Tendonitis - any sufferers?

beed84

Kittyfrisk said:

beed84 said:

fretmeister said:

beed84 said:

As always, I recommend these to any guitarist and anyone who suffers from Tendonitis/RSI

I use mine before and after for a couple of minutes.  It's enough to keep my hands, wrists and arms in good order and prevent any unwanted pain.  Can't fault them.  More info here.

@beed84 ;;

What was the thing you linked to? If you remember?

@fretmeister ;;

Here you go: 

https://uk.rpmpower.com/applications/cure-repetitive-strain-injuries/

https://uk.rpmpower.com/product-category/nsd-powerball-gyro/

I think they've gone up in price, but you can get budget ones from places like Argos. Still, they're pretty inexpensive for what they do and I think every musician should have one IMHO.

Just noticed the thread resurrection.
Was it the standard Powerball gyroscopic device that you found helped?
If it was, anyone that would like one, drop me a line.
I have an old one from at least 12 years ago, but I can't see what could change...
Any interest & I'll dig it out & post a photo 

That's a nice gesture. I think I might have a spare one kicking about but will have to check.

Yeah, it's a proper workout if you get it up to high speeds, but I benefit using it at low to moderate speeds – it's like a full body massage for the hand, wrist and arm!

normula1

Really interesting thread this. I woke up with a sore ankle a few weeks ago, thought it would walk off so made a mile and a half trip to the village and back followed by a drive out into the country. Boy was I wrong... spent the next week or so on crutches and it's still quite tender now. I'm walking about quite gently but haven't dared go for my usual lunchtime power walk. From reading here, looks like I'll need to be careful for a while yet.

fretmeister

Kittyfrisk said:

beed84 said:

fretmeister said:

beed84 said:

As always, I recommend these to any guitarist and anyone who suffers from Tendonitis/RSI

I use mine before and after for a couple of minutes.  It's enough to keep my hands, wrists and arms in good order and prevent any unwanted pain.  Can't fault them.  More info here.

@beed84 ;;

What was the thing you linked to? If you remember?

@fretmeister ;;

Here you go: 

https://uk.rpmpower.com/applications/cure-repetitive-strain-injuries/

https://uk.rpmpower.com/product-category/nsd-powerball-gyro/

I think they've gone up in price, but you can get budget ones from places like Argos. Still, they're pretty inexpensive for what they do and I think every musician should have one IMHO.

Just noticed the thread resurrection.
Was it the standard Powerball gyroscopic device that you found helped?
If it was, anyone that would like one, drop me a line.
I have an old one from at least 12 years ago, but I can't see what could change...
Any interest & I'll dig it out & post a photo 

@Kittyfrisk ;

If you've got something that would help I would very much like that.

I've just been diagnosed with bilateral De Quervain's tenosynovitis and some arthritis on top and my hands are killing me.

Esoterick

I used to get awful forearm pain in my left arm when I started playing guitar. My teacher recommended one of the powerballs people have mentioned as he used one to recover from tearing some tendons in his hand and it completely resolved my forearm pain.

If people are looking at getting one I would get one of the auto start models as the cord start ones are a bit fiddly and less beginner friendly.

Kittyfrisk

@fretmeister  No problem.
Just drop me a PM with your address details & we'll take it from there.
I have arthritis in my thumb joints (as well as everywhere else) so the rotational movement required to work & control the powerball was causing me more pain, so I gave it up. 
I don't know if it will help you or not, but this way you can try it & see how it is for you.

beed84

@fretmeister I hope it works out for you. Here's a good place to get started:

 https://uk.rpmpower.com/info/cord-start-powerball/

FWIW one of testimonials on the website has De Quervain's Tenosynovitis and got positive results by using it.

Also, like @Esoterick said, it can be tricky to generate the Powerball's rotor with the cord at first. If you have any trouble, they show you how to do it here.

Good luck  

Grunfeld

fretmeister said:

I've just been diagnosed with bilateral De Quervain's tenosynovitis and some arthritis on top and my hands are killing me.

@fretmeister ;

Funnily enough I was reading a new paper on de Quervain's the other day.  Link and reference below.

And I saw a drummer with it last week, no faffing about cos was too far gone for physio.  Got an injection and thumb splint sorted there and then.

JAMA paper

Challoumas D, Ramasubbu R, Rooney E, Seymour-Jackson E, Putti A, Millar NL. Management of de Quervain Tenosynovitis: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis . JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(10):e2337001. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.37001

fretmeister

Grunfeld said:

fretmeister said:

I've just been diagnosed with bilateral De Quervain's tenosynovitis and some arthritis on top and my hands are killing me.

