I would immediately think of issues in your spine/neck. Although you look really relaxed in this clip, it does not show your posture. A lot of guitarists do weird things with there posture when they play. The Alexander Technique addresses this and all things related to the spine. Guitarist Julian Lage is a proponent. Also a giant of a player. Just a thought…
1 Like
I am aware of Alexander Technique , and spoke to someone who teaches in my area but we have lockdown so i started reading some books about it …
ofcourse this cant be the same as i cant observe that much my posture
I ve read tha Julian Lage had many problems and solved them by A.T. amazing player indeed !
Right now i am not touching a pick and play only fingerstyle ,standing sitting or even lying in bed … was doing fairly ok but as soon as i start some picking i get the same problems again .
still need to work and search all of the above advices …
For years I’ve been dealing with pain and numbness in my neck and right hand. Waking up with numb hands, having to do serious stretching before / after practice, etc. with average results at best.
I’ve gone to acupuncturists, chiropractors, massage therapists, general care, and no one could give me any answer as to what was going on. My only options were to just stretch, take meds, deal with it.
Because of this thread I discovered thoracic outlet syndrome and after doing exercises I found on YouTube it is literally a night and day difference. The exercise that obliterated it for me is using a lacrosse ball to push down on my first rib. Holy crap, I haven’t felt this normal in years.
For the past three mornings I have woken up with no neck pain and no numb hands. While I still stretch everyday, I no longer walk away from a practice session with aching pains in my neck and shoulders. I still can’t believe it.
I realize the OP is dealing with more serious issues, but I wanted thank all of you for finally pointing me in the right direction. Again, I haven’t felt this great in years. I’m a bit appalled that the “professionals” I dealt with couldn’t identify what was going on and that I solved my issues through a forum post.
I’m really sorry to hear about your pain issues OP. I hope you can figure something out. Thank you for creating this thread - it’s changed my life.
2 Likes
So glad that you found something that helped.
Out of interest, what videos did you watch?
1 Like
This first video is the one with the lacrosse ball exercise:
And also this:
I dropped around $10 on Amazon for a pair of the lacrosse balls. Totally worth it.
It may also be worth mentioning - sleeping with more than one pillow greatly exacerbated the hand numbness and neck issues through the night for me. I have to sleep on my back with one basic, thin pillow. That being said, I tested out sleeping with two pillows after doing these exercises and I had no issues making it through the night. Regardless, I’m not going to risk it at this point and will continue to sleep with one pillow.
1 Like
Yeah, i’m familiar with both of those channels - they are great. I find using multiple pillows to support arms etc. absolutely fine when going to bed, but seldom do I wake up with them where they should be - I must fling them around during the night because they all end up in various places on the floor! I’m considering velcro to keep them attached! 
1 Like
I can totally relate. I don’t remember doing those sorts of things, but I have definitely woke up with an extra pillow on the other side of the room
My partner sleeps with 3-5 pillows on her side of the bed. I don’t even know how that’s comfortable for her!
Hi OP, you’re a super player. Chronic pain and issues are such a drag. Shoulders are especially tricky. In addition to the other messages here, some thoughts and questions:
- do you have any old injuries, even seemingly unrelated (back/neck/hip/etc)?
- I noticed while watching your playing that your right shoulder is extremely quiet. Normally I’d say that’s good, but maybe it’s not for you. If you play for one minute, roll your shoulders, another minute, etc etc, does that delay the onset of issues? If you play loud, soft, etc?
- same for your neck, it looks very still. Do you feel you have any stiffness there? Tight traps can be problematic.
- do you always play standing up?
Best wishes! jz
1 Like
hi my friends
i am sorry i didnt reply earlier to your kind posts , i had a terrible headache again for two days taking painkillers without any relief …
i was doing fairly ok the last days streching every day and doing some exersizes with bands and foam roller untill i dared to do some recording for a friend …
so i played a bit and after that a did some shelf massage (sometimes this can also trigger my headaches ) ,after an hour or so i felt it starting (always right side of head behid ear) …
i have an appointment with a neurologist at tuesday and i will ask him to look for thoracic outlet syndrome signs .
I try to play in different positions sitting in classical position using a Dynarette Cushion, then standing up , streching before and after and stop every 2 or 3 minutes …
I also suspect tight traps trigger points and yes i had a car accident back in nineties but MRIs didnt show something serious
very dissapointed but i wont give up …now i love my guitar even more feeling that something is trying to prevent me from playing
stay safe everybody and i am happy if this post can help others too !
3 Likes