I play to much then my body can handle!!!!

J

J-dawg5

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 20, 2012
Messages
52
Reaction score
0
Location
Colorado
Ive had these wrist pains when i play, and they have gotten quite bad. so today i went to the doctor and turns out i have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. im only 15:( The doctor wants me not to play my ukulele for then next 5 day! this guy must be crazy cause i think the longest ive went with out playing ukulele is 10 hours most! so from going from 3-4 hours a day i have to slim down to 0!!! ahhh i might go insane, but on the other hand i guess i can really focuss on learning some music theory since it doesnt need as much playing! well UUers wish me look on these next 5 lonley, boring, days:(
 
Same thing here. I have to take a couple days off every few days. Sucks, but not as bad as surgery will suck.

I take Aleve before I play out. It kills the pain and helps keep the inflammation down a little. Actually, I take one every 12 hours and take two if I think I am going to play out
 
You've got a long playing life ahead of you -- IF you take care of yourself. Follow your doc's orders, learn the theory, pace yourself. All will be well.
 
Heed the doc's advice... A little prevention and moderation now might save you from some more serious issues later. I'm 15 too, well actually 3x15 and change :) but developed some intense wrist pain when I played too long. Changed up the routine, listened to my body's signals, took some time off to heal and haven't had problems since. Going on a couple of years now. The real wake-up call was when the pain started affecting other things in life... like not being able to pick up my daughter.

Was able to quell the obsession to constantly play by reading, watching vids, and learning about the history and all things ukulele. It's a week, you'll live. Best of luck.
 
I have the same (or at least a similar) problem with my wrists; it's either tendonitis or carpal tunnel.

Just follow what the doc says. Do not over do it. I've found that, with some time, patience, stretching and exercise, I'm mostly back to normal. I do still need to be careful.


What size uke do you play, j-dawg?


I'm in the process of selling one of my tenors - the stretching needed to play some of the music I like is too much on a tenor, and I think that a concert or soprano will be kinder to my wrist.
 
Aikido wrist stretches—good for ukulele players, too!

Hey folks!

I, too, have suffered from wrist pains in the past, though they were from a combination of a (minor) bicycle accident and bad ergonomics at my then-workplace.

Stretching your wrists can really help build their strength. Though I'm not a doctor, I'd recommend checking out these three stretches:

Reversed Wrist Aikido Stretch 1:43 min on YouTube
Twisting Wrist Aikido Stretch 1:19 min on YouTube
Bent Wrist Aikido Stretch 1:45 min on YouTube

When I did go see a doctor for my wrist pain, she suggested two simplified stretches that are similar to these, and I started doing these as well. (I took aikido for a couple months during one college summer.) My pain disappeared pretty quickly, and I stopped wearing the silly braces that I'd be trying up to that point.

Be sure to be careful and slow when first learning how to do the stretches. You don't want to hurt yourself instead of strengthening yourself.

Since I only started playing uke a couple weeks ago, I haven't yet discovered any persistent pain, but now I'm planning to start off the first session of each day with these stretches. Thanks for the reminder to pick them back up again!

Cheers,
Veronica
 
Just to echo other people's advice, follow the doc's orders and it will be for the best in the long run! Stick to Music Theory for the time being and before long you'll be back strumming away!
 
Ditto all that. I have tendonitis (I refuse to believe I have carpal tunnel) and I have to be pretty conscious of the way I position my hands. Keeping the elbows out helps keep a neutral wrist position. I also (when it gets bad) sleep in wrist immobilizers, as I have a tendency to curl my wrists up when I sleep.
 
Freeda said:
Ditto all that. I have tendonitis (I refuse to believe I have carpal tunnel) and I have to be pretty conscious of the way I position my hands. Keeping the elbows out helps keep a neutral wrist position. I also (when it gets bad) sleep in wrist immobilizers, as I have a tendency to curl my wrists up when I sleep.
Click to expand...


I used to do this all the time. When I occasionally still do, it's the cause of my tendonitis flare ups. I now try to force myself to sleep with both hand under my pillow so that I don't cross my arms and sleep with bent wrists all night.
 
Freeda said:
Ditto all that. I have tendonitis (I refuse to believe I have carpal tunnel) and I have to be pretty conscious of the way I position my hands. Keeping the elbows out helps keep a neutral wrist position. I also (when it gets bad) sleep in wrist immobilizers, as I have a tendency to curl my wrists up when I sleep.
Click to expand...

