BURSITIS ... CANNOT PLAY ... HELP!

Subject: RE: BURSITIS ... CANNOT PLAY ... HELP!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 16 Jul 00 - 03:08 PM

Moonchild,

I was always told that carpal tunnel is a form of tendonitis.... does this mean that there was some other tendon involved, and if so can you share which one?

~S~

Subject: RE: BURSITIS ... CANNOT PLAY ... HELP!
From: bbelle
Date: 16 Jul 00 - 03:19 PM

Susan ... my doc didn't say anything about it being a precursor to carpal tunnel. She did say that it was the tendons on the top of my hand that were inflamed and that was what was affecting my wrist and my fingers.

It much better today. I will continue using the brace during the day, some, and at night, for quite a while, because I'm afraid of inadvertently doing something to make it flare up or that I will sleep on my hand "wrong."

moonchild

Subject: RE: BURSITIS ... CANNOT PLAY ... HELP!
From: Bagpuss
Date: 16 Jul 00 - 03:46 PM

I have little hands too, but I can play E shape barre chords, but not A shape ones (well not very well anyway). I'm a great fan of the capo too - transposing from F to D is almost second nature to me now.

Another caution about repeated cortisone treatments: my mum almost died a few years back because of Addison's disease. Its extremely rare, but one of the causes is thought to be previous treatment with corticosteroids.

Bagpuss

Subject: RE: BURSITIS ... CANNOT PLAY ... HELP!
From: bbelle
Date: 16 Jul 00 - 03:51 PM

It looks like we have a coalition of "anti-cortisone" mudcatters. It's truly nice to find something we all agree on.

moonchild

Subject: RE: BURSITIS ... CANNOT PLAY ... HELP!
From: Jeri
Date: 16 Jul 00 - 04:17 PM

Susan, try clicking on the link I posted up at the top. There's a lot of good information, even if the wording is a bit hypersyllabic. (Is that a word?) Tendinitis in the wrist can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome if it goes untreated and continues/recurs over a period of time. It's like the difference between a sunburn and skin cancer.

The "carpal tunnel" is a passage of bone through which the tendons in the wrist (and the median nerve) pass. If it becomes smaller (because of inflamation, arthritis, whatever) it can cause carpal tunnel syndrome, smptoms of which normally occur in the hands (because of nerve damage) - not the wrist.

Subject: RE: BURSITIS ... CANNOT PLAY ... HELP!
From: Sorcha
Date: 16 Jul 00 - 04:18 PM

i think one problem with cortisone, or any steriod is that once you start, and it helps, you tend to do it again. After a while, somehow the body needs it to function and it is hard to stop. Not a true addiction, but something similar. Also, all of the side effects are not fun.......bone deterioration, etc.

Also, Ibuprophen, taken in doses of 800mg or more regularly can cause spontaneous bruising, as well as stomach bleeding like other anit-inflams.

Subject: RE: BURSITIS ... CANNOT PLAY ... HELP!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 16 Jul 00 - 04:38 PM

OK, got it now.

~S~

Subject: RE: BURSITIS ... CANNOT PLAY ... HELP!
From: Jason LaPrade
Date: 17 Jul 00 - 11:53 AM

Hi Bagpuss,

I know this probably isn't the best thread for this, but I have an idea that might help your A chord. I know of 3 ways to play an open A chord.

1. 1st finger on 4th string, 2nd finger on 3rd string, 3rd finger on 2nd string (all second fret of course)

This seemed to be the most common way when I was learning the A chord but I had trouble with it. My fingers naturally went to a different way:

2. 1st finger on 3rd string, 2nd finger on 4th string, 3rd finger on 2nd string. (feels much more natural to me but I still get funny looks sometimes from someone familiar with the other way)

And another way I often play it:

3. 1st finger bar on 4th, 3rd and 2nd strings (mute high E string) This method opens up lots of opportunities for melody notes. Something similar can be done with the D chord.

4. One last option - playing an A7 chord using only two fingers may make it easier. (i.e., play the open 3rd(G) string)

Maybe this will help

Jason.

Subject: RE: BURSITIS ... CANNOT PLAY ... HELP!
From: Bagpuss
Date: 17 Jul 00 - 11:59 AM

Jason, I have no trouble with A, its barred chords using the A-shape (like B, Bb etc) that I have trouble with.

Bagpuss

Subject: RE: BURSITIS ... CANNOT PLAY ... HELP!
From: Whistle Stop
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 08:11 AM

Jason, I play an A chord just as you describe in your example #2 -- first finger on the third string, second finger on the fourth, third finger on the second string. I get funny looks too, but I find that it works much better, and allows my left hand to stay in a more natural position that the more common fingering does.

Subject: RE: BURSITIS ... CANNOT PLAY ... HELP!
From: Jason LaPrade
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 10:11 AM

Sorry Bagpuss, I misread your post. Anyway I hope it helped someone else. If it helped no one, I'll turn it into another point related to this thread:

-- Find the easiest way to play things. If you can find a way that works better for you than the norm, do it. This will help avoid some of the physical problems musicians can come up with. By looking for the easiest way of doing things (not just playing an instrument, by the way) you'll become more aware of what your body feels. Something that probably should be obvious, that I still haven't learned to do. Seems like there's too much going on to notice these things.

Jason.