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In this material we want to touch on the anatomical aspect of playing the guitar. We will try to tell you what injuries you can get while playing your favorite instrument and how to avoid them, how to make the lessons as useful as possible and develop the functionality and coordination of your right and left hands.
How to reduce pain in your fingers from the guitar without giving up regular practice. Basic tips:
Exercise more often, but in short periods of 10-20 minutes
Now that the motivational speech is complete, let’s move on to the practical tips. First of all, calluses on guitar fingers appear as a result of intense and long-term mechanical impact on unusual areas of the skin. Our task is to develop them.
This needs to be done gradually. The main mistake is trying to do it in a short period of time. Taking the guitar once a week and trying to catch up within five hours is certainly commendable, but you can end up with no hands. You need to develop the habit of playing for half an hour, but every day. And yes, your hands will still “burn.” But you will speed up the process of “stuffing bumps” and quickly get rid of unpleasant sensations.
Install smaller gauge strings (Light 9-45 or 10-47)
Painful guitar calluses can also form if the strings on the instrument are too thick and “heavy.” They rub a large area on the pad and generally act roughly and mercilessly. To reduce the impact, it is better to replace the calibration. What strings are best to install?
Strings marked “Light” are suitable for a classical guitar. For acoustics such as dreadnought and western, the so-called “nine” is suitable (the first string is 0.9 mm in diameter). For starters, you can even put an “eight” on an electric guitar (but they break much faster). True, I think that this caliber is especially useless for those who are not yet going to make high-speed cuts with a lot of bands in the style of glam metal or speed metal.
Play only steel strings and only acoustic guitar - to get used to it
No offense to the classics, of course. Still, most amateurs buy acoustics with steel. If you already play on metal strings, then there is no need to change them to nylon. Of course, it will be easier to press chords, but you will also have to play many times more. And when you pick up your dreadnought again, out of habit, the pain may well return.
To be fair, it should be said that both classics and “electricians” earn calluses from guitar strings - it all depends on the degree of hard work, as well as on the genre being performed. Let's say, sweeping blues braces of one and a half and two tones set the teeth on edge no worse than the scratch on an acoustic.
Adjust the height of the strings on the fretboard
On my first guitar from the city of Bobrov, the strings were stretched so high that mom don’t worry. Therefore, pressing any chord beyond the third fret was already a feat. But this is how the steel at the fingertips was tempered. And they burned almost like in a foundry.
You shouldn’t get carried away with such extremes, but rather adjust the height of the anchor. Then the strings will “lie” above the fingerboard, and it will become somewhat easier to clamp them.
What to do if the first signs of arthrosis appear
If “nodules” appear on your fingers, it means that the disease has been developing for several years. It would be good if it could be detected much earlier, at the stage of the first aching pain. Do not ignore pain, which worsens at night, and slight swelling, even if they do not limit movement in the joint.
In the initial stages of arthrosis, it is recommended to take protective drugs - chondroprotectors. Chondroitin and glucosamine in their composition improve the regeneration of cartilage cells, increase the content of hyaluronic acid, and make cartilage more durable and elastic. These drugs are effective only in the early stages, despite the fact that they are also prescribed subsequently in complex therapy.
Paraffin therapy helps improve blood flow and speed up metabolism. Cosmetic paraffin heats problem areas. If you already feel discomfort in your hand, provide it with sufficient physical activity. If left unused, cartilage will deteriorate faster. For this purpose, you can squeeze and unclench a rubber ball or expander, or sculpt it from clay or plasticine.
Half an hour of sculpting a day will easily strengthen your hand muscles!
When your fingers hurt from playing guitar. What is undesirable to do before calluses have not yet formed?
Do not use superglue to create a protective layer
This will slow down the natural keratinization of the skin.
Do not play guitar directly after showering/washing hands/swimming
Steamed and softened pads become easy prey for hard steel strings. Therefore, wait about half an hour for your fingers to dry.
Do not pick, bite or cut dry calluses
Guitar calluses are a defense mechanism of the body. It prevents further destruction of the skin and damage to already soft tissue. Therefore, let this layer form naturally and do not remove it. By the way, you will have to give up the habit of biting your nails/skin on your fingers or around the nail, otherwise you will add to your discomfort and slow down the growth of the protective layer.
Don't wet your fingers unless necessary.
For calluses to form, the skin must be dry. You can wipe the ends with alcohol wipes or cotton balls a couple of times a day.
Do not use finger caps
The thing is certainly interesting. But the thing is that you can get used to them and not get too tired (in the literal sense). Therefore, there is little point in buying them.
Do not use tape or adhesives for protection
Firstly, they are very inconvenient to play with. Secondly, if you need to cover the resulting blister with a band-aid, it would be better to give the skin a break rather than torment the wound with additional exposure.
