Guitar playing can be a very rewarding and enjoyable experience, but many guitarists don’t realize the potential for injury that exists when playing. Many injuries are due to poor technique and incorrect posture. This blog will outline some of the most common injuries and ways to avoid them:
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – this condition is often associated with computer use, but it is quite common in guitar players. Carpal tunnel arises from compression of the median nerve as it travels through the carpal tunnel on its way to the hand. The symptoms are usually a tingling or numbness in the thumb, index and middle fingers. The treatment involves wearing a wrist brace at night while sleeping to prevent the wrist from being bent while asleep (which increases pressure on the median nerve). In more severe cases, cortisone can be injected into the carpal tunnel to decrease inflammation and possibly surgery might be required. Prevention involves learning to relax your hands while playing; this will reduce tension on muscles that can pinch the median nerve. Make sure your wrist is straight when playing chords.
Trigger Finger – this refers to pain and stiffness of one or more fingers during movement. The pain may be worse during use of the finger or upon waking in the morning from gripping strings during play. Treatment involves
The guitar is a wonderful instrument to play and has many benefits. However, there are some common injuries in guitar players that can be avoided if you are mindful of them.
In this article we will be talking about these common injuries and also how to prevent them by improving your technique.
Common Guitar Injuries:
– Tendonitis in the forearm (most common)
– Carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands (wrist pain)
– Neck pain from holding up heavy guitars or playing for long periods of time without proper posture; this can lead to chronic issues like arthritis and pinched nerves, especially if not treated early on.
If any of these problems sound familiar, then it’s time for an assessment! You may have already noticed some discomfort while playing your favorite instrument. This discomfort might come from overuse, poor posture, or a combination of both. Luckily there are many things that you can do to improve your technique so that you can avoid injury altogether. If you’re experiencing pain when playing your guitar it’s important not to ignore it because untreated injuries won’t heal on their own; they’ll just get worse!
If you are anything like me, you have experienced some sort of pain in your playing. I can recall a number of times when my fingers felt like they were on fire from playing barre chords at the beginning of my guitar journey. Or how about that one time when I was strumming a few too many upstrokes and got so tired I thought my arm would fall off?
Injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome and tendinitis are just two common issues guitar players face due to the repetitive nature of our instrument. We often continue to play despite the pain because we love music, but if we want to improve as musicians and continue to play for years to come, it’s important that we take care of our bodies.
I am not suggesting that you stop practicing or playing altogether – quite the opposite! What I am suggesting is that we become more mindful of our posture, playing positions, and overall technique in order to make our time spent with our instrument as comfortable as possible.
Many guitar players suffer from various injuries due to the wearing of a guitar strap and holding the instrument for so long. There are quite a few injuries that are common such as tennis elbow and carpal tunnel syndrome, but there is also a high number of back, shoulder and neck injuries. These can be caused by bad posture, poor technique and the incorrect use of the guitar strap. In this blog we will look at ways to minimize or eliminate these issues.
We know that many guitar players suffer from various injuries due to the wearing of a guitar strap and holding the instrument for so long. There are quite a few injuries that are common such as tennis elbow and carpal tunnel syndrome, but there is also a high number of back, shoulder and neck injuries. These can be caused by bad posture, poor technique and the incorrect use of the guitar strap. In this blog we will look at ways to minimize or eliminate these issues.
The most common guitar-related injuries are the ones that come from playing. Overuse injuries are, in fact, the most common guitar-related injuries by far, and they can be prevented with a little bit of knowledge.
The first thing to keep in mind is that your body is not built for playing guitar.
This may seem obvious, especially if you’re new to guitar, but it’s something I tell myself every time I start getting frustrated when I can’t play a certain lick or chord.
It’s also important to remember that our bodies weren’t built for anything we do these days – we spend our days sitting at desks and staring at screens, and then we go home and sit on our couches and stare at screens there too. As a result, our backs get tight and our necks get sore. Then we go to pick up our guitars (which are about the size of a small child) and wonder why everything hurts so much!
Don’t worry; you’re not alone. Here are some common injuries I’ve seen from playing guitar:
Acoustic Guitar Neck Pain
It’s not uncommon for guitar players to experience pain in their right hand and/or wrist. This is usually caused by the way the strumming arm is positioned while playing. The most common mistake guitar players make is to bend the elbow too much, and bring the guitar up to meet their body. This causes an awkward position for both arms, which leads to unnecessary neck pain.
To avoid this, let your hand and arm hang loosely at your side when you first pick up the guitar. Then place your thumb on top of the back of the neck, about halfway between the nut and bridge. Your other fingers should be curled slightly around the neck as well, with your index finger touching the 2nd fret of the lowest string (the “A” string.)
Now that your hand is correctly placed on the neck, you’re ready to play! You’ll notice that your hand is positioned further down than usual. If you can’t reach all 6 strings in this position, then slide your hand further down until you can comfortably play all 6 strings without straining yourself. To get maximum control over the strings, try to use only your first two knuckles when strumming or picking a string. This will also help alleviate strain on your