In my never ending quest...diagnosis

[B381]

Recently had some serious bouts with what turned out to be a punched nerve in my left (fretting) arm with a touch of lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) mixed in.

Just thinking out loud....

I have a Kentucky KM150, Eastman MD404 and a Morgan Monroe F style MFM300. I like to play them all and rotate through them.

It's it possible that the different fretboards, string height, fret height etc may have played a part in this condition? Could playing different styles close together actually be a bad thing? Thoughts?

[Roger Moss]

I would think that that would be more of a positive than only one neck dimension. Bird owners are advised to provide perches of different dimensions so the birds can vary their foot grip regularly. I can see the same effect being relevant here.

[QCS]

I guess anything is possible, but I doubt it. I play a few different banjos and a couple of different mandolins with no ill effects. Not to forget the different mechanics of playing the two different instruments. Now, the other things I do to my body is a different story. As I get older I find the payback for working like I am 25 yrs old is getting more noticeable. Holding onto vibrating machines (tillers,chainsaws,brush hogs ) can play hell with my hands. Tightly griping an axe can have the same effect. I find massage, stretching and ice to help. But don’t forget to play, the best therapy of all.

[Louise NM]

What Roger said. The small differences should help rather than hurt. In fact, you might want to get another mandolin or two, or a mandola or octave, just to mix it up even more. ;)

[Daniel Nestlerode]

If all three have fairly high action with fairly high tension on the strings, you may be having to work too hard to make a clean note.

Have them set up. lower the action if possible, and think about lower tension strings if necessary.

Or buy a concert uke, a set of Aquila 31-U strings, and convert it to mandola (CGDA). That'll definitely have lower tension!

:-)
Daniel

[Doc Ivory]

It would seem to me though I'm clearly not expert in this area, that different frtetboards/scale lengths - guitar, banjo, etc would be of help as well. Totally shaking things up!
Plus you get to try out different instruments.

[allenhopkins]

Wouldn't think the fairly minor variations among mandolins would have much effect at all.

However, you might examine your overall playing posture, to see if it contributes to your discomfort. Also, the amount of time you spend playing, both in individual sessions and cumulatively, and whether you "warm up" with some simple loosening exercise, or -- possibly -- ice the left arm after an extended session.

The discomfort I get, other than some finger-end pain when I've played for hours (my thick calluses aren't totally effective protection), is when I do something I don't usually do. Playing bass fiddle, which I only do a few times a year -- but then do for hours on end -- I get pain in the tendons/ligaments/muscles associated with the little finger on my left (fretting) hand. Holding down the bass strings puts more strain on the "pinky" apparatus, than I get from using that finger on a guitar, banjo or mandolin fingerboard.

Rule of thumb is when you get pain, you're doing something wrong, and should try to modify your technique to eliminate whatever's causing it.

[Br1ck]

Your having three different instruments is probably a help, but someone said that adding a fourth will turn the corner to physical health, and each one after that helps exponentially.

[lflngpicker]

I also think that the various shapes and angles can help to be prevent conditions that often result from repetitious movements and positions.

[V70416]

I took some sage advice from a very talented mandolin player when i had tendon/muscle pain
from playing a lot.
He said,You must absolutely quit playing long enough to let your muscles and tendons heal up.
How long that takes is a subjective thing.
If inflammation is present,playing more will not help.
The mandolin player who told me that was David Grisman at one of his classes.

Difficult advice to follow for some.

[kurth83]

I'm assuming you mean a pinched nerve.

I can't speak to dealing with a pinched nerve, if there is a way to not pinch it that is what you have to do.

I have mild carpal tunnel (also a form of pinched nerve), so I have to be careful. And finger joint pain if I push too hard. All of those things mean back off. A regular schedule tuned to what my hands can take works better for me than sporadic intense days followed by off days. So building up gradually and consistently works best. I also focus on developing technique that keeps my fingers relaxed, I had a 'stiff pinky' problem for a while (accompanied by pinky pain), and I notice that my fretting hand tends to tighten up when I am struggling through a tune.

I also punctuate the practice routine with rest breaks.

The basic rule is if it hurts don't do it. So Grisman is right AFAIK.

I will take off days if I overdo it and have lingering pain. In my case the pain always comes afterwards, at night or the next morning. So I learn not to overdo it, to stay within the level I have worked up to.

I use the lightest strings you can buy, and lowered my action as low as it can go. Taller frets also help (.30 vs .60 isn't huge, but I can feel it, especially near the nut fretting chords).

I think fret height comes up here every once in a while, but is worth mentioning again. I have mandos at .30, .40, and .60 fret heights. I recently put the .30 on the shelf, it is going to get a refret. The .40 is more tolerable, but the .60 is preferred.

One thing I don't know anything about yet is neck profiles, a lot of folks around here say it can make a night and day difference.

[EdHanrahan]

The basic rule is if it hurts don't do it. So Grisman is right AFAIK.
Bingo! "Pushing thru" muscle pain os okay, because the pain is from muscle breaking down, and muscles re-build theselves stronger so that they can cope the next time. But tendons and nerves don't work that way (says my biologist wife!).

[Bill Romansky]

Recently had some serious bouts with what turned out to be a punched nerve in my left (fretting) arm with a touch of lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) mixed in.


DMSO from the horse liniment aisle, the gel, every other day(no more). I gave some to a young man at a bluegrass festival that literally laid his mandolin down for the tennis elbow pain, a minute later he picked his mandolin up, pain free. It also unlocked the knuckle on my left pointer finger, gave me my playing life back.

[Rob Meyer]

As others have said, pain means something is wrong. Rest will help heal the injury, but the pain may return because the cause of the pain has not been corrected. How to correct the problem depend on the cause. In my case I did (and continue to do) weight training that completely eliminated the tendinitis I had. My daughter’s shoulder and arm pains (from harp playing) were elimated through training in the Alexander Technique, physcial therapy, and massage therapy. She also does weight training. My wife is undergoing physical therapy for hand pain associated with playing the hammered dulcimer. She is now able to play pain free after having been unable to play for four months. So, you may need to consult a professional to deal with your pain. Playing an instrument is very physical and you may need to train for it like an athlete. That has been the case for my family.