Finger tendonitis

[justwrite]

I'm really hard on my fingers and hands -- I'm a writer, I play music, and I do yoga. I can give up the yoga, and even the music if I have to temporarily, but not the writing/computer use. My husband is out of work, and I'm the only one with a steady income at the moment, plus we don't have medical insurance.

I have tendonitis in my right index finger and up to my elbow every now and then, when I work too hard or play too long at a jam. It's really flaring right now. I've been trying to use the mouse with my left hand just to give it a break. I take naproxen and use a brace when I sleep. Any other ideas about how to speed recovery?

[GTison]

I've suffered from it, or something like it in my left index finger for several years. I don't think mine was ever as serious as yours though.

one website to read a little from is www.musicianshealth.com. There are also some books available " the athletic musician" is one there are some others. If you live close to a major city, you may go to some kind of musician therapist who can treat these kinds of injuries. Regular orthopedic doctors are not very good at finger tendonitis or at least that's my experience. a member here on this site I think "chorehab"is a chiropractor with some soft tissue training he can point you to some Dr.s who are trained in soft tisue rehab. I don't live close enough to any one to treat mine very effectively. Mine has turned into a type of trigger finger I believe. The last time I went to the Ortho. doc. about all he could say was "musicians are hard to treat". good luck and keep trying. Rest seems to be the only free cure. and it's total rest, and that takes months also. good hunting.

[John Flynn]

The stretches on www.musicianshealth.com are very helpful. I would also consider getting a complete professional set-up on your mandolin and changing to the lowest tension set of strings you can find. The TI's are very easy on the hands. The GHS Silk and Steels are a good choice if you don't want to shell out for TI's. If it gets really bad, try stringing with single strings instead of pairs for a while until you heal up. If you can trade mandos, you might consider some different neck/fretboard profiles.

[GTison]

If it the Right finger I'm not sure it would be the strings maybe the pick grip you use. or are you a lefty? rest is best do wat ever you can to lessen the strain.

[GBG]

Get a 3M mouse that looks like a joystick. You use your thumb instead of your index finger to operate it. In picking, try to brace your right index finger with your middle finger so that you are not putting too much sideways pressure on your index finger with your thumb.

[mandocrucian]

Rest it! And you'll need to pace yourself at the jams so as not to overdue it. You know what the price will be if you play too long, or play non-stop. At the first twinges of discomfort, that's the signal that you need to stop for the night. Time to just sing.

If you have to play, hold the pick between the thumb and the middle finger (to give the index a rest). & this will come in real handy if you ever start messing with artificial harmonics in the future.

Soak the hand in chamomille tea (bowl). If you're sore all over, put some bulk chamomille 1 oz. in an bag made from some old pantyhose, and throw it into the bathtub and let it steep in the very hot water. When the tub has cooled enough, get in an soak for 30 minutes. (It may put you to sleep). #(Karate studio soreness remedy).

[Tom C]

Once in a while I also get it in the right index finger. But it's not from pickin it's from mouse clicking. I just stop working. I can play thru it on mando since it's the right hand finger. It seems to come and go with obvious stress.

[justwrite]

Good advice. I'm going to print all this out.

No, I'm not a lefty, and I think my tendonitis has to do more with my profession than my avocation. It first popped up about three years ago when I spent a couple of days pounding the pavement up and down Congress Avenue in Austin and taking too many notes longhand with a pen that was too heavy. But playing guitar or mandolin too long at a jam has been known to cause a flare up. Today I bought a carpel tunnel wrist gaurd thing and I've been mousing with my left hand (not easy, but I'm getting the hang of it.) Both seem to help. My condition is better today. I'm definitely going to look for that thumb mouse thing.

[GTison]

could it be "tennis elbow" that is getting down into the fingers?

