# Stiff finger joints the morning after



## regala

Hi everyone, 

I find that my finger joints (first and second joints, and not my knuckles) in my left hand are really stiff in the morning after practicing for a few hours the night before. Practicing consists more of solo work and scales, rather than chords. My knuckles, however, are fine.

I am fairly new to guitar, only since January, and am wondering if this is just my fingers building strength and that it will eventually go away... or is it something more serious. I don't want to cause permanent injury. Again, its only my left hand that gets it. I do find myself pressing too hard on the frets, sometimes and so I try and ease up a bit. I try and do warm-up exercises prior and it seems to help slightly.

Anyways, hopefully someone can give insight and any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks everyone,

Joseph


----------



## GuitarsCanada

I am no doctor but that can be simply from going at it too hard, is it lasting a long time or just a few hours in the morning?


----------



## regala

My fingers are really stiff first thing in the morning and lasts for about an hour after. Then, throughout the day, they are only slightly stiff. If I don't play guitar for a few days, they are no longer stiff in the morning.

I've thought about taking some Glucosomine for my joints to help lubricate them... as well as stretching my fingers out more prior to playing. If all else fails, I may try playing less... which will suck...

BTW, I'm 37 years old, which may play a factor. Man, it sucks getting old, haha.


----------



## gtrguy

Some post practice 'cool down' is probably advisable as well... you've identified that you press too hard, that's certainly something to work on too.


----------



## keeperofthegood

When I was a teen, I worked as a shipper. I stood 8 to 12 hours a day, 5 days a week. About 20 or 30 minutes after coming home and taking off my shoes my feet would begin to hurt, and I mean, I hobbled about hurt. I was fine for the day, but not the night. This turned out to be something called heal spurs and what I experienced is the classic pattern of feelings when you have them. I learned too that any part of the body with tendons can have a similar effect. The tendon ever so slightly is pulled from the bone, the bone responds by depositing more bone because you cannot normally stretch tendons. Knowing this, I would go have a chat with my family Dr and see about getting my hands either x-rayed or ultra sounded. It could be you are having something like this happening in your fingers, OR you could be in the very early stages of arthritis.


----------



## Kenmac

Some good advice here. Something else you should consider doing is to drink plenty of water. That should help out a bit.


----------



## regala

Thanks everyone for the replies... I went to my doctor yesterday and had me go in for some x-rays. Hopefully, he doesn't call as no news is good news. Anyways, I took it easy for the past few days and my hand is getting better and better everyday. I forgot to mention that about a week ago, I spent a good chunk of the day laying down solos for multiple recordings and perhaps may have injured it by overdoing it. Anyways, I'll keep everyone posted and if anyone else has any comments/advice, please add them. Cheers.


----------



## Steadfastly

Kenmac said:


> Some good advice here. Something else you should consider doing is to drink plenty of water. That should help out a bit.


Remember he said "water" not beer. :wave:

I think it's just your hand being tired because you're doing something new with it. I've had this happen to me several times over the years when I've started new jobs/projects. It's always a good idea to check it out, though, which you've done.


----------



## bw66

If you've only been playing since January, then a couple of hours of practice is probably excessive. Try cutting back to an hour a day. Warm up slowly and try icing the fingers (or immersing in cold water) immediately after you practice to reduce swelling. Do this until the stiffness goes away. Once the stiffness goes away, you can start SLOWLY increasing your practice time. If you really feel a need to practice more, try a short session in the morning in addition to your evening session. 

If it persists, get your doctor to refer you to a physiotherapist. There are physiotherapists who specialize in treating musicians and if you can find one they can be a great help.


----------



## bw66

One more thing - a visit with a good instructor can help you identify any technique problems you may have that could be causing injury - though I suspect that you've just tried to do too much, too quickly.


----------



## regala

This forum is awesome... thanks, again, everyone for all the feedback. I'll keep you all posted with results when I get them.


----------



## DMac604

Some more for you 
MarkWeinGuitarLessons.com - Hand Health


----------



## Steadfastly

Here is a good YouTube video on hand exercises for guitarists. They are very helpful to me. They may be helpful to you, as well.

[YOUTUBE]7ss6EaCz6WI&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## holyman

I would approach with extreme caution any advice regarding stretching exercises that you find on the net. I too have had problems with sore hands and (I am 37 and recently began playing again after a 15 year hiatus) and have researched a lot of these exercises. Like in so many other things, the internet is full of advice from people whom you know nothing about, and who are probably completely unqualified to be giving advice. I have heard a couple of horror stories about guitar players injuring themselves by trying stretching or warming up routines they discovered on the net. Remember Adrian Vanberg (sp?)- the guitar player from Whitesnake? He had to stop playing for over a year because of damage caused by doing unsafe stretching exercises (he got them from a book - what he assumed to be a reputable source).

It seems that guitar injuries are similar to any repetitive stress injury. This means that the best way to treat a sore hand is to stop playing. I have found that taking a week off every couple of months works wonders. Also, I have had good success preventing soreness by taking frequent breaks while playing and doing something with my hands that uses different motions than guitar playing (like playing piano). I started doing these things on the advice of a sports doctor and they seem to work. This doctor also advised me to be wary of stretching exercises unless I can be sure they come from a doctor or some other QUALIFIED health expert. 

Hope this helps.


----------

