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My wrists are hurting.
M 16
Hey,
I practice my innstruments for about 4 hrs. a day. My guitar for an hour, my bass for 2 and my key boards for an hr. Playing music is what I love to do more than anything, but I've noticed in the past month after I practice my wrist really hurt. I get like this peorcing pain in and my arms grow numb and weaker than normal. My freinds say I may need to cut back on my playing time alot. And mabey take a break. I really don't want to I love playing music more than anything in the world. Dose some one know any way to releive these symptoms. My wrists are still hurting and the last time I played was more than 3 hrs. ago.
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I'm not a doctor by any means but am personally very familiar with something known as RSI. That stands for repetitive stress injuries. One such example is carpal tunnel syndrome. These are common in people who use the same parts of their bodies on a highly repetitive basis.
Some people who get them a lot are athletes (tennis elbow), people who work on computers a lot and things like that. It only stands to reason that this could be part of the problem.
First off, I would certainly not advise you to quit your music. But at the same time, when it gets really bad it might be a good idea to take a few days off. Think of it this way, during that down time, you might be able to come up with creative new songs to play. That would still keep your focus on music.
There are some things you can do, when it not really bad, to help make you feel better. You can ice the wrist a bit. Make sure you put something between your bare skin and the ice pack. You might want to get a wrist brace as well and you can even where it when you sleep. Another thing is to do exercises for repetitive stress. Just do a Google search and you'll find a ton. Massage and chiropractic are also a good idea is you can find a provider and afford it. If not, you may be able to pick up a TENS therapy machine for cheap. Vitamin B-6 was recommend to me by a doctor for issues I have with my wrist. Last but not least, some rubs like Triflora (do not use this one if you have a sensitivity to poison ivy), Arnica, or Somba are very good.
Hope this info helps.
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As a musician myself, I know first hand that long training hours combined with the repetitive force or pressure on your wrist that your instruments require will lead to stress that in turn will makes you suffer wrist pain. This is usually a sign of weak wrists, so you should work on strengthening your wrists. However before you can do anything, rest, rest and then rest. You need to stop playing for some time, depending on the severity of your case. Give your wrist enough time to heal.
When your wrists are ready, get a very light dumbbell. I repeat, A VERY LIGHT dumbbell or use a book or perhaps a small rock. Then with your fretting hand while your palm is facing up, rest your elbow on your thighs for more convenience and start tilting your wrist so you would be lifting the weight up, then back to the middle position, than tilt more backward so that the weight is going lower this time. Do this in sets of 15, 3 sets in the morning and 3 sets in the night and rest for a minute between one set and the other. Tilting angles should be reasonable, if you start feeling pain at some point don't tilt any further.
Continue to exercise on a daily basis for many days to come, maybe everyday for the rest of your life if you want to. You can get back to practicing whenever you feel like the pain is gone but when you first get back to playing, go easy on your wrist.
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You need to see an Orthopedic surgeon. Don't let the word surgeon scare you most all doctors two practice in Orthopedics are surgeons as these are the doctors that repair broken bones, joints and other problems with muscles that attach to limbs.
I'm suggesting going straight to the specialist and skipping the family practice doctor specifically because I am not a doctor but I suspect some type of skeletal problem that can be masked with pain pill but not fixed with physical therapy. Which is generally the direction the family practice doctors take with this type of complaint.
A Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon is who you want to see as a Board Certified Doctor in a specialty has had specific training in this specialty. Surgery is the last option they want to use. While I'm not a doctor your complain bothers me as it is not typical of a carpal tunnel complain, at least not ones I have heard about.
My recommendation is you see a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon as soon as possible. Until them I would cut way back on your practice time to help[ relieve the pain you suffer. IF you do not know an orthopedic surgeon call your local hospital patient referral line for a referral and assistance in making the first appointment. Ask at that time what they recommend as an over the counter pain medication you could take until you see the doctor.
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I don't know the amount of percentage of your days that your wrists are forced into a repetitive motion but our bodies aren't meant to take that without having trouble. Never heard of it in someone so young but adult have had problems with repetitive motions such as typing, or a baker who kneads dough a good part of the day, a person who does nothing but cut hair all day long, the open and shutting of the scissors will give them trouble. and people can develop what is called carpal tunnel syndrome. Some even have to have surgery when the damage is so bad. 8 hrs is what I count total from what you shared. That is as much as a full time job for an adult who does a repeating motion all day and ends up with carpal tunnel syndrome. I think it might be a good idea to go talk to your family Dr. and find out what they recommend. Perhaps it will be breaks where your hands can rest in between, shorten the amount of time per day playing.
If you continue at this rate without considering the future of your wrists just because you love music and want a career in it someday, then you will be killing your own dream by making your hands and wrist useless some day very soon and dash your dreams of being able to play. I can't tell you exactly how much is considered excessive.
If you damage yourself to the point you cant play at all, think of how you'll feel, pretty depressed and nothing to look forward to in life. It is critical that you talk to your parents about your problem and how long you've had it. Stopping playing or cutting down at this point may be too late already and you may need medical help with that. good luck
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