Shambles,

The type of pressure used to apply a bottleneck to guitar strings is not duplicated much in ordinary life, so overwork can lead to pain. You might also be using too much pressure. It really doesn't take a lot to get the proper effect.

Finally, you can try varying fingers. You may be able to use another finger without attendant pain (until you overwork that finger, too). Many players place the bottleneck on their "pinkie" or little finger. This leaves the possibility of two or three fingers available to chord the guitar.

When I first tried bottleneck guitar, I used my index finger. It seemed the strongest. Of course, it allows no damping over the overtones since there is no finger behind the bottleneck, but it worked for me for a while.

Good luck with your recovery.

Roger in Baltimore