Index finger injury - Can't play guitar

gusman2x · October 2020

Do you have the means to go private?

normally a consultation + procedure runs around £300

Slash'N'burn · October 2020

gusman2x said:

Do you have the means to go private?

normally a consultation + procedure runs around £300

I’ve not really thought about it, possibly.

When you say procedure, do you mean steroid injections or something else?

I’ll definitely look into it, main concern is that my problem isn’t clear cut. Say if it were the type like trigger finger where a pulley has thickened and is tight on a tendon, I’ve read they try a steroid injection first, if that doesn’t work permanently then up to two more injections, after that it’s surgery to release the pulley - so it could end up getting very expensive.

Slash'N'burn · December 2020

I had the steroid injection into a ligament in the base of my finger last week, NHS wait wasn’t too long in the end. It could take several weeks to be effective, fingers crossed that it will be a permanent fix.

maw4neu · December 2020

I had a shocking wrist injury / affliction in my early teens but it ceased after 45 years or so . :-)

H150 · February 2021

Slash'N'burn said:

I had the steroid injection into a ligament in the base of my finger last week, NHS wait wasn’t too long in the end. It could take several weeks to be effective, fingers crossed that it will be a permanent fix.

Good luck, hope it goes well. My finger is ok now, I can play fine without pain but it took a long time. Around about September or October last year it suddenly cleared up over a few weeks, but that was still about 6 months of not being right. It feels like it could return though. I used a chainsaw in December and after an hour I could feel a dull ache in that finger again, which disappeared after a couple of days. God knows. Probably just need to warm up and take it easy from now on before going hell for leather!

Slash'N'burn · February 2021

H150 said:

Slash'N'burn said:

I had the steroid injection into a ligament in the base of my finger last week, NHS wait wasn’t too long in the end. It could take several weeks to be effective, fingers crossed that it will be a permanent fix.

Good luck, hope it goes well. My finger is ok now, I can play fine without pain but it took a long time. Around about September or October last year it suddenly cleared up over a few weeks, but that was still about 6 months of not being right. It feels like it could return though. I used a chainsaw in December and after an hour I could feel a dull ache in that finger again, which disappeared after a couple of days. God knows. Probably just need to warm up and take it easy from now on before going hell for leather!

Glad yours got better - I'd definitely be on the cautious side though and look into finding some warm up exercises/stretches. Also if you play for more than an hour at a time, 10 minutes rest from playing every hour is proven to let the hands recover and fend off potential injuries.

I am getting nowhere with my injury - the steroid injection I had 2 months ago has done nothing at all for me, I still have hard 'lump' of inflammation underneath the skin at the base of my finger and can't curl it properly or put weight on it. The tendon has a little lump on it as well, which I can feel moving past if I curl my finger and press into my palm.

6 weeks ago I started physiotherapy via phone call, they gave me exercises with heat/massage treatment to do at home, which was supposed to help shift the inflammation, but that didn't work, so they called me in to have a look, and was fitted with a short splint which restricts movement, and different exercises to do - none of which has made any difference.

When I eventually get to see the hand surgeon again I'm guessing they will want to try a second steroid injection as that seems to be standard procedure with diminishing returns, personally I think as the first one had no effect, the only thing that will work now is surgery.

Rob1742 · February 2021

With injuries I tend to think in the majority of situations it’s only rest than can do the trick.

I had a problem with my index finger, I must have stretched a tendon or something and it was 2-3 months before it got better. It’s still not fully recovered but that’s because I agitate it playing and only complete rest makes it better.

My son has had various football injuries and I have spent a fortune in physio when I believe rest would have been just as good.

I’d have a scan if you haven’t already, but I wouldn’t mess about with physios taking your money when I don’t think they do anything.

Footballers have scans on nearly all injuries theses days, it tells you the problem. Now I take my son for scans, £300 a time, but better than not knowing what the situation is and spending £30 every couple of days at the physio where they just do hot and cold nothingness.

Slash'N'burn · February 2021

Rob1742 said:

With injuries I tend to think in the majority of situations it’s only rest than can do the trick.
I had a problem with my index finger, I must have stretched a tendon or something and it was 2-3 months before it got better. It’s still not fully recovered but that’s because I agitate it playing and only complete rest makes it better.

My son has had various football injuries and I have spent a fortune in physio when I believe rest would have been just as good.

