Hand soreness/stiff feeling?

[John4021]

My job(Tool and Die Maker for over 42 yrs) and Being the old phucker here can tell you Laruas on the right track with stretching /hydration .
I had Carpal Tunnel operation to both hands a year apart from one another when I was in my 30's because of my job.

Recovery back then was over 3 months on each one. NOW, it's like 6 to 8 weeks.

SQUASH the heavy boozing and replace it with H2O.


Just some words of age'd wisdom from yer ol Unkle John.

You are an old Phucker aren't ya

I'd flip you off,but I'd probably break a hip

 

[skullfxr]

I wish I could get something like a .010"-.060" I don't know how it would work though. Lol.

I am .011" guy with a. .060" in D std. I don't have too many guitars in E std any more.

If you have pain go to some physical therapy. I have had to do that twice. Well worth it IMO. If I have the problem again I will be getting a tens unit.

 

[Racerxrated]

Honestly, it's 6 bucks to try a lower gauge set. So far it's been transforming for me; wish I would have tried this a year ago. It wasn't the pain as much as needing a lot of time to warm up. Now I just pick up the guitar and start playing; no need for any warmup regimen. We'll see if this works going forward..I'll have to see a doc if the problem persists. But for now I'm all good.
I do plan on keeping the lower wound strings a heavier gauge as those are a bit thinner sounding in the 08 set. Malmsteen uses a 08-46 set, right now I think my low E is a 42 on each guitar. I always play in E standard, sometimes I'll drop one to D for the early AIC stuff, Soundgarden etc.

 

[paulyc]

I’ve been using GHS Boomer .008s for years tuned down a half step to boot, with heavy picks, no problems with technique or tone. I ain’t too proud ?

 

[mooncobra]

So I've been avoiding this obvious issue for awhile; been taking much longer to warm up over the past year or so. Being mostly a rock/hard rock guy I love my bends and vibrato; very important to me with my playing. About 7 yrs ago I switched from 10s to 09s; been great ever since until this past year or so.
Well, I decided to look into 08s and some custom lite-heavy sets like the Yngwie Fender set. Ordered a few and BOOM problem solved. The stiffness is still there but I'm still able to play effortlessly; took some adjusting as you really need to be more finesse oriented/fret lightly than you may be used to..but I have no issues being able to do exactly what I want. Tonewise I really only notice slightly thinner tone on the low E, A but I restrung those with the E,A from what I pulled off. A little re-eq does the trick too. Sounds as thick as before. I used the EB 08s on my 84 Charvel and the Gibbons 08s on my 2009. Really a HUGE difference and if any of you are experiencing this, don't be too proud to try a lighter gauge no matter what style you play. It ain't worth the pain to keep playing the same higher gauge strings, IMO.

As an added bonus; I've noticed a higher end 'sizzle' that wasn't present before. Like the often chased VH1 tone high end...with both guitars.

I switched to 9s about 7 or 8 years ago!

 

[311boogieman]

I'm still on .11s but fearing I'm not too far behind you. I have been purposely working at different 'desks' in my house to lower my stress and working out and hydrating are great suggestions.

I dropped my string guage too. I really miss 52's but my forearm does not. Proper hydration and stretching should help. Down-picking started to hurt and cramp so the lighter gauges have been better for me too (and I turned 50 a few months ago...).

Hey Laura. Good to see you again. Hope things are going well for you.

 

[Racerxrated]

My job(Tool and Die Maker for over 42 yrs) and Being the old phucker here can tell you Laruas on the right track with stretching /hydration .
I had Carpal Tunnel operation to both hands a year apart from one another when I was in my 30's because of my job.

Recovery back then was over 3 months on each one. NOW, it's like 6 to 8 weeks.

SQUASH the heavy boozing and replace it with H2O.


Just some words of age'd wisdom from yer ol Unkle John.

You are an old Phucker aren't ya

I'd flip you off,but I'd probably break a hip

Somehow I missed this. I think I was taking my afternoon nap.

 

[Mailman1971]

I was outside shaking my fists at the clouds.

 

[Racerxrated]

I was outside shaking my fists at the clouds.

 

[Mailman1971]

[No message]

 

[Tone Ranger]

I have tingling in my index and middle of my picking hand. A bit of cramping between my thumb and index of both hands. I thought it was carpal tunnel a few years ago. Turns out i have a pinched C7 nerve on my right side. Really sucks, causes lots of pain and have tried lots of different traction devices. Poppin and cracking releases endorphins that only last for a few min. Forward head posture from welding and bad posture for years is probably the culprit. Phones don't help either.

 

[Hamer95USA]

There are tons of videos out there about how to relieve hands, wrists and arms, etc...
Have you tried some any of that stuff?

Here is one that helped me:

Thanks for sharing this video! I'll check it out.

Guitar George

 

[Hamer95USA]

So I've been avoiding this obvious issue for awhile; been taking much longer to warm up over the past year or so. Being mostly a rock/hard rock guy I love my bends and vibrato; very important to me with my playing. About 7 yrs ago I switched from 10s to 09s; been great ever since until this past year or so.
Well, I decided to look into 08s and some custom lite-heavy sets like the Yngwie Fender set. Ordered a few and BOOM problem solved. The stiffness is still there but I'm still able to play effortlessly; took some adjusting as you really need to be more finesse oriented/fret lightly than you may be used to..but I have no issues being able to do exactly what I want. Tonewise I really only notice slightly thinner tone on the low E, A but I restrung those with the E,A from what I pulled off. A little re-eq does the trick too. Sounds as thick as before. I used the EB 08s on my 84 Charvel and the Gibbons 08s on my 2009. Really a HUGE difference and if any of you are experiencing this, don't be too proud to try a lighter gauge no matter what style you play. It ain't worth the pain to keep playing the same higher gauge strings, IMO.

