Shredder’s Bane

In the late 90s I suffered a repetitive strain injury (the official diagnosis was either Tendonitis or Tenosynavitis) in my picking hand. I wrote about this at the time but thought it might be worth revisiting a decade later.

Originally it started out as a nagging ache in the tendon that joins the thumb to the wrist. Initially, it was the sort of pain that dissipated once I had been playing for a few hours so I just ignored it until one day my thumb locked out in an excruciating cramp. The pain was sobering, but more worrying was the fact that it almost put my alternate picking & fingerstyle out of action and jeopardized my income. With my wrist disabled I finally decided to take the situation seriously (the wristguards & painkillers did not have any permanent efficacy) and went to the local doctor. I was told to take a few painkillers and take it easy for a few weeks. Considering I make a living from playing, this was not a realistic option. I asked around the wider muso community and was recommended a Chiropractor/Acupuncturist (David Gutteridge) by a guitarist who suffered from Carpel Tunnel Syndrome (another nasty tendon-related injury). Being the sceptical sort I was naturally wary of alternative medicine but by this stage my playing was in a mess so I decided to give it a try. I discussed the symptoms with David.

Many years later and my picking wrist is working fine because of the preventative measures I take. I find that the tendons are most vulnerable in the cold winter months and that they are especially vulnerable to sudden movements. Likewise, heavy lifting can wreak havoc with any weakness. In a cold environment it is important to wear thermal gloves when not playing. Before attempting anything serious on the axe, be sure to warm up the fingers slowly using scales and chord progressions. Soaking the hands in warm water and massaging the hands are also useful. I found that infra-red lamps useful offer some relief when the injury flares up after some merciless practice sessions. I also try to have a yearly course of preventative physio to keep on top of the injury.

Recently there have been some high profile players (e.g. Tony Iommi, Francis Rossi) who have revealed that they suffer with these injuries. Iommi’s predicament is very serious and he is hoping for a stem cell remedy because in his case some cartilage has actually worn out. Don’t let it get to this stage; rather warm-up properly before you play and look after your hands when you away from your guitar.