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I have some carpal tunnel evidenced by a perpetually swollen left ring finger and some hand numbness. I just bought a guitar and I have trouble positioning the ring finger on the first string on a G chord. It's because my ring finger won't bend enough. I can work around this but I'm wondering if guitar playing will exacerbate my hand conditions. Thoughts?

Dewey
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  • Sounds like you need to find a good teacher - if only for a couple of lessons. – Tim Dec 10 '19 at 15:57
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    I'd see a doctor. Having had both wrists operated on for CT, your 'swollen finger' symptom bears no resemblance to any symptoms I ever had. BTW, if it is carpal tunnel, the longer you put off the op, the worse your hands will be afterwards. You never get back all motor function. afaik, nothing you do will exacerbate it, though it will never get any better on its own, only ever worse; by the time it gets really bad you simply won't be able to play for more than 5 minutes before your hands stop responding to your will. – Tetsujin Dec 10 '19 at 16:53
  • Until you solve the issue of your swollen ring finger you might try playing the first position G chord the way I like to play it as mentioned here (https://music.stackexchange.com/q/28817/16897). Other alternate methods of playing the G that don't require you to bend the ring finger so much are shown here (https://music.stackexchange.com/a/31061/16897) – Rockin Cowboy Dec 10 '19 at 19:15

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it is possible that using it will exacerbate the problem. I'm not a medical expert so I cannot tell you exactly about anything. My best suggestion is to go talk to a doctor about it, they can both help you with the medical problem and at the same time you can ask them if it is safe for you to be playing guitar.

That set aside, generally if using something that is injured is hurting it more it might be doing damage, and you should maybe work it a little less. So if you are doing it and it's not causing extra pain it is probably fine, but if you're at all unsure see a medical expert who can give you a professional opinion.

JIMMYPlay
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I would say the opposite. Heavy computer use is bad for a guitarist, I am such a guitarist. I have answered other questions about this topic, but from a different perspective. If you already have the CTS you need to see a doctor and get treatment. I wear a wrist brace when working on the computer and that has helped tremendously. You can also do physical therapy and there's surgery for correcting the issue.

In my personal experience I find that guitar playing is therapeutic and helps reduce the effects of CTS. However I play with near perfect hand posture form decades of private lessons in modern and classical guitar. If you just pick up a guitar and play Jimmy Page style (wrist bent in with thumb over the edge of the finger board) you will definitely make is worse of develop a new set of disorders. Many musicians suffer from micro trauma injuries but in my experience this is usually due to poor posture and bad technique. This is probably what led to your CTS. If you are typing with the correct hand posture in theory it shouldn't happen.

So my advice, after seeing a doctor, is take lessons and learn proper technique and posture. It pays!

  • RSI &/or Tendonitis is not CTS. Each may give symptoms similar to the others, but they are not the same thing. Your description doesn't sound like CTS. CTS can be measured quite accurately, electronically. RSI & tendonitis can't. – Tetsujin Dec 11 '19 at 16:14
  • I never said they were the same thing. And in my case I have had an emg so I know its cts. I was describing other things that can happen with poor hand posture. –  Dec 11 '19 at 16:27
  • OK, cool Thanks for clarifying. I'm just always worried if someone gets the two mixed up without a doctor's opinion… as one needs rest, the other needs an operation. – Tetsujin Dec 11 '19 at 16:29
  • Still not true. Been (and still am) a programmer for 25 years. Never hurt my ability to play guitar. Nor did it bring upon any impairments. "Doing X hurts Y" is to simple a causal relationship in this case. I have arthritis in my top pinky joint. Didn't come from computers, didn't come from bad technique, didn't come from over use. All three? Possibly. The symptoms between CTS, arthritis, and any other joint / muscle / ligament disease are extremely similar. Only a proper and qualified diagnosis can tell. – Willem van Rumpt Dec 11 '19 at 17:27
  • What part of any of this us not true? Give an example. –  Dec 11 '19 at 17:30
  • The only thing shared between the three, is that NOT doing anything with the afflicted part makes it worse. Every joint or ligament needs to move. If you don't move it, it gets worse. You just have to dose the amount of movement. – Willem van Rumpt Dec 11 '19 at 17:32
  • I guess I should have said "Heavy computer use with poor posture". Which is how injuries develop in the first place. –  Dec 11 '19 at 17:35
  • @WillemvanRumpt, also if you move it wrong you can injure it! –  Dec 11 '19 at 17:36
  • @ggcg: Which is why you should get a proper diagnosis, and guidelines ;) But we agree on that, I feel. But doing "X" while having a bad "Y" is always going to be bad, regardless if "X" is computers or knitting. – Willem van Rumpt Dec 11 '19 at 17:38
  • I disagree with your last statement. PT is often a course of action for injuries and that is doing X. I am only stating that for me guitar playing is therapeutic for the CTS in my right hand (not suggesting that everyone should do it). –  Dec 11 '19 at 17:46
  • (PT = Physical Therapy? not a native speaker) But X could be anything. Computers in your case. And I'm sure, and hope, it helps. It's not the fault of the computer. Neither will it be the fault of the knitting needle. You may well be able to knit 4 days in a row, in which you can not do anything useful on a computer because of your problem. Or the other way around. You can not attribute the cause of CTS to computers or knitting needles. Both might play a part, or they may not. But the deduction "Heavy computer use leads/causes CTS / " is simply invalid. – Willem van Rumpt Dec 11 '19 at 18:00
  • We're getting too deep into this, each based on their own experience. CTS is not caused by any type of 'exercise', nor is it fixed or even mitigated by either exercise or rest. The only cure is the operation. RSI is caused by 'exercise'. Tendonitis is not. Both can be aided but not cured by exercise and rest, in professionally-guided proportions. Arthritis is in this way closer to CTS than the other two. You can keep it bearable by exercise, but you cannot 'cure' it that way. – Tetsujin Dec 11 '19 at 18:05
  • Where did I ever say that pt cured cts? –  Dec 11 '19 at 18:15
  • ermm… in your answer - wrist brace, physical therapy. neither will 'cure' CTS… which was why I questioned the diagnosis in the first place. – Tetsujin Dec 11 '19 at 18:16
  • @Tetsujin: Agreed. – Willem van Rumpt Dec 11 '19 at 18:28
  • I never said cured but it will help reduce the symptoms. I think you are making false connections between my statements and your thoughts –  Dec 11 '19 at 18:59
  • My emg shows whatever cts is or so says the neurologist and hand dr. But the loss of conductivity is minor. The pinched nerve is caused by a flare up of the surrounding tissue. Getting that tissue to not be inflamed will relieve the pressure on the nerve. In some cases the nerve will heal. At the very least it wont get worse –  Dec 11 '19 at 19:02