I'm sure glad someone mentioned this in a post. I have recently had a bad bout of "tendinitis" in my index finger of my left hand. It started when I began playing the mandolin a lot. I never had the problem while playing the guitar, it seems the small neck of the mandolin causes me to curl up my index finger more and I really had some pain associated with it. I went to see an orthopedist to rule out rheumatoid arthritis. He said it was just from repetitive movements and rest would help. I soaked it in hot water and took Ibuprofen. He was right; it has gotten better but my index finger and to a lesser degree my middle finger on my left hand are still "stiff", they hurt when I make a tight fist. I have tried to adjust my finger position, especially when playing a G chord, so I'm not "scrunching" up my fingers and it seems to help. When it first happened I really thought I would have to give up the mandolin because it hurt so much. The doc also said to take a couple of ibuprofen an hour before I play to help the inflammation. Hope this info helps others out there.

[justwrite]

I've not had tennis elbow, so I can't compare. This starts with the index finger swelling up, then I get twinges up to my elbow sometimes, especially when driving.

Couldn't find any chamomille in the house. I'll have to pick some up tomorrow, but soaking it in something warm sounds very appealing.

[Fred_Murtz]

I had really bad carpel tunnel for 2 years (1997 - 1999) and could hardly play. I got healed completely and instantly at a church meeting at Bethel Church in Redding, California in April 1999. So don't rule out prayer. God digs music - He's on your side.

[chirorehab]

The best things you can do are:

Rest, stretch (often - every 20 minutes while working or playing), use proper posture & technique, rest more!, and seek treatment for your repetitive stress injury.

The key to the treatment is to identify the correct muscles which are being overused. #In addition to the muscles in your hand, the muscles in your forearm are extremely important. #Some of those muscles include the pronator teres & the brachioradialis.

I use Active Release Technique (http://www.activerelease.com) for my patients. #It is a wonderful soft tissue technique. I have explained it in great detail in other threads. You can check out the above website for more info or to find a doctor in your area. I can explain further if you have any other questions.

ART is very conservative. #Other than maybe some muscle soreness there are no side effects!

ART is used by chiropractors, physical therapists, medical doctors, and massage therapists. It is the chocie of treatment for many professional athletes.

Good luck,

Eric Nelson, DC

[mmukav]

You've gotten some really good suggestions so far. I had a similar flare-up in my left little finger a couple years ago. What helped me most was the anti-inflammatory drugs(which you are taking), rest, and ice. I splinted the affected finger. (removing the splint a couple times a day to do gentle range of motion exercises), and ice, (treating it with an ice pack for several minutes, several times a day). When a joint is inflamed it never made sense to me to put 'hot' on it, like warm soaks or heat packs, since it's 'hot' already, I think the ice helps a lot to reduce swelling and inflammation. The range of motion exercises help to prevent stiffness. And rest is key.

[sunburst]

I haven't read every word of every post here, so, If I'm repeating something, sorry.

I had tendonitis once from trying to learn to blacksmith. I'm no expert, but I "feel your pain".

Three good musicians that I know have had to deal with pretty severe tendonitis. All got better with rest and fairly simple changes.

A banjo player that I know (Fred) went to a specialist who told him to bring his instrument to his appointment so he could watch him play and see if he could spot problems. Fred got his best piece of advice as soon as he walked in the office with the banjo. The doctor saw him walk in carying the banjo in the case and said "get a sholder strap for that case".

Tony Williamson has tendonitis. He does a lot of stretching and exercising and wears "braces" on his forearms when he plays.

Dawn Watson had tendonitis. She got a strap for her mandolin that holds it securely in a more natural position for her hands. She wears it sort of like a shoulder bag.

If you know a local computer geek, you might be able to have your mouse rewired so that the right button does the normal work of the left one and vice versa. I know this can be done on some, I'm not sure about all. It might slow you down for a while, but if you can get used to it it might help.

good luck!

[evanreilly]

I use an older Alps Glidepoint touchpad instead of a mouse & mostly use it with the left hand to give the right one a break. I hold it off the table, in whatever position is most comfortable.
Also, lots of stretches & shaking hands & fingers out during breaks when playing.

