Wrist Pain.

Maybe I'm practicing too much. I feel like I have a sprained right wrist. It feels OK if not strumming vigorously but yard work is more of a chore than usual. Does anyone here experience this problem? and if so, do you find that stretching first helps or makes it worse? I don't want to make an injury worse, especially if it keeps me from playing!

How old are you? Do you have any experience with strumming or stringed instruments before? Does this happen with other activities?... sports,.... typing?

That has never happened to me.... yet. Either you're super hardcore or... you might have just over did it.

Be careful, try to clarify that it's overuse and not the beginnings of carpal tunnel syndrome. Yes, repetitive stress causes injuries!

I have had bouts of CTS on/off for 10 years. If it starts I have to back off of whatever has aggravated it; lots of computer work is one cause, and long rides on my motorcycle (clutch and throttle work aggravate it, my hand can go numb in the fingers on the throttle side, I need to get a short pull race throttle) make it bad sometimes. My chiropractors over the years have helped clear it up if it gets chronic, the one I have now uses the newest deep heat laser and it's fabulous.

If you play gently for awhile and let your wrist heal up if it is a strain that would be smart and it should go away. Also, ice it after playing, maybe 10 minutes, if you have any discomfort, see if it makes a difference.

Starting out easy to warm up seems like a good idea. I always try to stretch the left hand, hadn't thought much about the right, it's my left that the joints get aggravated and then can hurt. But there is arthritis in some of the knuckles. I have better flexibility now than I did.

I'm getting old so too much of anything hurts.

Never happend to me..
Maybe you should strech first...

I had surgery on both wrists for CTS. Typically CTS issues are in the fret hand, not the strum hand. The strum hand is usually more likely to be a repetitive motion issue. Taking one Advil (ibuprofen) tablet before playing can greatly ward off the irritation.

Check out both hands when you play. The more your wrists are bent back combined with the more pressure you apply, the more likely you are to be risking CTS. If you keep your wrist and forearm in a straight line and use only the minimum amount of pressure necessary to fret and strum the less you'll aggravate your wrist. Ukes are designed to sound best when we use an easy touch, but many of us apply the fret pressure and strum force we'd use on thick steel stringed acoustic.

I've found that the thin necks and thin strings of a soprano are least aggravating for me personally. The most irritating thing I have done (to both listeners and my wrist) is to play chords on an bass. I recently got the Kala U Bass and it's much less irritating than playing a full sized steel, 5-string bass.

it... is...
RSI!!!!!!

in my experience this is probably about technique. something is not right in your playing/posture/position etc. but pain usually=damage so be careful. rest and anti inflammatory pills might help. then as suggested, some stretches and warm up routines.

I'm a thumb strummer, and strangely enough, about 3 weeks ago, my thumb feels like I sprained it. Happened right after some funky strummin I was doin. Still sort and somewhat puffy. Just a little. I assume this is due to my uke playin, as I do it every day. I can still play, but my thumb does not feel normal.... I'm just hoping it will go away over time... arg..
Cheers,
Skottoman

I have been having these issues for some time. I'm 61 soon to be 62 .I play every day, maybe playing too much. Went to the doc, thought maybe I was developing arthritis or something. Both hands were radiographed and luckily nothing was found. I suppose it could be repetative motion and or strain. It comes and goes. I think a lot of it has to do with fretting, position of wrist, straight, bent, etc. Also perhaps how hard one strums. Last but not least posture, whether standing or sitting...............Thank God for Ibuprophen !

I'm counting my blessings, after 3 surgeries and 6 years of physical therapy I still have a bum back that will never recover but at least my hands are in great shape so far.

I have a question pertaining to wrist pain.

When I play a song with a ton of bar chords (when I say bar chords, I mean those that require a barred fret as well as some additional fingering, say, like a Ab, or, those that require a bar 1st fret, which for me, I need more strength to bar), my left wrist gets quite tired and uncomfortable after just playing that one song.

Does this mean I'm holding the chords wrong physically? Or is it a matter of practice? Anything I could do to ease the discomfort?

Squeeze a tennis ball regularly to strengthen your wrist.