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Every worthwhile enterprise comes with some risk, and one of the unique risk factors in the music world is the dreaded carpal tunnel problem. As with any medical issue, the advice and knowledge shared by physicians can vary widely. Very few musicians are willing to consider the nuclear option: surgery. Going under the knife is usually seen as a last resort, and that’s understandable. It could take a year to get back into playing shape, and even then, your hands most likely won’t feel the same. Fortunately, there are common-sense approaches that are less expensive, less painful, and less invasive than surgery. The most important thing is learning how to avoid this miserable condition in the first place.
How do I know if I have carpal tunnel syndrome?
You will hurt. Specifically, there may be pain and swelling in the wrist and numbness in your fingers. The trouble starts when a ligament in your wrist becomes inflamed. In turn, this ligament compresses the critical median nerve, causing your suffering. The pain and inflammation may wake you up at night. Pain medication or icing the wrist may offer short-term relief, but these measures only address the symptoms while the underlying cause remains.
What exactly is the cause?
Like many other ailments involving muscles, nerves, and joints, carpal tunnel syndrome is a repetitive strain injury, or RSI.
Let’s go back a hundred years or so. In the old days, people had less technology with which to attack their daily labor. They walked more. They lifted more heavy objects. They churned butter and shoveled snow. Not a lot of farmers in 1916 went to the gym to work out. They didn’t need to; working every muscle group was a part of their day-to-day lives. As soon as they were sore from one strenuous task, another completely different one beckoned. Their overall muscle tone was somewhat higher than ours tends to be today, and most workers worked through a number of very different chores, giving each muscle group some attention.
In today’s society, we tend to specialize. We’ve all seen office-bound typists wearing special braces to alleviate their own carpal tunnel problems. Musicians may face the same challenge: spending hours each day working one very specific muscle group, against a backdrop of general muscle tone that is less than excellent.
Each muscle group in the body has an opposing group. Back muscles are balanced by stomach muscles, biceps by triceps. When one group is worked constantly while the other is ignored, a muscle imbalance results. This creates fertile ground for an RSI to develop.
Why me, the bass player?
RSIs can strike any musician: drummers, guitarists, and keyboardists all fall victim. But the bass player gets struck by carpal tunnel syndrome more frequently because his or her instrument requires a heavier action. It takes more force to pluck a thick bass string by hand, or fret that giant low B, than it does to depress a piano key or strum a chord with a pick. All that effort is really working your wrists. And since you love to play, you’re making it worse all the time. Your body can only take so much.
Another hidden cause of RSIs in bassists? Carting your instrument around. The act of carrying that heavy axe inside a hard case is beating up the same body part that your practice session already worked over: the wrist you pick with.
How can I avoid getting an RSI in the first place?
Lots of beginner musicians experience RSIs. Remember the soreness and painful fingertips that were your badges of honor when you first took up your instrument? When beginners begin a heavy practice regimen using unfamiliar motions, that’s a perfect setup for developing an RSI. Take frequent breaks, stretch out your hands, and try to keep those sessions within a reasonable time limit. If you’ve clocked so many hours that a union worker would be demanding time and a half, it’s probably time to hang it up for the day.
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Does my posture make a difference?
Why, yes, it sure can. Let’s go back to that office for a minute. See all those people who are working barefoot at special standup desks? That’s not just a yuppie fad. Our bodies are not designed for extended sitting. Cavemen did not have chairs. They spent their days standing and walking, and then they lay down to sleep. Sitting is significantly more stressful on the back than standing. Since all of your muscles are connected, it’s better to reduce overall stress by playing in a standing position, unless you’re playing a really laid-back coffeehouse, or you’re a member of REM.
I think I have carpal tunnel. Now what?
Since muscle imbalance can cause an RSI, there are some logical steps you can take to alleviate the problem. Look at the motions your hands are repeating. What motions would work those muscles in the opposite way? For bassists and guitarists, both hands tend to be in flexion, in which your hands bend downward towards the underside of the wrist. To work the opposite muscle groups, bend your hand in the opposite direction, known as extension. Pressing the flats of your palms gently against a wall is an example of an extension exercise.
You can also work to find additional rests within the measures you’re playing. For example, a sixteenth-note pattern sounds almost exactly the same with only 15 notes and a short rest, but the strain on your hands decreases enormously! And if carrying an instrument around in the case is a part of your routine, sling it over your shoulder with a strap instead of holding that heavy case by the handle.
If these measures don’t fix your problem, a physician specialist can suggest more advanced exercises well-suited for your particular case. You can also find videos available for purchase that offer guided exercise programs specifically targeting carpal tunnel syndrome. This is a miserable condition, but one that’s curable, so there’s no need to grin and bear it.
Jesse Sterling Harrison is an author, recording artist, and part-time farmer. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, three daughters, and a herd of ducks.
