Hand Freak Out

[László]

So 3 months after my heart surgery in August, the 3rd and 4th fingers on my left hand are still numb. This is not terribly uncommon, pinched nerves from this surgery are known side effects. The cardiologist says it will go away. But he doesn't say when.

And I had a very fine result, no other complications, taking fewer meds, have lost a ton of weight, feel good, et cetera, et cetera. This kind of issue is called brachial plexopathy. Basically, it's a pinched nerve.

But here's what freaks me out: the other fingers on my left hand (my fretting hand) have seemingly gotten weaker. Single notes aren't a problem, though my touch using the 3rd and 4th fingers is still iffy, but I'm also having trouble with barre chords ringing cleanly. Whether it's the imbalance in the fingers caused by the numbness or not, I've also noticed that my index finger and middle finger have less "meat" on the bones.

I've been exercising them with a gripmaster, and doing other hand exercises, but fundamentally, my guitar playing really sucks because I can't use certain playing techniques that have worked for me for years.

I could go from .010s to .009s, I suppose, and make life easier that way, but I like playing .010s, they sound great.

I think it's time to see a specialist before I have to go back to being an accordion player or worse still, find myself having to learn the banjo...

 

[veinbuster]

That sucks. Are you using your left hand less for other things?
I feel it can take a lot of exercise to make up for not doing regular stuff.
Also, often exercises don't work all the same muscles you really care about. As dissatisfying as it might be, the best exercise might be playing guitar not quite as good as you would like to. Of course, that is all just me wondering what I might do - a specialist is a good idea.

 

[László]

That sucks. Are you using your left hand less for other things?
I feel it can take a lot of exercise to make up for not doing regular stuff.
Also, often exercises don't work all the same muscles you really care about. As dissatisfying as it might be, the best exercise might be playing guitar not quite as good as you would like to. Of course, that is all just me wondering what I might do - a specialist is a good idea.

It's true, I've done less with my hands, though for a couple of months I was restricted in terms of how much weight I was allowed to lift. I don't have a problem moving the fingers...apparently my grip is changed on the fretboard, though. It's really strange that I'm having issues with Barre chords - major chords are fine, minor chords aren't clean on the B and high E strings.

I think I'll start by seeing a specialist, see what he or she recommends, and go from there. No sense in living with this if I don't have to.

Some of the loss of mass in my hand might be related to the weight loss, too. Hey, I can change my playing style a bit if that's what it takes, too.

But it's kinda freaky to have this happen.

 

[Huggy Love]

Les, I preach the benefits of acupuncture, without it I probably wouldn't be able to play at all. The weakness is from the nerve pathways having trouble getting those signals to the extremities and the muscles, without the constant signal they can even go into atrophy. My pinched nerve comes from my neck down to my right arm and I have to come up with ideas like stickem on my picks to compensate for my numb index finger.

The good news is exercise stimulates the nervous system, you're doing right with the hand exercises but shoulder & arm activity helps the whole equation. I do my physical therapy/spine exercises and go surfcasting for rockfish regularly, that along with the acupuncture needles & acupressure massage every couple of months keeps my arms going, I've already lost a couple of inches off my arms since my spine problem but this (at least) keeps me able to play halfway decent and out of spinal neurosurgery.

You might have some restrictions as to how much exercise you can do after your ticker repair but do look into working out more of your upper body and ask your Dr. if you're in OK condition for trying that and acupuncture.
Good luck with this & try to stay positive.

 

[László]

Thanks, Huggy, this advice is much appreciated!

I'm glad I posted about it, I hadn't thought of acupuncture as a possible therapy. I'm maintaining a good attitude, after all, I'm still walking around on the planet instead of what might have happened, so even if I have to live with it, I'm good with having had the surgery.

Naturally however, I want to be able to play!

