Members wankdeplank Posted January 21, 2015 Members Share Posted January 21, 2015 Wankin the plank not choking the chicken. Yesterday we had a pretty epic first jam (new guitarist) at my buddy, the drummer's house. We'd played through the list of songs I'd gone over with the new guitarist and he starts rattling classic rock songs off the top of his head (James Gang, Rush, The Who, Zeppelin, Aerosmith, you name it) and I'm just learning on the fly (the guy's a frickin tour de force with a great memory for songs). So in the course of three hours we must've played and jammed on forty plus tunes (never playing the same one twice). So I'm driving home after the jam, everything's fine cept for a slightly bruised ego (second fiddle complex), and all of a sudden my fretting hand (on the steering wheel) just goes into the most excruciating convulsive cramp I think I've ever had (had some pretty bad ones in my calf muscles before though). Honestly, at one point it caused me to veer outside of my lane. I ended up driving the rest of the way with only my right hand on the wheel. Which made me think what if this were to occur in the middle of a show or something - no way you could continue. Anybody experience this? Any thoughts, or solutions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted January 21, 2015 Members Share Posted January 21, 2015 When I was playing bass to put food on the table, I suffered a tendon in my fretting hand that popped in the middle of the show, causing 2 fingers to become flipper like appendages. (Pinky and ring fingers btw) I played the next 30 odd minutes with just two fingers, and whimpering like a 6 year old little girl. It required surgery, and 3 months of rehab before getting back to where I was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted January 21, 2015 Author Members Share Posted January 21, 2015 ^Wow that's brutal dude. I had no idea something that severe could happen playing music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onelife Posted January 21, 2015 Members Share Posted January 21, 2015 Having experienced a couple of debilitating bouts of tendonitis myself, I would advise you to take breaks and do some arm stretches during your long sessions. I also suggest you stop and rest at the first sign of discomfort. Even when playing shows, the song is not as important as your hand - In other words, don't plow through it and cause real/permanent damage. Listen to your body and when it tells you to stop, stop. My problems started with a Les Paul. The guitar sounded so good in so many settings that I wanted to play it all the time. Sitting hunched over the small body practicing for hours at a time led to poor posture while gigging with the heavy guitar pressing down on my shoulder caused nerve and muscle problems. The ultimate solution for me has been a regular Yoga practice which puts all the parts of my body back where they are supposed to be so I can still play my Les Paul without damaging myself or my future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted January 21, 2015 Members Share Posted January 21, 2015 No advice but wow that sucks. Glad you didn't have an accident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted January 21, 2015 Members Share Posted January 21, 2015 It happens. We tend to forget that in ways, we are athletes. We train our muscles to do certain things, and sometimes, we step onto the field, and pop our knee for no reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members billybilly Posted January 22, 2015 Members Share Posted January 22, 2015 There's a reason why Uncle Billy plays fat necks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members groovezilla Posted January 22, 2015 Members Share Posted January 22, 2015 Stretch your hand by holding it straight and then pulling the fingertips back towards you. Do this 5-10 times a day on each hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members groovezilla Posted January 22, 2015 Members Share Posted January 22, 2015 Also try icing it once a day as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted January 22, 2015 Author Members Share Posted January 22, 2015 Very true. I have a musician friend that's still stuck in the days of Freaks and Jocks and gives me a hard time because I play tennis. Dude you're an athlete you just don't know it. Lots of parallels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted January 22, 2015 Author Members Share Posted January 22, 2015 It doesn't help in my case. I do have some carpal symptoms (job related) which might or might not contribute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted January 22, 2015 Author Members Share Posted January 22, 2015 I'll do that. Thank you so much. Will try the icing as well. Weird thing is that I got home and like an idiot picked up a guitar (cramp subsided) and brought the whole ordeal back on again. But played the guitar today and no issues whatsoever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted January 22, 2015 Author Members Share Posted January 22, 2015 Thx bro much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted January 22, 2015 Author Members Share Posted January 22, 2015 Thx DE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members billybilly Posted January 22, 2015 Members Share Posted January 22, 2015 Fair enough. Good luck but you did play for a long time so hopefully its nothing that happens with too much frequency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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