It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Subscribe to our Patreon, and get image uploads with no ads on the site!
Base theme by DesignModo & ported to Powered by Vanilla by Chris Ireland, modified by the "theFB" team.
Comments
The pain returned slightly about a week later, in the end joint of my finger. There is a dull ache most of the time. Think I may have jumped in a bit too soon, partial barres with thumb over the top does put the index finger in a awkward stretch/bend - so I probably should of avoided it completely. Still able to play but not putting any strain on that finger. Just keeping this thread updated in the hope that it is useful info for someone in the same boat later on.
The last few months I've been able to play electric guitar fine as long as I warmed up first, it was just the end joint of my finger that seemed prone to twinges, or achy if bumped/pulled so I avoided using that finger for any heavy lifting/diy etc. and just assumed it was going to take a long time to fully recover, so didn't go back to my GP.
Unfortunately my fretting hand index finger has flared up badly again in the last 2 weeks. About a month ago I noticed a bit of pain the lower joint (back of knuckle) after playing barre chords on my acoustic. it eased off but seemed to linger/feel tender so avoided the acoustic. A week later I was moving some books with my left hand and felt a sharp pain in that lower finger joint. Oh fuck I thought. A couple of days later I played my LP for a couple of hours without a problem.
A couple of days after playing my finger started to feel swollen and painful at the lower joint on the palm side, and I couldn't curl it into my palm, it would only bend about half way. This was worse than the original injury back in January! The swelling got worse each day and I could feel the tendon in the palm just below the joint was enlarged compared to the other hand. I totally rested it and got some ice on it and went to see my GP the next day - he examined it and thought it was tendon related, and said as it had been a problem since January and never fully recovered there must be something amiss, I was sent for an X-ray 4 days later. The X-ray came back normal apparently, so now I've been referred to Orthopaedics - it could be a long wait for that especially with the current situation. Hope that if they do a scan, it will be while I've still got the swelling/restricted bending, so that it might show what's going on! Right now the swelling has gone done a little bit and I can bend the finger a bit more.
Like you I've had some twinges on the other hand (right) too , the index finger and some stiffness/fatigue of the whole hand at times, it has come and gone so I don't know if its just coincidence, or overuse while I've rested my left hand, it's feels ok at the moment.
As others have said, go to your GP as soon you can, I got an appointment quickly and only saw one other person there, as they do online/phone appointments now for those who don't need/want to go in person.
there are a couple of real physios on this forum who will probably tell you to go and see a physio in person
Near me you can get an online GP consultation, which can result in a phone call or even face to face
However, the NHS physios aren't allowed to work yet near me
I got a private consultation with a physio, costs about £50. I would recommend that rather than waiting. I once went through all the GP route for 2 months with my foot, with them insisting on blood tests for gout, even though I told them the injury was instantaneous went a twanged a tendon. Eventually the physio told me my recovery would have been much faster if I'd come to them within the first 14 days after the injury
I've been having a look for physios near me.
How many sessions did you need for your foot in the end?
So have requested Ultrasound scan with GP, who says he will look into it, and that Covid has caused extra delays with my referral to orthopaedic team.
Getting frustrating now as it doesn’t seem to be getting any better after 8 weeks, back in January when it first started at least I was back to playing electric guitar after 8 weeks, this time around it seems a worse injury.
So if you have any issues with your hands I really recommend seeing a GP and a physio right from the outset, don’t leave it months like I did.
Frustratingly the ultrasound scan didn’t reveal any issues at the base of my finger where the pain and swelling is (despite that I can feel a raised/swollen tendon sheath in my palm) but the guy noted one of the screenshots ‘Lump’ further down between my index finger and thumb, saying there was something there but didn’t know what it is, might just be muscle(?!?!) hopefully the consultant will have more of an idea. No idea how long I have to wait for the next scan with a doctor, but heard there has been a backlog since March and could be anything between 10 and 20 weeks wait
normally a consultation + procedure runs around £300
When you say procedure, do you mean steroid injections or something else?
I’ll definitely look into it, main concern is that my problem isn’t clear cut. Say if it were the type like trigger finger where a pulley has thickened and is tight on a tendon, I’ve read they try a steroid injection first, if that doesn’t work permanently then up to two more injections, after that it’s surgery to release the pulley - so it could end up getting very expensive.
Feedback : https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/58125/
I am getting nowhere with my injury - the steroid injection I had 2 months ago has done nothing at all for me, I still have hard 'lump' of inflammation underneath the skin at the base of my finger and can't curl it properly or put weight on it. The tendon has a little lump on it as well, which I can feel moving past if I curl my finger and press into my palm.
6 weeks ago I started physiotherapy via phone call, they gave me exercises with heat/massage treatment to do at home, which was supposed to help shift the inflammation, but that didn't work, so they called me in to have a look, and was fitted with a short splint which restricts movement, and different exercises to do - none of which has made any difference.
When I eventually get to see the hand surgeon again I'm guessing they will want to try a second steroid injection as that seems to be standard procedure with diminishing returns, personally I think as the first one had no effect, the only thing that will work now is surgery.
My son has had various football injuries and I have spent a fortune in physio when I believe rest would have been just as good.
I’ve been in the same position as you in that it initially got better after 2 months, then came back worse and has been rested for 8 months with no improvement. Yes some injuries will get completely better with rest, and others can be caused by something else that won’t go away without some intervention.
I've had a scan but it didn’t show anything, possible that another scan would show something as it has changed.
The physio is through the NHS not private, and I was only sent for it because the steroid injection I was given caused even more stiffness in my finger, which subsided with the exercises, but back to the same position I was in before with a hard inflamed lump just before the base of my finger.
Seen as it only has to hold a pick, or do the odd bit of finger picking, playing about 2 hours a week, I’m thinking now that these problems are little to do with playing guitar.
I’ve also got foot pain for months that hasn’t cleared with rest, so my GP is sending me for blood tests as it could be something more systemic like an immune system problem.