Joint pain: Left Hand in middle and end joint of the Index finger ONLY

sam13

sam13

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Hey everyone,

Has anyone else developed joint pain? I have ... a little and wonder what might be done with it ... with medication, and without medication.

My left hand index finger (middle joint) is a little painful and still in the morning and then it loosens up. And a little the first joint by the nail of the same finger. They are the only joints in my body.

The only thing I can think of is the barring chords which might put extra stress on it.

Anyone have this? Any solutions? Acupuncture? Meds? Oils? Creams? Diet Related stuff?

Thanks in advance for sharing.
 
stretching works for me.
I think it is from barre's. When I play alot of barres I start to feel it in those index joints. and then I stretch and it goes away.
 
It is because all your ukes have radius fretboards :p................give them all to me, including Bella and your problem will be solved

Seriously though I think spokelele is on to something about barre chords. Have you been working alot on any new barr chords. I know most of the stuff you do is jazz with pile of barr chords. Maybe a few new ones that are very repetetive.
 
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spookelele said:
stretching works for me.
I think it is from barre's. When I play alot of barres I start to feel it in those index joints. and then I stretch and it goes away.
Click to expand...

Good point regarding stretching ... what kind of stretching do you do? Any videos on YouTube? Probably are ... will check.
 
As for @DownUpDave and @SoloRule ... TOO FUNNY! I will just cuddle Bella before giving her away! lol.

Wonder if there is any Yoga moves that could help.
 
How long have you been playing Bella since Saturday night?
Bella must be one temperamental girlfriend. You gotta treat her different from the Pono(s) because she is expensive and she is CANADIAN. LOL
I still say just rest and leave her alone for a day or two. I know it's killing you.
 
sam13 said:
Good point regarding stretching ... what kind of stretching do you do? Any videos on YouTube? Probably are ... will check.
Click to expand...

there are lots of videos on guitar type stretching which is probably the same for uke.

Mostly, I grab each joint and wiggle it gently in circles, and massage the joint. Then I stretch the whole index finger back and to the side and then I do one that's hard to describe in words....

 
I get joint pain on and off in the thumb and index finger base joint in both hands. For me, Aleeve and time away from playing help.
YMMV.
 
Go see your doctor and get a diagnosis; once you have that, then you can figure out the best treatment. Might be a little osteoarthritis, but it could be a tendon, or other stuff. Better to know which. Not everything will be treated the same.
 
Steveperrywriter said:
Go see your doctor and get a diagnosis; once you have that, then you can figure out the best treatment. Might be a little osteoarthritis, but it could be a tendon, or other stuff. Better to know which. Not everything will be treated the same.
Click to expand...

:agree: Good advice.

In the interim, take a couple days off from playing, so the inflammation can abate. It may be a stress injury from repetitive overuse. But a doctor's advice will be better than that of us guys on the internets.
 
Seeing a Doc isn't a bad idea. You might try switching from radiused to flat fretboard once in a while too, and stretching is a great idea. Acupuncture can be very helpful. I get joint pain periodically, and I rub Cryo Derm on it.
Remember, all things in moderation....
 
Do you know anyone who has some DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide) It is sold in feed stores. You can read about it on line and see if it is something you might want to consider. One drop is all it takes on a finger joint.
 
Thanks everyone. Today there is little or no pain.

You might know I just bought a new LFdM. The action at the nut is 2mm. It barely takes anything to barre chords. I haven't had hours and hours on it because I have young kids and work. But it is t an issue causing pain.

I think I need to work on better left hand and barre technique.

NUD to follow soon.
 
Glad Bella arrived! Look forward to the NUD report.

On barring, did you see Glen Ross' posting last week about using your thumb more like a tripod? So many of us put the thumb directly opposite the finger we're barring with. His point was to place your thumb more toward the headstock for better leverage. Just trying something different may alleviate some of your discomfort. Hope you sort it soon so you can maximize your limited time with Bella.

Best, Eddie
 
put the uke down and step away!
 
I was having problems with thumb joint pain in my left hand. I was working with a lot of Jazz chords. I was working in Lyle Ritz's Dvd Lyle Style and spending two hours a day doing all his barre chords.

I started getting burning sensation in my thumb joint that would go to my elbow.

What fixed the problem for me was getting a strap. I think holding the uke and moving up and down the uke was putting excess pressure on my thumb joint and wrist.

After getting the strap, I no longer have the problem. My pain is gone. I had pain for a good month. I should have stopped playing but I didn't. Playing ukulele brings me much joy. What I did after getting a strap was baring without using my thumb. I was pulling in a little bit towards my body with the large muscle group in my shoulder, arm and back using i. I got this idea about barring from classical guitar players. Now I try to think about just resting my thumb on the uke.

My technique improved and I do not have problems anymore. Use a strap on your uke, even your expensive one. I did not want to drill in my uke but it was the best thing I every did. I have an expensive uke coming and the first thing I'm doing is putting a strap button on.

My playing has improved just by getting a strap. I can relax my left hand play up and down the neck gliding instead of trying to hold a uke.
 
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Not sure how you barre your chords, but it may help to extend more of your index finger over the fretboard so more of the stress is taken up by the bulkier part of your finger.
 
When I first started, I had a lot of issues with my left hand and had barely any grip. Just playing helped to free up my left forefinger, which could hardly extend. I also went back on Nabumetone (generic of Relafen) after being off if it for a year.

The stratabond neck of my OXK is kind of rough - if I play for any length of time, I develop a callous on the inside joint of my thumb. So, I position the thumb in different places on the neck to relieve the pressure on that area. The plus side is that the act of repositioning my thumb several times in a playing session helps limit the pain in the entire left hand.
 
spookelele said:
there are lots of videos on guitar type stretching which is probably the same for uke.

Mostly, I grab each joint and wiggle it gently in circles, and massage the joint. Then I stretch the whole index finger back and to the side and then I do one that's hard to describe in words....

Click to expand...


Bummer. When I tried to play this video, I got a "This video is private" message.
 
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