I’d have a scan if you haven’t already, but I wouldn’t mess about with physios taking your money when I don’t think they do anything.

Footballers have scans on nearly all injuries theses days, it tells you the problem. Now I take my son for scans, £300 a time, but better than not knowing what the situation is and spending £30 every couple of days at the physio where they just do hot and cold nothingness.

I’ve been in the same position as you in that it initially got better after 2 months, then came back worse and has been rested for 8 months with no improvement. Yes some injuries will get completely better with rest, and others can be caused by something else that won’t go away without some intervention.

I've had a scan but it didn’t show anything, possible that another scan would show something as it has changed.

The physio is through the NHS not private, and I was only sent for it because the steroid injection I was given caused even more stiffness in my finger, which subsided with the exercises, but back to the same position I was in before with a hard inflamed lump just before the base of my finger.

Slash'N'burn · February 2021

I also now have some pain in the base of both little fingers, and my picking hand index finger has suddenly without warning gone the same way as my fretting hand index finger - can’t bend it properly and sore at the base,

Seen as it only has to hold a pick, or do the odd bit of finger picking, playing about 2 hours a week, I’m thinking now that these problems are little to do with playing guitar.

I’ve also got foot pain for months that hasn’t cleared with rest, so my GP is sending me for blood tests as it could be something more systemic like an immune system problem.

Jaycee · February 2021

I had carpel tunneling in my left (fretting) hand, lots of shooting pain etc, the doctor told my to takes pain killers for it.

Mrs Jaycee was putting a cream on her hand which I assumed was a moisturising lotion, so I put some on my hands as well, within 30 min the pain in my hand had subsided significantly, when I told her this she told me it was Calendula cream (her own product) but it can be bought from chemists and health stores, worth a try for those that have simillar issues.

Slash'N'burn · April 2021

For anyone that's interested, I got my blood test results back and the only thing they showed was being a little low in vitamin D, so my GP recommended a specific dose of D3 which I've been taking for a few weeks. Dare say we are all low on Vitamin D in winter, But it can't hurt to improve it.

I've got 3 fingers now on my picking hand that seem to have trigger finger as well (or the beginnings of it) - but my right hand index finger, the one that I had a steroid injection in back in November (which had no good effect at the time) has now improved enough for me to play electric guitar again, so really happy about that.

luke_87 · April 2023

@Slash'N'burn 2 years later, I'd love to hear how you're getting on? Came on here and followed your story because I have almost this exact issue except my pain is in the middle knuckle of my fretting hand (left). I have an appointment with an orthopaedic surgeon next week but I'm not holding out much hope as this seems like a very guitar-specific issue, which you mentioned previously. I'm around 6 days into fully resting from the guitar and the pain just seems the same as a week ago. Any tips etc?

And thanks, by the way, for continuously updating this thread. I personally found it very helpful and interesting as most others with this pain just seem to disappear from the forums leading me to wonder if there was ever a fix lol

guitarjack66 · June 2023

My cousin was an unlucky bugger. Somebody ran over his index finger and he died. It wouldn't have been half as bad except he was picking his nose at the time.

marxski · August 2023

I have a similar condition from over practice on an acoustic with a rather high action. First knuckle on index. Regime has been rest initially, first couple of days paracetamol (NHS site says this initially then switch to ibuprofen). Been lingering a while with slow improvement. Then I was advised to take turmeric as it is an anti inflammatory. Couldn’t get fresh stuff in root form so being making a cup of black tea with a teaspoon of the bright yellow powdered stuff (don’t spill it!). It tastes like floral flavoured mud but it seemed to really help. I’ve been taking it for several days now and almost back to normal.

ToneControl · August 2023

marxski said:

I have a similar condition from over practice on an acoustic with a rather high action. First knuckle on index. Regime has been rest initially, first couple of days paracetamol (NHS site says this initially then switch to ibuprofen). Been lingering a while with slow improvement. Then I was advised to take turmeric as it is an anti inflammatory. Couldn’t get fresh stuff in root form so being making a cup of black tea with a teaspoon of the bright yellow powdered stuff (don’t spill it!). It tastes like floral flavoured mud but it seemed to really help. I’ve been taking it for several days now and almost back to normal.

Have you had it examined by a professional?
Bit surprised to see recommendation for paracetamol then NSAID later, what diagnosis is that based on?
I thought both at once was a normal approach for many injuries

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Index finger injury - Can't play guitar

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