@fretmeister ;

Funnily enough I was reading a new paper on de Quervain's the other day.  Link and reference below.

And I saw a drummer with it last week, no faffing about cos was too far gone for physio.  Got an injection and thumb splint sorted there and then.

JAMA paper

Challoumas D, Ramasubbu R, Rooney E, Seymour-Jackson E, Putti A, Millar NL. Management of de Quervain Tenosynovitis: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis . JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(10):e2337001. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.37001

I will have a read! Thank you.

I've got 6 weeks of exercise to do before they decide on next steps.

imalrightjack

I probably should speak to a doctor.  My left wrist has been sore, feeling tight in the wrist joint - noticeable most when stretching it out but also some thumb aches.  I suspect it might be due to a stupidly big iPhone and trying to use one hand, which I am now not doing.  I have to confess, I have been very lazy with warm-ups, don't really have a set routine and sometimes end up playing fast legato too quickly.  I also spend my working day at a keyboard and occasionally video game, along with HIIT exercise, which includes press-ups, etc.  Certainly plenty of things that might be causing.

I've recently started using my Powerball again and it seems to be helping.  I also have a spare, so if somebody needs one and don't mind slinging me postage I'll get it to you.

Shelders

I'm a physio if you guys have any questions then feel free to shoot me a DM. And I'll try helping as best as I can

simonhpieman

imalrightjack said:

I probably should speak to a doctor.  My left wrist has been sore, feeling tight in the wrist joint - noticeable most when stretching it out but also some thumb aches.  I suspect it might be due to a stupidly big iPhone and trying to use one hand, which I am now not doing.  I have to confess, I have been very lazy with warm-ups, don't really have a set routine and sometimes end up playing fast legato too quickly.  I also spend my working day at a keyboard and occasionally video game, along with HIIT exercise, which includes press-ups, etc.  Certainly plenty of things that might be causing.

I've recently started using my Powerball again and it seems to be helping.  I also have a spare, so if somebody needs one and don't mind slinging me postage I'll get it to you.

I'm actually having a fairly rotten time of it myself, though in my right wrist, thumb, middle finger, forearm and shoulder (upper arm seems fine otherwise).

I suspect excessive phone use and some unusually long video game stints have contributed, as well as lifting PA etc into gigs and also three or more 2 hour gigs a week all year.

Luckily I spend very little time at a computer so there's that, at least.

PMing you now re the Powerball, I really need to do something. It's been hanging about for 2+ weeks now and the worry that it might not go away is the worst thing given I need to play to eat.

Doctor's e-consult in the morning as well, I think.

Alterlifeson

imalrightjack said:

I probably should speak to a doctor.  My left wrist has been sore, feeling tight in the wrist joint - noticeable most when stretching it out but also some thumb aches.  I suspect it might be due to a stupidly big iPhone and trying to use one hand, which I am now not doing.  I have to confess, I have been very lazy with warm-ups, don't really have a set routine and sometimes end up playing fast legato too quickly.  I also spend my working day at a keyboard and occasionally video game, along with HIIT exercise, which includes press-ups, etc.  Certainly plenty of things that might be causing.

I've recently started using my Powerball again and it seems to be helping.  I also have a spare, so if somebody needs one and don't mind slinging me postage I'll get it to you.

Phone use is a big factor for a lot of people I think. The time spent on it, or even holding it adds up really quickly throughout the day. I have noticed a noticeable difference in reducing this. I am lucky enough to work on a desk so can lay it flat and type/scroll without holding it in my hands. 

bluecat

Is this tendonitis the same as trigger finger?

scarry67

I had it bad on left wrist/lower arm a few years ago coinciding with playing a Rik 12 string a lot which involved fiddly and awkward fretting. Or it may have been worsened by cycling and pressure on bent wrist. I had painful cortesone injections which worked very quickly. 6 months later it returned when washing up but did fade away over following weeks. Thankfully it’s been ok since although lower back is now knackered. Joys of turning 50+.

simonhpieman

Thought I'd update on my progress in case this is useful for anyone else:

I had a physio appointment last week after a self-referral through my GP's online consult portal - turns out my GP won't see me at all for any of this kind of thing.

Before that, @imalrightjack very kindly sent me his spare Powerball but I think I was still in a period where I needed to rest rather than rehabilitate and I think using that actually made it worse temporarily.

Anyway, I was diagnosed with De Quervain's in my right wrist/thumb/tendon/whatever. It's from overuse of the area and muscle/tendon. Physio suspects holding the pick and repeated strumming to be the problem, somewhat unsurprisingly.