Those wrist splints work great, even as a preventive measure - as long as I remember to use one every night, my pain is usually kept to a minimum. I recently was diagnosed with tendinitis in my right wrist, after 3 years of playing an average of a couple-hours-plus a day. Well, that, and 30 years of being a computer serf for 40-60 hours a week to earn a paycheck! My doctor strongly blames my occupation and not the uke :)
 
Definately do what your doctor recomends, I didn't do anything about my carpal tunnel until my mid 50's after abusing my hands in several professions for years and can say from experience you want to avoid surgery if possible. I had the surgery done several months ago and am still struggling to get back to playing, the index and middle fingers on my left hand are still rather numb and it really slows down your playing when you have to look to place your fingers when fretting because you can't feel the strings!
Freeda said:
I also (when it gets bad) sleep in wrist immobilizers, as I have a tendency to curl my wrists up when I sleep.
Click to expand...
Like Freeda said, according to my doctor most people tend to curl their wrists when sleeping and it can really agrivate the problems.
 
And make sure you stretch before and after playing (wrists, arms, neck, etc.). I type all day, so uke doesn't really help my wrists. Stretching and improving my technique does though. There are lots of articles online on stretches for guitarists - you may wish to have a look at those.
 
i wish i had that amount of spare time to play the ukulele ......

lucky you !!!!
 
Hope you are not "cocking"/bending your wrist too much when you strum. I have to be careful to keep mine a little straighter....bending it too much strains the wrist. Have had my go around with carpal tunnel
 
janeray1940 said:
I recently was diagnosed with tendinitis in my right wrist, after 3 years of playing an average of a couple-hours-plus a day. Well, that, and 30 years of being a computer serf for 40-60 hours a week to earn a paycheck! My doctor strongly blames my occupation and not the uke :)
Click to expand...
I was thinking along the same lines. I think constant keyboarding can be more detrimental to your hands than playing a stringed instrument.

OP, do you play a lot of videogames? That can be a big culprit, too.

I have CTS, tendinitis and arthritis. I can still play, but basically have to limit my time and spend it more wisely.

For computer users (and we all are, or we wouldn't be here on an internet forum):

#1 rule is do not pound the keyboard. Only use as much pressure as is necessary to depress the keys. I cringe whenever I see/hear someone pounding the keyboard, like it's going to make things respond quicker.

Slow down. Unless you're taking a typing speed test applying for a job, there is no reason to rush.

Learn to use keyboard shortcuts as much as possible instead of using a mouse. If you have pain from using a mouse, look into alternatives like trackballs.
 
Almost everyone in my family is a top doctor I am a lowly nurse. Get to see my family more.
My dad used to have people say doctor every time I do "this" it hurts. My dad would say stop doing that. They would usually give him a blank look. Take it easy for a little while and take some anti-inflammatories and all will be well. Many times in life I have taken 800mg ibuprofen three times a day for 10 days at that level it is anti-inflammatory, and not doing whatever it was that hurt. After that I was usually fine. Better take it easy for a short time than corticosteroids or surgery.
 
For us older folk who have had a long career as computer serfs as Janeray put it, Lori here on UU turned me on to tablet input devices. After trying her Wacom I got a refurbed Intuos 4, size small, it rocks! I had just considered them drawing tablets and they were a lot pricier when I had previously been interested. I input everything I can now with the Wacom and need to get my voice recognition set up ASAP.

I have been struggling with this for a couple of years now, I worked three jobs that all required tons of keyboard and mousing, sometime 10-13 hours a day. I'm paying for it now. The amount of Ibuprofen I had to take to keep working plus the job stress gave me an ulcer, which meant I couldn't take any NSAIDs for months. I have RSI now, I specifically had CTS about 12 years ago and had a chiropractor fix it. I couldn't push the door button to get into my truck back then.

Listen to your doctors all, and don't put off therapy if needed, and be sure to watch ergonomics with EVERYTHING.

To the OP maybe go find all you can about the notes on the fretboard and how to build chords, use the circle of fifths, etc; like you said, study some theory.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

P
Best way to sell a nice uke that I don't play much
Replies
8
Views
588
Kenn2018
Kenn2018
C
  • Poll
How much time per week do you play? (in the last month)
Replies
11
Views
1K
Joyful Uke
J
jungleturtle
How much do you charge to play?
Replies
13
Views
1K
jungleturtle
jungleturtle
Link
Do your animals get mad when you play too much?
2
Replies
22
Views
1K
phanzo
phanzo
Pete Howlett
Don't play this thing much these days...
Replies
3
Views
1K
Pippin
Pippin
Top Bottom