My pad under the thumb is hurting

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Franky1

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I have started to play a lot more up the fretboard using bar chords I am finding difficult but getting there slowly ,the problem is that the pad under the thumb is getting quite painfull am I doing some thing wrong should it hurt as much as it does and is there anything I can do to elimanate the problem
Thanks guys
 
Pressing too hard? Is your thumb centered on the back of the neck or wrapped around (which would be somewhat hard with a barre chord). Without seeing what you're doing, it's hard to tell what's up. I've never had my thumb get sore. Head scratch.
 
Sounds like you may be exerting more pressure than you need to in order to make a clean bar chord. There are exercises to show you how little pressure is actually needed. I think Mike Lynch might have one or perhaps Brad Bordessa. Basically, I think they make the bar chord shape without pressure and then slowly add pressure, while plucking the individual strings and you learn to stop and notice the amount of pressure when you first get clean nites and a clean chord. If you need to put a TON of pressure down, perhaps your technique holding down the strings needs tweaking. There are vids to help you there. Lastly, check the action on your uke. It may need lowering. High string height can make it harder to fret the strings.
 
Franky1 said:
I have started to play a lot more up the fretboard using bar chords I am finding difficult but getting there slowly ,the problem is that the pad under the thumb is getting quite painfull am I doing some thing wrong should it hurt as much as it does and is there anything I can do to elimanate the problem
Thanks guys
Click to expand...

Which thumb?
 
Thanks guys my left thumb well not the thumb but the flesh part underneeth I play a pono baritone so the neck is a little larger than most ukuleles .I place my thumb half way on the neck and bar the chord, so if you saw the chord being played from the front you cant see the thumb hope that makes sense ...
 
Franky,

Your thumb actually has three joints. Are you talking about the joint farthest away from the nail, where the thumb meets the palm?

If that is indeed where the pain is, does it also hurt when you pinch the thumb tip against the other fingers? Does it hurt, for instance, when you pick up a large, heavy book with that hand?

If so, you may well have Basal Joint Arthritis. This is what actually led me to the Ukulele in the first place. As the arthritis progressed, it be came extremely painful for me to play my guitars so I took up the Uke. Eventually, that was very uncomfortable as well but by that time I had already scheduled corrective surgery.

The surgery is very common, and it was like getting a new hand.

Scooter
 
Had a cyst on the tip of my thumb I had removed...it was painful.
 
I wouldn't dare diagnose someone's condition over the net. The first thing I would check is your action. The other thing is, a bari may just be too much uke. I can't play one at all, except for the B and E strings. There are exercises you can do to strengthen the pad of your thumb, you might consult an occupational therapist.
According to Craig Chee you should not be able to see your thumb from the front of the uke, the whole thumb is supposed to rest (grab) lengthwise along the back of the neck, in most cases.
Surgery can help a lot of things, but that's always a last resort. I have hand pain at times, it feels like I'm being stabbed, but if I take my daily dose of turmeric it helps a lot. Just sayin....
Keep us posted. And good luck!
 
Thanks for you thoughts guys I am bigining to think its the tendons in the fleshy part of the inside of the hand near the thumb base, maybe it is a barr thing anyway I,ll rest it for few day and see how it goes
Thanks
 
Nickie said:
I wouldn't dare diagnose someone's condition over the net. The first thing I would check is your action. The other thing is, a bari may just be too much uke. I can't play one at all, except for the B and E strings. There are exercises you can do to strengthen the pad of your thumb, you might consult an occupational therapist.
According to Craig Chee you should not be able to see your thumb from the front of the uke, the whole thumb is supposed to rest (grab) lengthwise along the back of the neck, in most cases.
Surgery can help a lot of things, but that's always a last resort. I have hand pain at times, it feels like I'm being stabbed, but if I take my daily dose of turmeric it helps a lot. Just sayin....
Keep us posted. And good luck!
Click to expand...


For the record, I wasn't diagnosing. I was sharing my experience with what sounded like identical symptoms, what the solution ended up being for me, and recommending a trip to a hand specialist, who would be the one most qualified to make a diagnosis.


Scooter
 
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