As an added bonus; I've noticed a higher end 'sizzle' that wasn't present before. Like the often chased VH1 tone high end...with both guitars.

I'm very happy that you were able to resolve your issues with hand soreness/stiff feeling. I have De Quervain's tenosynovitis (tendonitis of the thumb on my left hand) and have to wear a thumb brace that when I feel painful. It's important to have good playing posture whether you're standing up or sitting down, no slouching/being hunched over, stretching your body/hand, and getting your shoulders/forearms/wrists/hands massaged. I switched to .009 - .042 strings on my Strat/Tele type guitars and .009 - .046 strings on my Gibson style guitars. Since I perform onstage with a cover band for 3 to 4 hours a night, the lighter gauge strings alleviated the pain in my thumb. There are some good tips on this thread from the other posters that I like as well.

Guitar George

 

[Beandust]

Great thread, good to hear others thoughts and solutions on this. I've always searched for ways to feel my fingers dont tire or stiffen up. Had some numbness years ago and from time to time but seems to have gone away. I had it more when played less. However as RacerXrated mentioned. Stiffness is obviously there and it feels as if playing the guitar for a good 10, mimutes putting it down for 5 and playing for another 10 minutes, the guitar starts to feel familiar. One other I've been trying to get past is after working , get home pull out the guitar it's almost like a struggle to want to play because it feels like work! And it seems the hands dont want to respond, mainly the left. That's probably age induced/56, however on Saturdays it's not the same. The warm up seems quicker and the hands respond, dont do machine work or repetitive hand requiring work , but the after work thing is frustrating, any band rehearsal feels like I cant play the damn guitar sometimes. Not that I ever had rubber fingers but still. Played tons if golf years ago and heavy gym activity years ago as well. Those being gone help for sure. The string thing is interesting, if ed always felt if I switch to a lighter gauge my hands will adapt and eventually tire the same. Pain isnt necessarily the hurtle bit stiffness and lack of cooperation from the fingers however is. Seems to help to have guitars with heavier strings and different necks and scale lengths. SS frets definitely feel silkier on bends, I know some prefer not to use them. Having a guitar tuned a half step down with out a trem and one with a trem in standard yields a very noticeable difference in feel and seems to help switching back and forth. The one in eflat has the SS frets so its noticeable and helps! And agree with stretches/hydration and exercises all help. Even wrist exercises. I should be playing 7s with my stiff hands but If it's not corporeal tunnel then i will hold off, I feel.like my hands will tire after hours of playing and some days just not respond as easily regardless, everyone is different in this regard,

 

[halebox]

I'm 54 and my hands always are a mess. I do long tours too still. I just plow forward and deal with it. There are time in a set when one or both hands go numb. I have to shake them out during stops in song or after songs to get blood in them

 

[Monkey Man]

52 here and after struggling with 10s for friggin' decades I finally switched to 9s last year.

I placed too much importance on the slight sound difference, ignoring the fact that being able to play is paramount.

What a goose!

 

[skullfxr]

I am just going to say again. If you have pain, go to a physical therapist. Go four times and learn the proper exercises they want you to do specifically for you. I was skeptical of PT, but a past fiance was one, shit works great for me. I do the exercises they taught me every day. No problems since.

 

[Racerxrated]

I am just going to say again. If you have pain, go to a physical therapist. Go four times and learn the proper exercises they want you to do specifically for you. I was skeptical of PT, but a past fiance was one, shit works great for me. I do the exercises they taught me every day. No problems since.

No pain/issues since going down a gauge. Only tonal differences are evident with playing clean...and I don't play clean very often. It's been a great move for me. PT can work for some things, especially injury related. I've been in the medical field for 15 yrs and for arthritis, PT won't do much. I had both knees replaced 6 yrs ago due to Osteoarthritis. Pretty sure what I'm dealing with is simple arthritis and that won't get better unfortunately. So in my case, lighter string gauge for the win.

 

[Monkey Man]

I am just going to say again. If you have pain, go to a physical therapist. Go four times and learn the proper exercises they want you to do specifically for you. I was skeptical of PT, but a past fiance was one, shit works great for me. I do the exercises they taught me every day. No problems since.

Appreciate the well-meaning advice, mate.

Unfortunately in my case the issue goes back to when I was 14 years old and my whole body turned into that of a 60 year-old according to the medicos, and I had to give up competitive swimming.

Turned out heavy-metal poisoning caused the breakdown, and I had another huge dose when I was 28, resulting in autoimmune / CFS / fibromyalgia-type issues. The tendonitis and muscle weakness in most areas of my body have been permanent fixtures for 38 years now, and believe me, to say I've tried "everything" is a statement of epic proportions.

Bottom line:
Switching to 9s at least made playing possible again, even if it's only for short bursts at a time.

 

[flatheads_4ever]

Glad to see I'm not the only old guy here. I turn 52 in May.

I suffered from bad hand problems about 10 years ago. I stopped playing for about a year it was so bad. It was hurting me even when not playing. When I did return to playing, I went back to playing 09-42's and made sure I stretch well before playing. No real problems anymore, but I'm lucky to play an hour a day now with work and family commitments.

Ed