Guitar Injuries and How to Avoid Them

Don’t be alarmed, playing the guitar is not hazardous to your health in any way - if of course you do it right!

However playing the guitar for long periods of time, striving to be the best can have an adverse effect on your body. There are quite a few medical conditions associated with guitar-play and it is important to know about these medical conditions and how yo u can alter your guitar-playing routine and technique on order to avoid these guitar-related injuries. And the only way to do that is by educating yourself.

Striving to be the best, working your way up in the industry and being the guitar god that you always wanted to be can take its toll on you, mentally as well as physically. A couple of years back, a friend who has been a musician all his life was diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – a disorder caused by the compression of the nerve between the wrist and the hand. It was painful, and he’s been out of service since, and exceptionally talented that he is, it has put an abrupt end to his guitar-playing and even worse, it could mean him calling it a day on his career as a musician.

Turns out, he was doing everything wrong, and as experienced as he was, he had no idea about it. Turns out, he did not warm up properly before playing, didn’t have the correct posture during playing and remained stiff. And above all, played with sore wrists and played through the pain during a lot of his gigs with his bandmates. All of this has even affected his day-job, and he is now in the danger of being laid off.

The worst part is that once you go down, you’re never the same person or the same musician again, even if you successfully make a full recovery.

Playing the guitar is great, its supposed to be fun and a way you can enjoy yourself. For a lot of us, it is a way that we earn our bread. And from the looks of it, guitar-playing looks seemingly safe. People however are unaware of the health risks it poses in the long run, and it is important to be able to look after yourself and your body because as a guitarist, you are putting yourself and certain parts of your body at a lot of risk and in danger of wear and tear.

As you’ll soon find out, proper warming up is vital the well-being of your body.

Here are some of the more common guitar injuries, along with the steps you can take to avoid ever getting these injuries:

1. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)

CTS is a painful wrist disorder, which is caused by the compression of a nerve location between the wrist and the hand. It is easily avoidable by simply warming up properly before jamming, as it will help reduce the strain on your hands and wrists. During playing, keep your wrists at a natural, comfortable position. A lot of musicians use some sort of wrist-support during guitar-play to their wrists straight. Also, relax while playing instead of being tensed up. Lastly, my personal recommendation would be to use a lighter string gauge and a guitar with a low action – more comfy to play on.

If you do feel that there is pain in your wrists, consult a chiropractor immediately.

2. Tendonitis

Another painful disorder, Tendonitis is a result of the tendons becoming inflamed in the wrist, the forearm or the elbow. Usually a result of day-to-day playing with guitarists. Warming up before a long jam session, and your lifestyle in general could be detrimental here. Exercise daily, and maintain a healthy diet so that your body as able to cope better with long, stressful sessions. Consult your doctor on how to treat tendonitis.

3. Arthritis

Arthritis refers to the wear and tear of joints. It could the hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder or even the spine, as far as a guitarist is concerned. It’s pretty nasty, and in worst case scenarios, joints get worn down because of overuse and being grinding against each other. For prevention, make Fatty Acids (such as Fish Oils) a part of your food intake in order to avoid inflammation of joints. Massage on a regular basis also helps. So does regular exercising, keeping your weight under control and if  there is swelling and/or inflammation of joints, anti-inflammatory meds or painkillers will help.

4. Tinnitus

Ever experienced that constant buzzing or ringing sound in your ears after listening to loud music for prolonged periods of time? If your answer to this question is a yes, you might have the tinnitus. Solutions? Avoid prolonged exposure to very loud music in the first place, and try giving your ears some resting time during loud jamming sessions or performances. This will allow your inner-ear to heal and the ringing will probably go away and if you don’t do it, it will likely become permanent and cause lasting damage to your ear.

A common solution to combatting tinnitus that I employ, is ear plugs – it doesn’t affect the quality of the music, but does lower its loudness and intensity considerably. Don’t perform or stand too close to the amp or the speakers, and tone that amp down a bit. Remember that once you damage your ears, there really isn’t a cure for it, and you put yourself at risk of losing your hearing on a permanent basis. Musicians sporting hearing aids are uncool!

5. Back Pain

Pretty self-explanatory. Poor posture during playing, not wearing your guitar at a comfortable position, or using a too heavy a guitar for a prolonged period of time leads to back pain, and trust me when I say this, back pains are the worst! Prevention: Having a relaxed posture, using a light guitar and wearing it at a comfortable height. In addition, exercise regularly and keep yourself fit physically, and go easy on that headbanging! If you do experience back pain, consult your doctor/chiropractor immediately because once the damage is done, it will stay with you for the rest of your life, and hamper your day-to-day life as well.

Prevention is always better than cure!