Index finger injury - Can't play guitar

What's Hot
2

Comments

  • BezzerBezzer Frets: 581
    @Slash'N'burn thats really good news! Glad they were able to rule out anything sinister too, always sets the mind at rest.  Look after yourself fella, speedy recovery!
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • 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.

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • H150H150 Frets: 0
    Hiya! First time poster, came here looking for some help on exactly this issue.

    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.


    I woke up end of March and my middle finger on my fretting hand hurt like hell. I had been doing nothing out of the ordinary, playing guitar yes but nothing crazy, no stretchy legato etc. and no manual labour in my life. Anyway it swelled up like a sausage. This is after 20 years of playing with no injuries or pain whatsoever. It is slowly getting better (after 12 weeks) but it is not totally right. It's mainly pain free and I can make a fist but the last few millimetres of clench feel very tight.

    Almost simultaneously though, my index finger which holds my plectrum is now hurting too. I now have to use my thumb and middle to hold the pick. Two fingers hurting after 20 years of no pain? My thumbs ache a bit too. I'm scared this is arthritis (I'm 38) although I thought arthritis was a slow degradation of joints, not three fingers simultaneously going pear shaped.

    I will go to the doctor's about it but want to give Covid priority so wont go for a while. I usually play 11s and play hard a la SRV so I'm dropping down to 10s for a while and see if that helps. I'm very depressed about it but will keep you updated too. :-(
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • RolandRoland Frets: 8590
    H150 said:

    I will go to the doctor's about it but want to give Covid priority so wont go for a while. :-(
    Don’t wait. GPs aren’t overloaded with Covid 19 patients. If this is something progressive which could be stopped or slowed then you need to get on to it.
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • H150 said:
    Hiya! First time poster, came here looking for some help on exactly this issue.

    I woke up end of March and my middle finger on my fretting hand hurt like hell. I had been doing nothing out of the ordinary, playing guitar yes but nothing crazy, no stretchy legato etc. and no manual labour in my life. Anyway it swelled up like a sausage. This is after 20 years of playing with no injuries or pain whatsoever. It is slowly getting better (after 12 weeks) but it is not totally right. It's mainly pain free and I can make a fist but the last few millimetres of clench feel very tight.

    Almost simultaneously though, my index finger which holds my plectrum is now hurting too. I now have to use my thumb and middle to hold the pick. Two fingers hurting after 20 years of no pain? My thumbs ache a bit too. I'm scared this is arthritis (I'm 38) although I thought arthritis was a slow degradation of joints, not three fingers simultaneously going pear shaped.

    I will go to the doctor's about it but want to give Covid priority so wont go for a while. I usually play 11s and play hard a la SRV so I'm dropping down to 10s for a while and see if that helps. I'm very depressed about it but will keep you updated too. :-(
      That's not good mate. When the swelling was bad, could you feel which part was swollen worse, .e.g. a certain joint or tendon etc?  was bending really restricted? How many hours a day/week do you play?

    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.

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • ToneControlToneControl Frets: 11788
    AFAIK ultrasound treatment can help speed recovery for some of the possible injuries you have got

    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
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • AFAIK ultrasound treatment can help speed recovery for some of the possible injuries you have got

    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? 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Slash'N'burnSlash'N'burn Frets: 162
    edited September 2020
    I saw a private physio a couple of weeks ago. They did a thorough check over of all the joints and movement in my finger comparing it with my good hand, found no worrying conditions developing but couldn’t tell exactly what the problem was, as the swelling in the tendon/joint could be felt but no obvious lump there, and advised me to ask my GP for an ultrasound scan on their recommendation, as it would clearly show what/where the problem is. They said that at this stage a steroid injection wouldn’t be right as the joint doesn’t ‘lock’ like trigger finger. They demonstrated some movements/stretches of each joint using the other hand to do the moving, to do at home myself. They were a bit stumped really and without a ultrasound scan couldn’t do anything more unless it got worse, but did say they thought the cause was more likely to be repetitive movements from playing guitar rather than heavy DIY work.

