Tendonitis

thegoldeneternity

I have been playing guitar for 8 years. Just recently it has started going really well. I had turned a corner and started playing music with a confidence and joy that was greater than ever before. I've started playing concerts and collaborating with other musicians. I also had started carrying myself more confidently and started feeling very much at peace with myself.

One week ago I woke up and my left hand felt very weak. I had practiced vigorously the day before and didn't think much of it...thought it would just get better in a day or two. Now one week later it hasn't improved. I did some internet research and my condition is consistent with tendonitis. I know I need to see a medical professional and hopefully get some physical therapy but it is a long weekend so Tuesday is the earliest that I can set up an appointment. I am also in a weird situation where I just moved to a new city and I don't have a general practitioner (I live in the US and most every specialist appointment needs to go through your GP). So Tuesday I need to find a GP and set up an appointment so that I can get referred to a specialist in this kind of thing. It could take weeks even to get an appointment.

Rationally, I know that I need to relax and take a break from the guitar and take it one day at a time while taking steps toward seeing a medical professional, but I am freaking out. I read anecdotes about how people never recover from this kind of thing and they need to give up playing music. I am overwhelmed with anxiety and depression and fear that this is going to haunt me for the rest of my life. All my positivity and confidence is crumbling. I can't sleep. The thought of losing the ability to play music is scaring the crap out of me.

vinlyn

I can't say what it is like where you are, but here in Colorado Springs, "urgent care" offices are a dime a dozen. It's the new version of a GP. They should be able to refer you with no problem at all. Although, I have known quite a few people with tendonitis who are treated by the GP.

robot

Tendonitis is pretty common in the fishing and fish processing industry. I've had it to varying degrees at times. For me it goes away. You must keep the tendons from working or the inflammation remains or gets worse. I have had to tape a board to my wrist to immobilize it.
Sometimes people get carpal tunnel syndrome from repetitive motion, like filleting fish on a line. That seems to be worse and needs surgery to correct it sometimes.
For me, after getting tendonitis and feeling afraid that my work my be affected, I try to be more aware of the strain on my limbs from tasks that I am doing. If I think that there is any possibility of problems I look for a different way to do it or change my position, sharpen the knife, change hands, whatever it takes.

thegoldeneternity

@vinlyn, Thanks so much for the heads up. I found an Urgent Care office in my area and they were open today, despite the holiday. The doctor said she thinks my condition is not serious but referred me to a hand specialist in case it does not improve. She also told me to rub arnica on the injured area. I feel relieved having taken steps toward seeing a medical professional about it. I feel free to worry less about it. My hand doesn't feel better yet, but my brain does.

@robot, Thanks for the info. I am trying to be very aware of all use of my tendons in my left arm and avoid using them even for simple things like opening doors and carrying stuff. When I get back to the guitar I am really going to focus on posture, avoiding unnecessary tension, stretching, taking breaks, etc. The doctor also mentioned that i should do exercises to strengthen my forearms and then less tension will be required on the tendons.

Chaz

thegoldeneternity said:

@vinlyn, Thanks so much for the heads up. I found an Urgent Care office in my area and they were open today, despite the holiday. The doctor said she thinks my condition is not serious but referred me to a hand specialist in case it does not improve. She also told me to rub arnica on the injured area. I feel relieved having taken steps toward seeing a medical professional about it. I feel free to worry less about it. My hand doesn't feel better yet, but my brain does.

@robot, Thanks for the info. I am trying to be very aware of all use of my tendons in my left arm and avoid using them even for simple things like opening doors and carrying stuff. When I get back to the guitar I am really going to focus on posture, avoiding unnecessary tension, stretching, taking breaks, etc. The doctor also mentioned that i should do exercises to strengthen my forearms and then less tension will be required on the tendons.

Do what your doc orders. Tendon inflamation can take a while to heal so be patient. Ibuprofen is good and regular icing of the affected area helps too.

You might consider rehab therapy.

NomaDBuddha

@thegoldeneternity

As others said, you should take a little break.
Also, use some ointment that contains menthol, camphor and isopropyl alcohol ( get a prescription from your GP medic), to cool the area and reduce the inflammatory process.

thegoldeneternity

@chaz, Thanks for the advice. I am taking Aleve (Naproxen Sodium). I'm going to see a hand specialist when I get the opportunity and hopefully start some physical therapy.