 

[CVS]

Les,

Are you seeing a physical therapist? If the numbness in your fingers is related to a spine issue, you may need to be either doing back/shoulder exercises or have your shoulders and back massaged. I had numbness and tingling in my right hand ring and pinky fingers and went to therapy for about a month - the issue slowly went away (after about 2 months)

All the best.

Carl

 

[wardog]

Les, that sucks, but on the bright side I still play worst by far. I would love to get some advice from a player like you on learning to move more efficiently across the fret board. My stubbornness is my lack of focus. Which is way harder to fix lol.

 

[László]

Les,

Are you seeing a physical therapist? If the numbness in your fingers is related to a spine issue, you may need to be either doing back/shoulder exercises or have your shoulders and back massaged. I had numbness and tingling in my right hand ring and pinky fingers and went to therapy for about a month - the issue slowly went away (after about 2 months)

All the best.

Carl

I have seen a physical therapist but mainly for the chest healing thing. Now I will do so for the hands, no doubt, but I need a referral from a specialist to do that anyway. I really appreciate the suggestion.

Les, that sucks, but on the bright side I still play worst by far. I would love to get some advice from a player like you on learning to move more efficiently across the fret board. My stubbornness is my lack of focus. Which is way harder to fix lol.

I really wish I was a good enough player to give that kind of advice, but what I did was at one point learn the fretboard note by note, fret by fret by saying the note out loud as I moved up and down it.

That was a long time ago, though - I'm not even sure I could do it well today! It basically just became more or less intuitive/instinctive. But I look at a player like Grissom, or Pete Thorn, and I realize I'm not even mediocre.

 

[dmatthews]

Good luck Les. I echo Huggy with the idea of trying the needle thing. Although I have not had the need yet, my buddy has had numerous successes with acupuncture. Of course it does not work for everyone, nor does it necessarily work on the first visit but it is well worth considering IMHO.
Worth a shot.

 

[László]

Thanks dmatthews! I'm definitely going to give it a shot. Nothing to lose, you know?

 

[The Fight]

Hey my friend went to see a acupuncture-ist?,, and she said she got mobility back in her hands that she lost after an car accident. I'd try it! I remember I had my toe go numb after a sharp pain in my back, had it that way for weeks. It really bothered me, but no way like yours man. I finally got over it. But man I can really feel for you, keep strong and don't loose touch, literally..

 

[markintime]

Les, hey, I'm not sure if my experiences can provide any insight or not, but just in case... In January 2013 I suffered a heart attack in which I had to have an aortic valve replaced, and 3 stints put in. I went through physical therapy and by August I was able to ride 35 miles on a bicycle for a local fundraiser for hospice. I managed to complete the ride without having to get off the bike, but it wore me out so totally. If it hadn't been for the physical therapy prior to that, I couldn't have done something like that at all.

Then, the next year, I had a tendon in my left thumb part company to the point that I couldn't button my shirt. It is amazing what that entails. I went to a hand specialist, had a tendon moved from my index finger to my thumb, went through therapy, and have regained the use of that little seemingly insignificant function. Needless to say, it was not insignificant to me!

So, the whole point here is, find the right doctor and do what he tells you. Works for me, hope it'll work for you!

All the best, buddy.

 

[dmatthews]

Thanks dmatthews! I'm definitely going to give it a shot. Nothing to lose, you know?

You're welcome Les, and you're also welcome to call me Dave... or something derogatory if you wish. Also you're right, nothing to lose, something good to gain with any luck.
It's only money.

 

[veinbuster]

I don't have a problem moving the fingers...apparently my grip is changed on the fretboard, though. It's really strange that I'm having issues with Barre chords - major chords are fine, minor chords aren't clean on the B and high E strings.

I don't think it is strange at all. Just moving fingers doesn't take much effort. Fingering individual strings for 'interesting' chords uses very different muscles and requires much less brute force strength than holding a bunch of strings with a Barre chord. When my fingers are acting up, those are always the ones that show it first. I can't say that I've ever noticed a major versus minor impact, but that is probably because I generally use different structures for minor chords.

