I’m a bass player….and my wrists are agony. Help please?

OK….I'm a bass player, playing fairly regularly both on personal projects and as part of university.

But more recently my wrists and my thumb have been very painful. It starts off as a small throbbing pain and then develops to the point where it honestly feels like I'm being stabbed in the wrists, and the wrist is swollen.

Any ideas as to what might be causing this and what I can do? I really don't want to knack up my wrists for the sake of playing bass….

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Answer:
Carpal tunnel has alot of the same symptoms,I have it. My mother just had all the same symptoms, but it turned out to be tendonitis. The tendon even swelled up into a knob-like shape.If you turn your hands down then press them together, then get numbness, it's usually carpal tunnel damage. Do you have any hard lumps? This could also be ganglion cysts.

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Answer:
possibly carpal tunnel syndrome… wrist braces, available at drug and possibly grocery stores, should assist… they look like those things bowlers use…

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Answer:
sounds like carpal tunnel syndrome.

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Answer:
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome aka. Overuse Syndrome. People who use their hands for extended repetitious movements develope this problem. Putting your hands completely to rest and taking Tylenol or Ibuprofen and alternating ice and heat are the only non-surgical treatment.

There is a surgery, but, try to avoid that at all costs!

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Answer:
You need to see a doctor. Pain and swelling in your joints are always a good reason to see a doctor. In the meantime you can ice your wrist. It might help reduce the swelling. Fill a sink with ice cubes, then with cold water. Rest your wrist in the water for up to 5 minutes. If your wrist becomes too numb, or too cold, bring it out of the water until it warms up a bit. Then you can put your wrist back in the cold water.

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Answer:
I think what you have is " de Quervains" it's similar to carpal tunnel and it's also caused by over use. If you do a web search on it, there's a test you can do.

Like carpal tunnel, icing, resting it, and wearing a splint can help. Mine took about 4-5 weeks before it finally got better.

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Answer:
ask your GP for a physiotherapy and occupational therapy referal. that is probably the best way to go. It may be carpel tunnel symptoms and resting splints will be good for you to wear at night - they need to be made for you so your GP is who you need to see first.

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Answer:
so, im a teen so i dont know much right? whatever. im a bass player too. you probably dont have carpal tunnel yet. i had/have the same feelings you have and i went to the doctor and he sent me to physical therapy and they told me it was tendonitis. which, really, can lead to carpal tunnel. take anti-inflamitories, and ice it, it brings the swelling on the inside of your wrist down. also, wear a brace at night so your wrist cant move. bend the brace so its slightly bending upwards. also, strech it a little bit for about 15 seconds. take your other hand and bend your wrist up, then push it down. im playing with silly putty also. it sounds dumb but it helps strengthen your wrist a little bit at a time. dont freak out though, its not carpal tunnel yet.

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Answer:
try to concentrate on loosening your hands as you play your bass, I notice many young players tightening their hand muscles and wrists especially the hand on the neck. Try concentrating on how much you're tightening.

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