Finger injury

t0th1nk

t0th1nk

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I have a question, if the fingers that plays the fretboard (in my case, my poor left fingers) starts to hurt and also peel, is it because i played it too long or is it because i'm pressing it wrong or both? I do apparently know that playing too long makes my fingers hurt but what about the peeling? :confused:
 
Hi t0th1nk,

I have not had that problem, but generally speaking, any tenderness or skin problems should go away after a few days. The finger-tips and the skin soon adjust to the demands of playing a fretted instrument. If your problem is persistant (more than a few weeks) I suggest that it is either a problem for which you should seek medical advice, or that it is caused by faulty playing technique, or a very badly adjusted uke.

You should only press the strings down with enough pressure to touch the fret board. No need for a "gorilla grip".

One man I met played so obsessively as a beginner, that it made his fingers split and bleed. He just wrapped them in clear stationery tape (Sellotape; Durex tape?), and carried on playing. The fingers tips healed and developed thick calloused skin. I do NOT recommend this!

With best wishes,

Ukantor.
 
I have had fingertip problems in the past. Not with uke, but certainly with mandolin, and to a lesser extent with fiddle. In both cases it was partly down to pressing the strings too hard. With mandolin it was due to the stretches to get some chord shapes coupled with the high string tension that made me clamp down, and when I started on fiddle, the unfamiliar position that I had to hold the instrument made me clamp.

I found my fingertips bruised and made it really painful to play for a week or two. At times the pain was almost a sharp pain that didn't feel like that from a bruise at all, but it was.

I agree that you should get it checked over if it persists. Better safe than sorry, etc.
 
t0th1nk said:
I have a question, if the fingers that plays the fretboard (in my case, my poor left fingers) starts to hurt and also peel, is it because i played it too long or is it because i'm pressing it wrong or both? I do apparently know that playing too long makes my fingers hurt but what about the peeling? :confused:
Click to expand...

Well that depends on what you mean by peeling I keep my left fingernails short so I tend to pick at the calloused skin lol I don't recommend doing that either just a habit of mine. But I mean if you notice your fingers getting a little "tougher" I should say and it gets a little rough to the point where it's peeling a little. Then in my experience it's just your fingers getting used to the instrument.
 
When callouses come off all in one go- it's called a rip. Gymnasts and weight lifters get them all the time on the pads of their hands. I get them all the time on my fingertips. Callouses are nothing more than thickened skin. The problem is- the part of the skin that thickens doesn't have a blood supply. This means that the thickened skin has to get it's nutrients by diffusion from deeper layers- and that the callous is prone to drying out and then flaking off (or in our case- ripping off in one big go.)

I'd not worry about it too much. But there are some things you can do to prevent rips from happening so often:

Moisturize!

It's not true that moisturizing ruins callouses- it preserves them! So buy some lotion and go at it! (just don't play your instrument right afterward or you're prone to leave yucky residue on the strings and fretboard.)

When a rip does happen- you can generally leave it alone- unless it's bleeding. In which case, rub some anti-biotic (neosporin or some such) into it and lay off playing until it's healed. In most cases, rips heal up in about 1-2 days.

And then: Don't be tempted to bite off a rip (or help it along by pulling it off). Rather, moisturize again and let it fall off on it's own. If it is catching on things take some sanitized nail clippers and snip off the hanging bit. But in general- leaving it alone is best.

Another way to prevent rips: when it hurts: stop playing!


Hope that helps!
~Valerie
 
Valerie said:
Moisturize!

It's not true that moisturizing ruins callouses- it preserves them! So buy some lotion and go at it! (just don't play your instrument right afterward or you're prone to leave yucky residue on the strings and fretboard.)


Another way to prevent rips: when it hurts: stop playing!


Hope that helps!
~Valerie
Click to expand...
:agree:
You want to preserve those callouses. They are the things that will protect you from fingertip pain! I have some nice callouses, properly moisturized, and you can barely tell they're there. A good set of callouses will make your fingertips a little numb, but they shouldn't be all dry and cracked. The best hand lotion I have tried is made from Hemp, and comes from "The Body Shop".

–Lori
 
Valerie said:
When callouses come off all in one go- it's called a rip. Gymnasts and weight lifters get them all the time on the pads of their hands. I get them all the time on my fingertips. Callouses are nothing more than thickened skin. The problem is- the part of the skin that thickens doesn't have a blood supply. This means that the thickened skin has to get it's nutrients by diffusion from deeper layers- and that the callous is prone to drying out and then flaking off (or in our case- ripping off in one big go.)

I'd not worry about it too much. But there are some things you can do to prevent rips from happening so often:

Moisturize!

It's not true that moisturizing ruins callouses- it preserves them! So buy some lotion and go at it! (just don't play your instrument right afterward or you're prone to leave yucky residue on the strings and fretboard.)

When a rip does happen- you can generally leave it alone- unless it's bleeding. In which case, rub some anti-biotic (neosporin or some such) into it and lay off playing until it's healed. In most cases, rips heal up in about 1-2 days.

And then: Don't be tempted to bite off a rip (or help it along by pulling it off). Rather, moisturize again and let it fall off on it's own. If it is catching on things take some sanitized nail clippers and snip off the hanging bit. But in general- leaving it alone is best.

Another way to prevent rips: when it hurts: stop playing!


Hope that helps!
~Valerie
Click to expand...

Great stuff. :)
 
I use Aveeno lotion on my calluses. When I was first building them, I used it every time I washed my hands, in between times, at bedtime, etc. If the edges get rough and want to catch on things, I take a very fine emery board and smooth the edge just enough so that it won't catch on anything and start to pull off.

The weird thing about having calluses, for me, is not being able to feel things with the deadened fingertips. Well, that's a good thing in playing, but feels weird otherwise. :p

CountryMouse
 
I remember that some of us were proud of our "first" peel!!!!
http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3678&highlight=peel

It ment we were playing enough to be getting callouses, just as long as it's the top layer that was coming off its ok.

Now that I am learning the guitar mine are starting to get real thick and another peel is starting to happen.
I have been playing it so much that my tips feel like I touched a stove, slides are starting to hurt but I can't stop my self:drool:!!!!
 
Valerie said:
When callouses come off all in one go- it's called a rip. Gymnasts and weight lifters get them all the time on the pads of their hands. I get them all the time on my fingertips. Callouses are nothing more than thickened skin. The problem is- the part of the skin that thickens doesn't have a blood supply. This means that the thickened skin has to get it's nutrients by diffusion from deeper layers- and that the callous is prone to drying out and then flaking off (or in our case- ripping off in one big go.)
Click to expand...
Very interesting and informative post, Valerie!

I often use a nail buffer to help to sand away the roughness of calluses. It's really irritating to ruin a brand new pair of pantyhose putting them on when the calluses snag and cause runs. :(
 
itsme said:
I often use a nail buffer to help to sand away the roughness of calluses. It's really irritating to ruin a brand new pair of pantyhose putting them on when the calluses snag and cause runs. :(
Click to expand...

What? nah just put on gloves :)
 
Hey, thanks you guys! I'm now taking frequent breaks to let my fingers rest now, lol, the callouses are not as bad and i do guess its all about getting used to the ukelele, oh well. i was also thinking about getting those finger plasters for my fret board fingers like those guitarist but i doubt that would be necessary right?

But breaks are important and that's gonna be my new mantra. Thanks for those who suggested! :worship:
 
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