    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.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • I experience pain in the fingers on my left hand from time to time.  When the pain develops I put 8s on my guitar and it certainly makes playing a lot easier.  
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Slash'N'burnSlash'N'burn Frets: 162
    edited October 2020
    Well last week I had an appointment with a consultant Orthopaedic surgeon (NHS) who wasn’t really sure what the problem might be, other than maybe an inflamed tendon or one of the pulleys it passes through, and requested an Ultrasound scan by a doctor who could also do a steroid injection at the same time if necessary. In parallel I had received an appointment for an Ultrasound scan on my hand, but not with a doctor. We decided it would be worth going for the basic scan anyway, while waiting for the scan by a doctor that has a much longer waiting time.
     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
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • gusman2xgusman2x Frets: 919
    Do you have the means to go private?

    normally a consultation + procedure runs around £300
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Slash'N'burnSlash'N'burn Frets: 162
    edited October 2020
    gusman2x said:
    Do you have the means to go private?

    normally a consultation + procedure runs around £300
    I’ve not really thought about it, possibly.

    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. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • I had the steroid injection into a ligament in the base of my finger last week, NHS wait wasn’t too long in the end. It could take several weeks to be effective, fingers crossed that it will be a permanent fix.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • maw4neumaw4neu Frets: 549
    edited December 2020
    I had a shocking wrist injury / affliction in my early teens but it ceased after 45 years or so . :-)
    Id just like to point out that, despite all the video and DNA evidence, it genuinely wasn't me, your Honour  ! 

    Feedback : https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/58125/
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • H150H150 Frets: 0
    I had the steroid injection into a ligament in the base of my finger last week, NHS wait wasn’t too long in the end. It could take several weeks to be effective, fingers crossed that it will be a permanent fix.
    Good luck, hope it goes well. My finger is ok now, I can play fine without pain but it took a long time. Around about September or October last year it suddenly cleared up over a few weeks, but that was still about 6 months of not being right. It feels like it could return though. I used a chainsaw in December and after an hour I could feel a dull ache in that finger again, which disappeared after a couple of days. God knows. Probably just need to warm up and take it easy from now on before going hell for leather!
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • H150 said:
    I had the steroid injection into a ligament in the base of my finger last week, NHS wait wasn’t too long in the end. It could take several weeks to be effective, fingers crossed that it will be a permanent fix.
    Good luck, hope it goes well. My finger is ok now, I can play fine without pain but it took a long time. Around about September or October last year it suddenly cleared up over a few weeks, but that was still about 6 months of not being right. It feels like it could return though. I used a chainsaw in December and after an hour I could feel a dull ache in that finger again, which disappeared after a couple of days. God knows. Probably just need to warm up and take it easy from now on before going hell for leather!
    Glad yours got better - I'd definitely be on the cautious side though and look into finding some warm up exercises/stretches. Also if you play for more than an hour at a time, 10 minutes rest from playing every hour is proven to let the hands recover and fend off potential injuries.

    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. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Rob1742Rob1742 Frets: 1028
    With injuries I tend to think in the majority of situations it’s only rest than can do the trick. 
    I had a problem with my index finger, I must have stretched a tendon or something and it was 2-3 months before it got better. It’s still not fully recovered but that’s because I agitate it playing and only complete rest makes it better.

    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’d have a scan if you haven’t already, but I wouldn’t mess about with physios taking your money when I don’t think they do anything. 

    Footballers have scans on nearly all injuries theses days, it tells you the problem. Now I take my son for scans, £300 a time, but better than not knowing what the situation is and spending £30 every couple of days at the physio where they just do hot and cold nothingness.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Rob1742 said:
    With injuries I tend to think in the majority of situations it’s only rest than can do the trick. 
    I had a problem with my index finger, I must have stretched a tendon or something and it was 2-3 months before it got better. It’s still not fully recovered but that’s because I agitate it playing and only complete rest makes it better.

    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’d have a scan if you haven’t already, but I wouldn’t mess about with physios taking your money when I don’t think they do anything. 

    Footballers have scans on nearly all injuries theses days, it tells you the problem. Now I take my son for scans, £300 a time, but better than not knowing what the situation is and spending £30 every couple of days at the physio where they just do hot and cold nothingness.

    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.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Slash'N'burnSlash'N'burn Frets: 162
    edited February 2021
    I also now have some pain in the base of both little fingers, and my picking hand index finger has suddenly without warning gone the same way as my fretting hand index finger -  can’t bend it properly and sore at the base, 

    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.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • JayceeJaycee Frets: 287
    I had carpel tunneling in my left (fretting) hand, lots of shooting pain etc, the doctor told my to takes pain killers for it.

    Mrs Jaycee was putting a cream on her hand which I assumed was a moisturising lotion, so I put some on my hands as well, within 30 min the pain in my hand had subsided significantly, when I told her this she told me it was Calendula cream (her own product) but it can be bought from chemists and health stores, worth a try for those that have simillar issues.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
Sign In or Register to comment.