Preventing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Techniques for Guitarists and Bassists

Playing stringed instruments, like any other repetitive motion task, can often cause a musician to experience the symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (wrist pain, tingling or numbness in the fingers). These are caused by the inflammation of the carpal tunnel in the heel of the hand (Figure 1), which in turn puts unnecessary pressure on the tendons which must pass through it to move the fingers.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome has cut short the career of many a bass player and guitarist. Sadly enough, their painful condition might have been prevented with some simple techniques that can bring relief and even reverse its effects. Let's start by discussing stretching.

Before engaging in any sort of stretching exercise, ALWAYS warm up; NEVER attempt to stretch a 'cold' muscle. To warm up, just grab your instrument and start jammin' for about 5 minutes to get the blood flowing to your forearm muscles. After that, put your hands over your head and shake them vigorously for about ten seconds, then drop them to your sides. Do this once or twice more to improve the circulation to your fingers.

Next, extend your left arm with your palm facing upward (Figure 2; Left). With your right hand, gently pull the fingers of the left hand backwards towards the ground until you feel the stretch (but NOT pain). Hold for 3 seconds (count "one-one-thousand...two-one-thousand...", etc.) and release, gently shaking your hand and flexing your fingers for about five seconds. Unlike holding a stretch for a full ten seconds, breaking each stretch into several separate 3-second will not hinder circulation. Repeat three times with both hands.

Now, extend your left arm once more, but this time with your palm facing downward (Figure 2; Right). Pull the left-hand fingers towards you until you feel the stretch (they should be pointing towards the ceiling) and hold three reps of about 3 seconds each. Again, repeat with both hands. These intermittent stretches do two things; limber up the tendons to the fingers by increasing their length and flexibility, and gradually stretches the opening of the carpal tunnel itself.

The final stretch is called the 'thumb tug' (Figure 3). Hold your left forearm perpendicular to the ground, left hand leaned back with the palm facing the ceiling. With the right hand, grab the left thumb and gently pull it towards the ground. You should feel the thumb muscle (which is connected to the carpal tunnel opening) stretch. As with the previous stretches, hold each one for three full seconds, release for five, and repeat two more times.

When finished stretching, maximize circulation by flexing the fingers, kind of like your trying to 'squeeze the air'. Do this for about 30 seconds or so, and then relax hands at sides. Some players find wearing special forearm braces while sleeping to be helpful. These stabilize the hands, holding then in a natural position that leaves the carpal tunnel open comfortably. Again, it is important to stretch both hands, especially for bassists who slap and finger-pluck when playing.

Finally, performing wrist and grip-strengthening exercises daily will maintain carpal tunnel fitness. Anyone can build an excellent wrist exerciser by fastening one end of a 36" length of heavy cord to the center of a 36" cut section of wooden rod about 1 ½" in diameter, and the other end to a 2 - 5 lb. weight. Grasp the rod in both hands, palms down.

Twist the rod by alternately curling the wrists, curling the rope around the rod, alternately raising and lowering the weight. For increasing grip strength, there are many effective devices on the market, most notably the Gripmaster, an excellent tool for building the muscles of each individual finger.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome does not have to mean the end of your passion. A little preventive maintenance can prevent a lot of pain and discomfort. Perform these stretches at least once daily, and they will help you to maintain flexibility, ensuring you many years of pain-free playing.