Wrist/Hand Pain After Switching Grip

Playing Technique
#1

Hello:

I recently changed my grip to leading edge/extended trigger after 15+ years of playing with a trailing edge angle.

It took a couple weeks to get used to but after learning it and applying pickslanting, my playing technique improved tremendously.

However, along with the gains also came pain. These past few days I have been experiencing wrist pain in the back of the hand, back of the wrist and even the underside of of the wrist under the thumb.

The pain is centralized in the back of the wrist, and can be triggered when bending the wrist downward.

It is baffling me though, because the new grip is a much more natural one than my trailing edge grip, which had me bending my wrist upward in a totally unnatural manner. Yet I never had any injuries with it in 15 years. I really do not want to switch back because I am now realizing how much it limited my playing.

Has anyone experienced anything like this? I am planning to see a doctor soon but also wanted to get some ideas from this forum.

Thank you for any info.

#2

well I experience some discomfort if I use to heavy of a pick sometimes as I think I may hold the pick to hard. I use thinish .73 nylons now and it seems to dissipate after sometime. I get ganglion cysts off and on at the base of my thumb as well and it seems to flare up when i spend to much time. So my thoughts are dont over do it. You might feel it coming on and maybe you should just change what you are working on perhaps. I usually get hung up cause im like I dont want to stop cause im getting alot of good gains but its better to switch it up maybe work on arpeggios or even just playing rhythm cause you aint playing leads all the time. Set a timer for 5 minutes then break then do something else for another 5 then perhaps go back to what you did first. Thats what i have been doing and it seems to keep the wrist issues away.

#3

Some great ideas, thank you Jud. Very interesting about the pick thickness. The pick I use is very hard and pretty thick, so I will try switching to something a little lighter.

I was initially thinking I may actually have a ganglion cyst, but it does not move and is very hard so I think it’s just inflamed bone (if that is even possible).

And good point about working on other techniques. I am the same way - I am making such good gains and really do not want to put the guitar down again because I just got back into it after a 10 year hiatus, and I am getting older and don’t have as much time to realize my goals.

Thanks again for the helpful ideas.
Tim

#4

Visiting a doctor is a must do. No shrediing skills cost health.
And… some video could be helpful too IMHO