@nomadbuddha, is that similar to Tiger Balm? Have you used that kind of stuff to recover from tendonitis before?

NomaDBuddha

@thegoldeneternity

I don't know what Tiger Balm is. And also, yes, I used that on myself and my patients ( animals and mostly humans) and the feedback was really good. The human 'patients' use it to treat muscle, joint and bone pain. For the animal patients I use it to treat post-op inflammatory reactions at the incision site.
My advice is to first ask your doctor about those three components ( I don't see any side effects and in my practice I haven't had any complaints from the human patients ) and see if the said doctor can prescribe an ointment made out of these.

NomaDBuddha

@thegoldeneternity

Edit : I know what Tiger balm is, and the ointment is quite similar, except for some components.

Invincible_summer

Classic treatment: PRICE

Protection - by splinting or some sort of supportive device
Rest - Take it easy!
Ice - for the swelling
Compression - relieves swelling as well. Use something like a tensor bandage or some sort of soft, wrappable bandage (not band-aid).
Elevation - Elevating above heart level reduces the blood flow to the area, relieving swelling.

thegoldeneternity

My whole arm is aching tonight. I can't see the hand specialist because they don't accept my insurance but I have set up an appointment with a physical therapist. Feeling really discouraged and just wish i knew when (and that) i will be able to play guitar again.

charirama

Don't worry about the guitar right now - I know that is easier said than done - simply focus on getting better.

In my case, I thought I was finished after 40 years as a professional musician. It was difficult but I came to terms with the fact that playing the guitar is impermanent just like everything else. I remembered starting out and developing some chops (physical ability and skill on the instrument) but I did not know what to play.

It seemed like a cruel joke when the tendonitis struck and I thought that I had finally learned what to play but no longer had the physical ability to do it. I looked at some of the wise elders in my community and realized that it is simply the way of the world but they still had a lot to offer. I could teach my students what I know and they could play. It was still a win, win for the music.

I did get treated but it was outside of the medical system. It was a re-balancing massage therapist who discovered my shoulder blades were stuck as a result of poor playing posture during long hours of daily practice over a long period of time.

Once the problem was resolved (in about ten minutes) the therapist suggested Yoga as a way of keeping things open.

I know now that at some point I will no longer be able to play. It may be because I am dead or perhaps some other reason but it will happen and now I am okay with that. These last few years have been a bonus and every day I am filled with gratitude.

I've been practicing Yoga now for about five years and, even though I'm getting older, I feel better now than I can recall. The Yoga practice is very complimentary with my Buddhist practice and has given me the opportunity to continue my guitar practice.

At the end of the day, I see the tendonitis as a blessing because Yoga was something I had thought about for a long time but never got to it until I couldn't play music anymore. I have also come to the conclusion that Yoga is the best thing a person can do for themselves.

thegoldeneternity

i have just had a very strange experience with this tendonitis. today my whole arm started aching and tingling and it spread all the way up to my shoulder. this made no sense whatsoever because I know i didn't injure my shoulder. also, why was my injury getting worse if I had been resting my arm for a week and hadn't used it? at that point i started to wonder if my arm was injured at all. my friend had told me about something called TMS, Tension Myositis Syndrome. the theory is that your unconscious mind will mimic an injury in your body in an attempt to distract you from psychological distress. i am in the midst of a very stressful time in my life.

once i started having doubts that this was a real injury I took my right hand and started massaging the hell out of my left arm. my arm started spasming and tingling like crazy but i just kept massaging it. then i started shaking my left arm and stretching my wrist and hand every which way. in a very short amount of time i could feel the life flowing back into my arm and hand and suddenly the injury, pain, and swelling was gone! i started using it for everything that i normally would use it for, including playing guitar. it is now about 12 hours since this happened and my wrist and tendons are perfectly fine. there was no repetitive stress injury after all. this is such a relief but also so strange! the mind is a powerful thing. i am going to keep my eye on this and continue with physical therapy, in order to play it safe.

ugh...i feel so fortunate to have figured this out in such a small period of time (only 1.5 weeks). i have been reading stories of people who suffered for years and years and years before coming to the realization that what they have been suffering from is not a real injury. somehow no longer believing that it is a real injury is what makes it disappear...bringing the unconscious mind to consciousness.

