. All those muscles connect all the way down to the hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowhand_mike Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 might sound silly but do you drink alot of water, a lack of water intake can cause dehydration and the muscles can suffer from that. it could just be over playing however. playing over the bridge i find hard work as the strings have no give there, maybe try playing over the split pup where the strings are more flexible and easier on the pinkies, you might have to change the eq though. what ever you do hope it either sorts itself or gets sorted quick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 (edited) [quote name='mybass' post='203578' date='May 21 2008, 10:48 AM']You MAY just have a back or shoulder problem related to playing/posture. I now see a specialist/osteopath who has dealt with quite a few musicians and I get a check up every so often. A couple of years ago my wrist was in terrible pain. I could play but not lift gear or drive comfortably. I tried a physio who only worked on the actual outside wrist area over 4 visits and that was hopeless, more pain and NO gain. I visited this specialist and he immediately went to my back and shoulder areas. The problem was 80% healthier straight away. All those muscles connect all the way down to the hands.[/quote] Me too. Spent years going thru NHS fun with wrist and hand x-rays etc and they kept coming back negative, a former colleague suggested a chiropractor and I was fixed within a few visits. My left shoulder/back area is needing another little tweak now actually.... EDIT: Gaf, sounds like the pain you're in is very similar to what I had. Hope you get it sorted Edited May 21, 2008 by Merton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 (edited) I have the same kind of thing - I went to see some osteopaths for a bit but they didn't acheive much other than educating me. I think it's my whole right side, I always have pain running from my head down through my shoulder, and my right wrist and hand also get really painful and occasionally cramp up/go numb. EDIT: It wasn't supposed to be a whinge - does anyone know who I should see in the stoke/staffs area? Edited May 21, 2008 by cheddatom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 right hand position is a funny one. I find if I have the bass at the 'correct' or normal position then i can feel a wee bit of tension in my wrist. It's no problem untill you start playing loads. I find i like to have my arm almost relaxed hanging down. If you let your arms flop, imagine you have a puppet string in your wrist. raise it 10-15cm letting everything else go floppy. thats ow i want my right hand. Any higher and i begin to feel stress in the wrist, any lower and i could play it with my knees Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gafbass02 Posted May 21, 2008 Author Share Posted May 21, 2008 Thanks guys, a chiroporactor seems to be the way to go. Playing by the bridge is such a fundamental part of my style that i dont think i could change after 15+ years. I do play for several hours most nights so i might back off for a week and then if no joy get myself chiropracted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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