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Topic: Sore right thumb |
John Rosett
From:
Missoula, MT
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Posted 25 Jun 2017 1:05 pm |
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I have pretty bad arthritis in the last joint(closest to the nail) of my right thumb. I play pretty much from the next joint down, and keep the last joint straight, but just the impact of hitting the string is starting to really hurt.
Any thoughts on how to keep this from being such an issue? I'm only about 10 days out from a cortisone shot in the joint, and it's starting to bother me again. I'm using a ProPik thumb pick. Thanks!
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"it's not in bad taste, if it's funny." - john waters |
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Scott Duckworth
From:
Etowah, TN Western Foothills of the Smokies
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John Rosett
From:
Missoula, MT
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Posted 26 Jun 2017 11:50 am
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Thanks for the reply Scott! I use a prescription anti-inflammatory cream called Voltarin, but it doesn't help much. I also use a balm made by a local naturopath that looks like it's a lot like the Two Old Goats formula.
I guess that I'm more looking for advice on different playing strategies. I'm trying out playing without picks, to see if that lessens the problem, since it seems like the impact of hitting the strings with the thumb pick is what hurts the most.
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"it's not in bad taste, if it's funny." - john waters |
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Glenn Demichele
From:
(20mi N of) Chicago Illinois, USA
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Posted 26 Jun 2017 5:37 pm
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...you might try moving the thumb pick away from the tip of your thumb closer to your hand. That would reduce the force you need to pluck the string. You might need a bigger thumb pick to fit that fatter part of your thumb
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Franklin D10 8&5, Excel D10 8&5, homemade buffer/overdrive, Moyo pedal, GT-001 effects, 2x BAM200 for stereo. 2x GW8003 8" driver in homemade closed-box. Also NV400 etc. etc... |
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Robert Allen
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 26 Jun 2017 6:43 pm
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| I've used the Voltarin cream and it helped but even as a cream it is absorbed into the system. NSAIDS can be nasty drugs for older folks. Kidney damage, bleeding, heart attack, stroke. I took them for several months and my kidney function dropped to 33% so I had to discontinue them. The good news is that the kidneys usually recover after these meds are discontinued. If you use them for more than a month, have your creatinine level checked to make sure you have no kidney damage. Any good doctor is going to check it before prescribing it in the first place. Eventually I had surgery and that solved the problem with no drug side effects. |
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John Rosett
From:
Missoula, MT
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Posted 26 Jun 2017 8:36 pm
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| Glenn Demichele wrote: |
| ...you might try moving the thumb pick away from the tip of your thumb closer to your hand. That would reduce the force you need to pluck the string. You might need a bigger thumb pick to fit that fatter part of your thumb |
That's a good idea that I haven't tried. I use a ProPik thumb pick. The part that goes around the thumb is brass, so i can adjust it any way i want. Thanks!
_________________
"it's not in bad taste, if it's funny." - john waters |
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John Rosett
From:
Missoula, MT
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Posted 28 Jun 2017 10:29 am
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I figured out that the thumb pick was giving me such pain because, when I strike the string with it, it causes the joint to twist. Last night, I played bare thumb (and fingers) for 3 hours at band practice, and had a lot less pain this morning. Hopefully, that's the solution.
Thanks for your responses!
_________________
"it's not in bad taste, if it's funny." - john waters |
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Chase Brady
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 30 Jun 2017 8:37 am
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| I've read that Leo Kottke had to pretty much re-invent himself in mid career due to physical problems. He blamed fingerpicks and particularly the thumbpick for much of it. I still use my thumbpick. I feel helpless without it. |
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