i know how crazy this all sounds! i never would have believed it a few days ago. i didn't put any stock into it when my friend first told me about TMS, but he said he had dealt with it. i didn't think he was lying, but i also didn't think that it applied to my situation. now I realize that i am very lucky that he introduced me to the idea.

vinlyn

It reminds me a little bit of the issue I had with my shoulder fracture from almost 15 years ago. It healed perfectly, or so we thought. Then, suddenly, almost a year later I had significant pain. After some test we found out that some of the bone had died from not getting enough blood through the fracture...but then stabilized. I still have pain every day from it, but what happens is that there is a tendon down that part of the very upper arm that lies in a slight groove in the bone. Sometimes that tendon slips out of the groove and then I have the pain until it slips back into the groove. I can sometimes make it slip back in (or out) by reaching my arm out straight and rotating my wrist back and forth rather quickly. It will actually audibly snap a few times and then be relatively okay. When it's really bothering me (for example if I sleep on it wrong), heat helps.

ThailandTom

OP you seem to heavily induced into your practice of the guitar you surpass pain boundaries and only realise later.

Like it has been said take a break, ice, compress and elevate. I lost total feeling in my left hand and total movement for 4 months due to Saturday Night Palsy, that sucked. I thought it was for like, but vitamin B6 and B12 helped A LOT along with my own self therapy of continuing my elastic band ball. Electric treatment the hospital was giving me was doing nothing to I stopped that and treated myself.

All the best and find a middle way man, no extremes. Chill on the 8 hour sessions

charabui

I went through a heavy period of repetitive strain injury which left me scared for my health and productivity. I couldn't open heavy doors or walk up more than 2 stories of stairs without pain or fatigue. I was scared that I would never get better, never play guitar again. The worse part was my own sense of self worth lost as I became heavily dependent on others for assistance and less capable of completing tasks quickly. My physical therapist told me that I tended to be too extreme in whatever task I did, whether it was guitar, school, physical therapy, and healing as well... hehe. The headstrong volition, fear, shame, embarrassment, the attachment to outcome or results, and unwillingness to let things were the most important things I addressed during that period. I did not listen to my body and did not know when it was in pain.

I did a lot of research off the computer and on the computer (although it was painful). Reading about tendonitis, carpel tunnel, Sarno's theory of TMS, repetitive strain, etc. First, I shifted down my workload and time on the computer tremendously.
I learned that it wasn't my tendons but my muscles and nerves that were the affected sites. I researched about the complexities and interactive interconnected natures of the components of the body, especially where nerves travel and muscle trigger points.
Hard muscle spasms from overuse (often from static motion) in the neck can cause pain in your hand or a head ache because nerves travel and flow.

I massaged myself with a super bouncy ball, finger stretches and exercises every morning and night. I used the book, "It's not carpal tunnel syndrome!"
I also did opposite muscle exercises for the back of my shoulders and fingers.
I did yoga and tai chi.
I went through counseling.
Body scan meditation.
Spiritual meditation.
Paid for deep tissue massage, including myofacial release.
Epsom salt and warm water dips.

No surgery or drugs but I did run into a lot of people who used it. A lot of people also led me to believe that it was irreversible. The body has an amazing capacity for healing and change as well as the mind if you believe in it.

Chrysalid

Seems you've gotten better. If it comes back though you can get wrist splints that look like weird gloves to wear at night.
At night, for some reason, we flex our wrists which can cause the sheaths around the tendons to inflame. I have carpel tunnel syndrome in both wrists, I'd wake up at night with both hands completely numb, now I wear these splints every night and have had no more problems.

thegoldeneternity

@chrysalid, @charabui, @thailandtom, Thanks for the info and advice, guys.

I absolutely will monitor the situation. Moving forward, I will be much more cognizant of my playing posture and of not straining. I will make sure to take breaks when playing and listen to the signals that my arm and wrist are giving to me.

The physical therapist wouldn't accept me after all due to lots of annoying health insurance rules. A friend of mine gave me some oils and salves to massage into my arm. There is still some tightness in my arm that comes and goes but it doesn't appear to be the tendons that are the issue. I think a lot of it is related to stress and is a physical manifestation of psychological issues, but I will continue to be careful with it physically and not push it too far.

I think an arm massage would be the most amazing thing right now. I need a masseuse :^)