I've got a wrist brace with metal supports to immobilise the thumb which he thinks will have helped. Ibuprofen has also been good.

I've had gigs every weekend - last weekend I had 3 in a row - and take the support off to play and, weirdly, have actually felt better after playing. The movement seems to improve things as long as I'm careful. The main thing is to not use my dodgy wrist to carry gear.

The physio says 3 to 4 more weeks and it should be better with rest. Interesting to note he recommended taking off the brace when sitting/resting and to rotate the wrist gently, too. He said use of the Powerball is fine, though I read 3 minutes at a time somewhere and that was definitely too much for me so recommend you do maybe a 3rd of that to start with. EDIT: Just rewatched a video and 3 reps of 30 seconds with a 1 minute break between each EVERY OTHER DAY is where to start!!

If I don't get better in 3-4 weeks then it's a cortizone injection which will mean no doing anything for 4 full weeks. That might JUST be ok as Jan-Mar is usually quiet but ideally I'll avoid that. I've heard the injection itself is pretty gnarly as well.

I've found an NHS De Quervain's rehabilitation guide which outlines 4 exercises to do which I tried last night and seems ok so far. Happy to forward if anyone wants it.

Will update again in 3-4 weeks but since my last post I've definitely seen improvement. I couldn't open a jar before but just about can now. Turning the car key in the ignition needed me to use the other hand it was so painful, but now I can do it, albeit with some minor discomfort still present.

Phone use has switched to my left hand now, too, which is likely helping!

imalrightjack

@simonhpieman ;

Well done for being proactive and good luck. 

I’ve realised that an iPhone Pro Max is simply too big for one-handed phone use and I’m convinced the root cause of recent aches. Since stopping, much more comfortable. 

ToastHat

@simonhpieman ;I'm glad you've got a diagnosis and you can start focussing on treating something specific. I've had a few (relatively minor) issues over the last couple of years and as you've said:

but I think I was still in a period where I needed to rest rather than rehabilitate and I think using that actually made it worse temporarily.

this is such a frustrating position to be in, there are so many variables in play and the rate of healing can be so slow it can feel impossible to figure out what's helping and what's making it worse.

Something the last specialist I spoke to brought up (and something I think caused my issue to regress a bit last time round): tendon issues can be affected a lot by other muscle groups so you can support the healing of the acute area by building the overall strength of related muscles (in my case, muscle and tendon damage in my forearm would be supported by building strength in my arms and shoulders). Which obviously is easier said than done when lifting some weights exacerbates your main issues.

Anyway they recommended spreading physio treatments out over many more months to account for this (and because of the slow rate of healing for tendons) - so for example, rather than seeing a physio one per week over a 6 week period, see them once every 4 weeks over a 24 week period.

I'm sure every issue is different though, just sharing something that would have helped me out last time round. I hope recovery goes smoothly for you.

simonhpieman

ToastHat said:

@simonhpieman ;I'm glad you've got a diagnosis and you can start focussing on treating something specific. I've had a few (relatively minor) issues over the last couple of years and as you've said:

but I think I was still in a period where I needed to rest rather than rehabilitate and I think using that actually made it worse temporarily.

this is such a frustrating position to be in, there are so many variables in play and the rate of healing can be so slow it can feel impossible to figure out what's helping and what's making it worse.

Something the last specialist I spoke to brought up (and something I think caused my issue to regress a bit last time round): tendon issues can be affected a lot by other muscle groups so you can support the healing of the acute area by building the overall strength of related muscles (in my case, muscle and tendon damage in my forearm would be supported by building strength in my arms and shoulders). Which obviously is easier said than done when lifting some weights exacerbates your main issues.

Anyway they recommended spreading physio treatments out over many more months to account for this (and because of the slow rate of healing for tendons) - so for example, rather than seeing a physio one per week over a 6 week period, see them once every 4 weeks over a 24 week period.

I'm sure every issue is different though, just sharing something that would have helped me out last time round. I hope recovery goes smoothly for you.

Thanks mate, that is useful. Since I started singing full time I've found it so important to be acutely aware of every little thing that affects my throat and general wellness and thus, my performance.

It's definitely the same with this but unfortunately I'm still feeling my way around!

grungebob

I’ve had golfers elbow in my right arm and currently have a torn rotator cuff in my right shoulder. 

My advice is stop any activity that hurts, seek a good physio and listen to them. 

It took 8-12 weeks to sort my golfers elbow out and I’m 10 weeks in on my shoulder.