 

[vchizzle]

Hey Les, Sorry this hasn't resolved itself yet. I'd definitely see what a specialist says.

Thanks dmatthews! I'm definitely going to give it a shot. Nothing to lose, you know?

Acupuncture may be the way to go! Hell, maybe your wife can go along and try to cure that pain in the a$$ she has.... Sorry, I couldn't resist.:rofl:

 

[CantankerousCarl]

Hey Les, no advice, but just a shout out in support - hoping you recover from this in short order.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

about 15 years ago, I got hit by another car while sitting at a stop light. Because my head was turned completely sideways when I got hit, I got my head jerked around pretty good. I have nerve damage in my neck that starts at my left ear, and goes all the way through the middle of my left hand. At the time, the doctor said, it might go away soon, it might go away slowly over time, or it might never go away. After 15 years, we know which it is. It is no better now than when it happened. While I work out regularly, anything I do that is a physical strain on my neck, agitates the damage in my hand. I played basketball a couple weeks ago, and my neck ached for 3 days, all of which were days I struggled to play anything tricky on guitar. It only affects my ring and middle finger, but it causes a serious loss of coordination between those two fingers.

Another less relevant, but good example of how this has affected my whole left arm. I'm right handed, but I used to be able to stand at the free throw line and hit 8-10 when shooting left handed. I had a nice smooth accurate stroke with the left hand even from 3 point distance. Since this wreck, I'm lucky if I make 6-10 from the free throw line left handed, and my stroke is clumsy compared to the way it used to be. I've just lost coordination on the whole arm.

What I found is that it doesn't affect smoother runs as much as more complex jumping around of notes. Before this happened, I was pretty fast and accurate on various types of faster playing. Now, I can do more (I don't know the proper way to say this, but...) the more scale type runs, or Yngwie stuff, is better than riffs that bounce back and forth between the fingers. Those more complex runs used to be easier for me, previously being a piano player. Another way of saying it, I can play a riff that goes from fingers 1-2-3-4 or 1-3-4 or 4-3-2-1 etc. much better than a riff that goes 1-4-3-4-2-3, or whatever. And this only matters when playing fast. Now, some days I can do them, some days I get sloppy and really have to work at it.
At my age, I probably shouldn't be shredding anyway. LOL And that's not all I do, but I want to play what I like and I want to play what I've always played and this is a significant issue in my playing. I hope you find a way to get it fixed, Les!

 

[BMiller]

Sorry to hear that you are dealing with this but congrats on the fast recovery!

A few years back my right lung spontaneously collapsed and I had to under go two surgeries in a week and a half. Before the second one they gave me an epidural. The right side of my body, the inside of my right arm, the side of my right hand, and my right ring and pinky fingers were numb and tingly for months afterwards. Palm mutes, and just resting my palm on the bridge, felt extremely strange, weird, and at times nauseating. Slowly this went away but the last to "wake up" were the parts of my right hand. It seems like it took 6 months for it to feel normal again.

Good luck with your progress and check into some of the "alternative" therapies such as acupuncture and chiropractic.

 

[László]

Hey Les, Sorry this hasn't resolved itself yet. I'd definitely see what a specialist says.


Acupuncture may be the way to go! Hell, maybe your wife can go along and try to cure that pain in the a$$ she has.... Sorry, I couldn't resist.:rofl:

Hahahaha! Thanks for my best laugh of the day!

And thanks for the good wishes and tips, guys, it's much appreciated!

 

[László]

Just an update - still have numbness and waiting to hear back from my surgeon on who to see, but I've been doing hand exercises on a simple Gripmaster hand exercise thing with springs and keys for each finger to press down, and today I was able to cleanly barre a minor chord for the first time since the surgery.

This is good. The fingers still feel very strange, but at least they work!

And yes, after I speak with my doc, I do plan to explore with him the suggestions everyone here has made.