Instead of an introduction
The human hand is a very complex mechanical system, the main task of which is to perform complex and precise high-differential actions. The sequence of movements is set by the human brain: the program is formed in the motor zone of the cerebral cortex, after which it is transmitted along the nerve trunks to the muscles. And the muscles, which are continuously fed with nutrients and oxygen from the blood vessels, in turn move the bones and joints.
One of the most important and complex parts of the human hand is the hand. The mobility and precision of hand movements is based on a combination of several dozen small bones and muscles, as well as the presence of special mucous bags that act as a lubricant and make movements painless and as smooth as possible.
Obviously, this description of the structure of the arm and hand is very simplified. It is also obvious that playing the guitar seriously increases the load on the hands: if done incorrectly, this load can lead to various diseases that negatively affect the structure and mobility of joints and muscles. According to statistics, more than 85% of musicians over 35 years of age have certain occupational diseases. In the next paragraph we will talk about the main ones.
Stages of formation of hard calluses from guitar
First week
Play carefully because your skin is not used to being bombarded with metal like this. Take breaks and be careful not to form blisters. Many beginners complain that their fingers hurt when playing guitar. This phenomenon is temporary, you just need to correctly alternate work and rest.
Second week
The result will already be noticeable. On thinner strings, the pain will decrease and cease to be a burning, pulsating sensation. It may be worth spending more time learning chords on thick strings. Finger stretching will also help
. And solos or harmonies on the upper strings can be reduced a little.
In one month
The accumulated calluses will begin to fall away. They should not be deleted. This is an already developed layer that will make your classes easier.
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Fingers hurt when bending: how to treat
For this ailment, doctors recommend acting comprehensively, using several methods of conservative treatment at once. Taking medications. Medicines help eliminate pain and inflammation, fight infections.
An effective type of treatment for pain in the joints of the fingers is physiotherapy: electrophoresis, electrosleep, magnetic therapy and others. Special diet. During the treatment period, you should avoid baking, salt-rich foods and smoked foods. Pregnant women are advised to include foods rich in calcium in their diet. First of all, this is cottage cheese and other dairy products. Physiotherapy. Simple exercises, such as bending and straightening the palms, help warm up the muscles, strengthen ligaments and improve blood circulation. Remember: attempts at self-medication are unlikely to help get rid of pain, but can lead to further development of joint diseases and worsening of the condition. If you have pain in your fingers, contact a specialized joint clinic to correctly determine the cause of the ailment. Practice shows that early treatment not only increases the chances of a full recovery, but also reduces the cost of treatment.
We specialize in the treatment of the musculoskeletal system, even in severe stages of disease. We have been helping thousands of patients avoid surgery for 10 years!
Our doctors
This is the strongest team of experts who teach at the RUDN Department. We are the clinical base of leading universities, where the best doctors in Moscow, unique specialists from Russia and abroad are trained.
For what reasons can finger joints hurt?
Soreness of the fingers, not caused by bruises and other injuries, can be associated with both joint damage and extra-articular pathologies. Please note: if left untreated, these diseases progress and lead to decreased mobility and deformation of the fingers, including loss of ability to work and disability. Experts identify several factors that provoke diseases that cause discomfort in the fingers of the upper extremities:
- infectious diseases, especially in the absence of timely treatment;
- hereditary tendency to joint pathologies;
- disruptions in the functioning of the immune system;
- changes in hormonal levels (including during pregnancy or after childbirth);
- improper metabolism;
- injuries;
- hypothermia and other harmful external influences.
Pain in the joints of the fingers is a serious symptom that can be a manifestation of pathologies such as:
- arthritis - inflammation of the small joints of the hands associated with autoimmune damage (rheumatoid), penetration of infections into the joint cavity (infectious), the consequences of psoriasis (psoriatic), increased amounts of uric acid (gouty arthritis, or gout) and some other factors;
- arthrosis is a degenerative-deforming pathology that occurs without an inflammatory process with a characteristic change in the configuration of the joints; stenosing ligamentitis is an inflammatory disease that affects the annular ligaments of the joints;
- carpal tunnel syndrome is a consequence of damage to the median nerve in the wrist, in which burning, swelling and numbness are observed in the area of the thumb, index, middle and (less often) ring fingers;
- damage to the cervical spine is a consequence of pinched or damaged nerve fibers; with this disorder, pain occurs only in one arm;
- polycythemia – numbness of the fingertips associated with an increase in the number of blood cells (erythrocytes, leukocytes and platelets);
- Raynaud's syndrome is a consequence of injuries, stress and hypothermia, and has a paroxysmal nature.
The cause of pain can also be injuries: bruises, fractures and dislocations. Take your temperature and contact your doctor immediately if:
- the finger is swollen and painful, the skin color has changed;
- when pressed, unpleasant sensations arise;
- a creaking sound is heard when bending and straightening the palm;
- motor skills are difficult, there is stiffness and acute pain in the joints of the fingers.