Here's a strange question: stiffness when playing

Clockworkmike

Clockworkmike

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So the last few times I've picked up a guitar, about 15 mins into playing, my left forearm feels like it's clamping down. I guess it's like a Charley Horse but it begins to stiffen the fingers too and doesn't ease up.

I stretch my hands and fingers and it feels a little better but overall it just gets to a point where Im not moving around on the fretboard too much. I take a break and it eases up within 10mins but if I go back, it starts over again.

Has this happened to any of you? If so, what is it you do to remedy it or is there a remedy? Basically makes me not even want to pick a guitar up because I know it's gonna do it in no time.
 
Doctors told me long time ago in my early 20s, that I had Tenosynovitis in my arms and ankles along with early signs of Carpal Tunnel. The Carpal tunnel thing is something I've managed to deal with on my own and can still use my hands but the Tenosynovitis thing is the part I think that gets me most of the time, probably more in my ankle than anything. They gave me this whole list of exercises to do to loosen the tendon pressure, which I do still do when it gets like this , along with like Ice packs, braces and Ibuprofen for the inflammation. Used to prescribe me Gabapentin to relieve nerve pressure but, too many folks abused it and now the docs here hate to prescribe it so they removed it from my file.

Over the years I've just kinda adapted to it and learn to favor one extremity over the other: so if it gets to me in my right hand or foot, I try to use the other side more while treating the hurting part. Only thing is that doesn't work all the time, especially when playing a guitar obviously.

Truth is, probably should just start doing the exercises daily instead of letting it get to this point really. Kinda my own fault there lol
 
This was probably one of my biggest guitar downfalls. We've actually stopped sets because of my hand charlie-horsing up. It would get so bad that my hand would start doing what it wants. Then it would spread around my body. I simply cannot play in a band anymore because of this. I've been to nerve centers and had test but nothing ever really came out of it. If you are prone to this. Increase your vitamin D, calcium, and most of all magnesium. I used to rub magnesium cream on my hands before a gig but it never helped too much. Full barr chords are immanent hand death.

To me this is serious for you as I've read, and it could easily keep you out of the game. Especially getting older.
 
Sapient said:
This was probably one of my biggest guitar downfalls. We've actually stopped sets because of my hand charlie-horsing up. It would get so bad that my hand would start doing what it wants. Then it would spread around my body. I simply cannot play in a band anymore because of this. I've been to nerve centers and had test but nothing ever really came out of it. If you are prone to this. Increase your vitamin D, calcium, and most of all magnesium. I used to rub magnesium cream on my hands before a gig but it never helped too much. Full barr chords are immanent hand death.

To me this is serious for you as I've read, and it could easily keep you out of the game. Especially getting older.
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Man that's terrible to hear and I'm sorry!
 
Clockworkmike said:
Man that's terrible to hear and I'm sorry!
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It's not so bad since I don't even play anymore anyway. It just started getting bad the last few years so It's not too much of a big deal. I remember my band back in '98 and I get it on occassion but could shake it off. Not now but there are no band plans anymore for me.

Yes, if I was really into it still it would suck bad regarding a band anyway. Hopefully you can shake it off with some of those vitamins and pull through it!
 
Sapient said:
It's not so bad since I don't even play anymore anyway. It just started getting bad the last few years so It's not too much of a big deal. I remember my band back in '98 and I get it on occassion but could shake it off. Not now but there are no band plans anymore for me.

Yes, if I was really into it still it would suck bad regarding a band anyway. Hopefully you can shake it off with some of those vitamins and pull through it!
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Thank you! Im at the point in life where at least a multivitamin would be a good idea, certainly ain't getting any younger lol
 
Is your neck thin? These days I have trouble playing small necks for more than about twenty minutes.
It never bothered me when I was young.

Playing just about any size neck - except superthin shredsticks like a Wizard - still feels comfortable at first.
But after a while my forearm starts to pre-cramp and eventually my hand becomes clawlike and hard to work.
Genuine, painful cramping will follow if I try to play through.

Normally it doesn't happen to me when playing bass, but in June I had some trouble playing one with a standard medium profile.
We'd had a groove going uninterrupted for around 45 minutes, when I began to feel the same thing.

The bass line was pretty simple, so I was able to ease my arm & hand by playing top-over for a few minutes.
Most guitar parts aren't simple enough for me to do that well, though - I'm no Jeff Healey...
 
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