[sailaway]

I found that I had terrible pain in the left index finger after long bluegrass jams , worse when playing guitar than mando. In August 03 I went to a classical guitar teacher with both of my instruments, he wathce d me play and examined my hand positions (for both l h and r h ) on both instruments and changed the positions and attack modes (his terms) to a pure classic style on both instruments. for the mando, read Marilynn mair's post on fretting and pick handling and hand position in mando magazine's archives. for classic guitar-- check out any decent beginner book showing required hand positions. changing my hand position to the classical has COMPLETELY ELIMINATED all of the previous pain -- which was so debilitating I was contemplating giving up guitar completely and limiting mando to an hour a day... Good Luck, and let us know how it works out. Then again, I'd rather not breathe than not be able to play music..... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[Fred_Murtz]

I #found #that I #had #terrible #pain #in the #left #index #finger #after #long bluegrass jams #, #worse #when #playing #guitar #than #mando. In #August #03 I #went #to a classical #guitar #teacher #with #both of #my #instruments, #he wathce d me #play #and #examined #my # hand #positions #(for #both #l h #and #r #h ) on #both #instruments # #and changed #the positions #and attack #modes (his #terms) to #a #pure #classic #style on #both instruments. #for the #mando, #read #Marilynn #mair's #post #on #fretting #and #pick #handling #and #hand #position #in #mando magazine's #archives. #for #classic #guitar-- check #out #any #decent #beginner #book showing required hand #positions. changing #my #hand #position #to #the #classical #has #COMPLETELY #ELIMINATED #all #of #the #previous #pain -- #which #was #so #debilitating #I #was #contemplating giving #up guitar #completely #and #limiting #mando #to #an #hour #a #day... #Good #Luck, #and #let #us #know #how #it #works #out. Then #again, # I'd #rather #not #breathe #than #not #be #able #to #play #music..... #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif
Yeah - there seems to be a reason for that classical approach to guitar. I was having simultaneous pain in both hands and it was diagnosed as arthritis in my neck. A physical therapist asked me to show him the posture I used when playing/practicing. I would sit and slump over towards the neck of the instrument for a couple hours at a time. He said that was causing my problem. I assumed the classical guitar posture (even using a footstool) and the pain dissappeared. I just do this when practicing. When playing, I just do whatever feels right.

I guess there's a reason Segovia was able to play so well into his 90s.

[Jingles]

I was having quite a bit of pain in my left wrist. It seems to have healed. For me, recovery was a combination of rest, tai chi and being conscious of the poor positioning of my left-hand when playing guitar. I used to claw it when playing chords, but now I keep my wrist straight when playing. So try to find out, mechanically, what your doing wrong be it computer, mandolin or whatever.

[AeroJoe]

Is there any vitamins, herbs, ect., you can get at like GNC that will help with this problem? Thankfully, it is a problem I don't have but I do think about from time to time...

[pickinpox]

You may want to try to get used to "left clicking" your mouse with your middle finger instead of the index finger. That will spread the repetitive stress (from mando picking and mouse clicking) over both fingers. It has helped me immensely.

Pox

[AeroJoe]

I remember reading one time in a back issue of "Frets" magazine...someone had written to the magazine's forum and said they had problems like tendonitis or something similar to it...one person (doctor?) told him/her to get off peanut butter and anything with peanut oil in it...inside like two weeks, he/she was cured...

I have found that if I lay of the caffeine sodas, drink lots of water, take fish oil and gluecosmine, it is supposed to keep your joints in shape...but as for tendonitis, that's why I asked above if anyone knew of anything at like GNC that would specifically target tendonitis...

[justwrite]

Thanks for all the good advice, everyone. After taking it easy on my right hand for a couple of weeks and taking naproxen, using braces, etc., my condition is much better. Still not 100%, but getting there.