Wrist Pain

[Adam Mandell]

I have seen a few posts on the forum about related issues, but have not been able to get to the bottom of this issue. Sorry if this is duplicative.

I got my pedal steel in January. It's a 12-string tuned to E9. The extra 2 strings are G# and E.

After trying to teach myself to play for a while, I started getting some wrist pain. It was worse in my right (picking) hand, but some in my slide hand, too.

I took a lesson with a professional and he offered some tips. I needed to play more relaxed, with a seat at an appropriate height promoting the right angles, etc. I also took a few months off to relieve the pain completely (which it did).

Recently, I started up again but the pain has quickly come back, too.

I have played other instruments for years, so I am not a stranger to the pains that come with it. But this does not feel right to me. I am at the point where I may need to just put this thing away and look for something else, which will really be a shame because I really like the instrument and have fun with it.

Anyone have any ideas about this?

[Michael Luxem]

Adam -- private message sent to you.

[Mike Auman]

Sorry to hear that, Adam. I've been told that musicians are athletes, and have to use the same techniques to avoid injury. Warm-ups, conditioning, flexibility, strengthening, ergonomics, etc. It might be worth searching out a knowledgeable doc who understands overuse injuries, I wish I knew someone to recommend but I don't.

[Mike Selecky]

Have you tried raising the rear legs so the cabinet slants forward? - this can help to keep the arm and wrist at a straight angle and avoid stress on the wrist. Just a thought.

[Chris Lucker]

Mike S' suggestion about raising the rear legs is a good one. In 2006 I had some major surgery performed on my right wrist to correct an injury from steering wheel whip when I was sideswiped by a hit and run driver. I hate to say it, but my wrist pain keeps me from playing steel for more than a few minutes. Playing with a flat right hand like Maurice Anderson helps and tilting the guitar forward helps as well.
I con't know how Reece played that "bear paw" way.

[Bryan Daste]

I'd say talk to a doctor. Physical therapy might be the answer, or there may be simpler solutions. I just bought a pair of these wrist compression bands: https://wristgrips.myshopify.com/

Only just got them today, so I can't report yet, but they are made to address wrist and hand pain from overuse. Getting the ergonomics right sure will help too.

Good luck to you!

[J D Sauser]

I am getting into that age where things can hurt.
It got really bad a couple of months ago and I feared I had to quit playing. Turned out it was something else. But every time I start something new it tends to show signs.

But often it's not what you are doing or even that it is new... it's that you get TENSE and that being tense throws all your posture over board and then, one morning we get up, or TRY to get up and wonder "arrrgh! WHAT IN ALL HEAVENS is THIS NOW?"

I see a chiropractor fairly regularly and he's been manipulating my wrists and even my fingers. And it has helped. And we discuss posture a lot. Chiropractors, at least well meaning ones, will want you to sit and stand symmetrically (playing standard guitar throws that off) and with good posture.

I feel too many steel guitarists lean on their guitars like 80 year old book keepers on their desks. Many play from below the neck up, resting their wrists on the back neck or a pad... when you look at a wrist and hand in such a position, it's not far from a lady's foot crammed into an 8" stiletto platform sandal. Older ladies tend to chop some of them gorgeous inches off as years go by, steel guitarist would be well advised to review their posture (something Maurice Anderson was adamant about in his one-on-one teachings!).

FOOD and what one drinks can have a LOT of influence on how we feel and INFLAMMATION, especially in later years on. So, that's also an angle worth while researching.

So, I am not a Doctor or Chiropractor, not even a Voodoo healer... but that's my experience.

... J-D.

[Fred Treece]

This problem could have many causes, and trying to pinpoint it in an internet forum is impossible. So, here goes...

Before you start bombarding the problem with this or that suggested treatment, talk to your doctor. Get an overall checkup, blood test, etc. Explain what a steel guitar is and demonstrate how it is played in very graphic detail. Maybe even have someone make a phone video of you playing, and show it to the doc. Consider doing the same thing with an herbalist, chiropractor, or massage therapist who knows something about “trigger point” therapy.

The second thing, when you feel well enough, is to practice in very small increments of time at first, like 5 minutes, then take a 2 minute break and assess your condition. This gives you time to roll your shoulders, shake your arms out, stand up straight, take some deep breaths, drink water, etc. Then sit back down to another 5 minute session and repeat. Gradually increase the length of time increments, or take longer breaks if needed, and be honest with your self-assessment. Be willing to take a step back.

The third thing is, pay very close attention to your technique. Improper technique leads to both musical frustration and physical injury.

Good luck.

[J D Sauser]

Do what these guys



say! ... J-D

[Ken Mizell]

Go to an orthopedic doctor, or (better yet) if you can find one locally, an orthopedic surgeon who is a hand specialist. There is a good hand specialist at a large clinic where I get all my health care.They can figure this out, and maybe have nerve conduction studies done on your wrists to see whether or not yo have carpal tunnel syndrome. If yo have carpal tunnel syndrome, it generally won't get any better by itself, and may require simple surgery. I had it in both of my wrists, and I had both of them fixed with no recurrence. The surgical procedure for fixing carpal tunnel syndrome has changed and improved over the years, to the point where it is minimally invasive. Also, if you happen to have carpal tunnel syndrome, it won't go away, and will get worse. The sooner you have it fixed, the better your outcomes will be.