Hand cramp - you guys ever run into this?

  • Thread starter Thread starter tallcoolone
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It happens. All part of getting older. Have to figure you probably have been playing a long time and the joints eventually do wear out just like any other body part.

I have this happen once in a while as well. Make sure you do a few hand/finger/wrist stretches before you start playing. Those you can find all over the tube. I also had to concentrate on not holding the neck as grippy as I have in the past. That alone made a huge difference. It's all muscle memory that you have to relearn a bit. I was using guitars with thinner necks and moved on from those. Your Les Paul's probably have a real comfy neck so all good there.

If it starts to happen more often then you have to make some changes in your playing style so that you can keep enjoying what you are doing.
 
Like otherwise said, it sounds to me like an issue of too much tension/not enough relaxation somewhere in the left hand. The problem is if you’ve been playing that way for so long it becomes 2nd nature and you may not be aware because of that of all the tension that is really there. As a classical guitarist, some ways we approach this is to practice how lightly you can get away with fretting the note. Start off with such a light touch that the note doesn’t even sound when you pick it, gradually push more and see the minimal amount needed to actually get the note to sound out. It might be less than you think

Try also to practice having as little effort as you can in your left hand or arm. Let gravity do the work of letting you finger tips just fall on the fret board to fret the notes. Your thumb especially is just there as a guide for the other fingers resting on its side of the back the neck (not on the center of the thumb), it shouldn’t be tensing or squeezing. If you’re properly relaxing your left arm/hand it should feel very heavy for your other hand to try to pick it up and it’ll be light to pick up if it’s tensing. The point is, even in some of the busiest passages, the left hand (and right) are able to be way less active than we might think and these exercises can expose that. In reality you’ll still have tension, especially when feeling nervous, but it can be reduced hugely
 
tallcoolone said:
No, I’d say one a year maybe? Always at the end of a long set—when I know there isn’t going to be a break I try and build up the stamina the week before, then no playing at all the day before. Took a few days off after this it’s feeling fine now
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That’s good . But ya your stamina met its match at those long shows
 
tallcoolone said:
Played last weekend--cool venue but they want 2.5hrs no break which is stretching my stamina at 55 lol. Next to last song right at the end my hand just 'pings' and tightens up into essentially a claw. As you can see below, I literally couldn't play the last chord. Shook it off for the last song--Kashmir is cool but pretty low effort.

I take a good multivitamin every day, any other suggestions? Stretching techniques?

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Yea I just had this happen to me at our gig weekend before last and my other guitarist had this muscle foam and he said it helps him sometimes and doesn't use it very often, but it works when there's a big problem.

This is the $18 name brand

Theraworx for Muscle Cramps Foam, for Muscle Spasms, Cramps, and Muscle soreness, 7.1 oz https://www.walmart.com/ip/294881697

Equate Muscle Cramp & Spasm Relief Foam, 3.4 fl oz https://www.walmart.com/ip/513858033
 
DanTravis62 said:
I'm not trying to be offensive here, but if you're cramping playing low gain boomer rock, yes, you do need to re-evaluate your form - what I was trying to say is that if you're playing a full set playing the forbidden beat over 180bpm, in a thrash, death/black metal, hardcore, or punk band; the cramping is going to happen at some point no matter what your form is, how light your strings are, how low your action is, what vitamins you're taking, how much alcohol you've had, whether mercury is in retrograde, or whether you have a marshall major dimed

There are limits to what the human body can take, and there are use cases where there is no defense or mitigation for cramping besides taking breaks between songs or sets/encores
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No worries Dan. I was doing some pretty heavy string bending and it was off the cuff live and I was gigging a lot. I had a couple forearm/wrist pinging moments. Over time I have basically gone to a setup where neck relief is as little as possible without excess buzz, string height same thing, and went from 11'-49's on a strat to a light custom gauge 10-39 set of my own making on a ES tuned down to Eb. I also built some forearm strength through slow pushups (among other menial labor) which really helped. If I feel any inflammation I cool it down with some castor oil. Really works to reduce swelling and pain. All my money is made using my hands since I don't have a brain so I try to take care of them best I can.
 
VonBonfire said:
No worries Dan. I was doing some pretty heavy string bending and it was off the cuff live and I was gigging a lot. I had a couple forearm/wrist pinging moments. Over time I have basically gone to a setup where neck relief is as little as possible without excess buzz, string height same thing, and went from 11'-49's on a strat to a light custom gauge 10-39 set of my own making on a ES tuned down to Eb. I also built some forearm strength through slow pushups (among other menial labor) which really helped. If I feel any inflammation I cool it down with some castor oil. Really works to reduce swelling and pain. All my money is made using my hands since I don't have a brain so I try to take care of them best I can.
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That makes sense. I've never had fretting hand cramps, like, ever. I've been doing an insane amount of woodshedding for years though, and have pretty solid left hand technique.

Because of the type of music I play, my cramps have always been a picking hand issue. So there really isn't anything you can do except hydration and endurance practice.
 
Dehydration is definitely a huge factor in cramps, which gets further exacerbated by repetitive stress on muscle groups. Sometimes I'll go for a massage hung over af and parts that are already tight will lock right up.

I get it bad in my hands if I don't ease them in. Consider what you do in a day too. In my younger years I was a carpenter in between touring, and then I settled into being an electrician - who still likes swinging hammers as a pass time. I'm always gripping onto something.

I probably look high on an upper, but I use a piano technique almost every minute my hands are free. Rest your wrists on a flat surface and hold your fretting hand (or both) at an angle you play at, and sequentially tap down and lift; ring, index, pinky, middle, thumb; repeat. Keeps the right muscles moving with no stress.
 
DanTravis62 said:
I've been doing an insane amount of woodshedding for years though
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Arch Stanton said:
Troy Grady is a king among men.

👑
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Dude I toured and gigged for decades, and
I was always "good", at least in relative terms to my local scene, I guess a big fish in a small pond

but now I can do basically whatever I want and it's an incredibly freeing feeling

I spent years and years not understanding why I hit an alternate picking speed wall, Troy Grady changed my freaking life
 
After two right hand carpal tunnel surgeries and one left, (and another left hand surgery on the way), I urge all you guys to stretch out your hands and especially your fingers when playing long periods of time.
My playing ability since surgeries has dropped by at least 30%…

I ignored the cramping signs and symptoms and ‘played through the pain’ for months, thinking it would go away.
I was foolish.

Take care of your hands!
 
Some people are talking about the picking hand but it sounds like OP got a fretting hand cramp? I have had my fretting hand cramp primarily from a neck profile that felt wrong for me and my “technique.”

I also have had that tendency to apply too much pressure to the strings which can cause problems, although I learned eventually one of the best ways to stop doing that is to make sure your guitars are set up well, especially ensuring that the nut slots aren’t cut too high.

Wrist “ping” sounds more like maybe a nerve getting plucked which can definitely happen in your wrist (and elbow, and shoulder…) depending on your anatomy and whether or not you may have any arthritis.
 
Hydrate. Like crazy. I've already had two surgeries and am looking at carpel tunnel surgery later this year. I'll be 50 in November. Unfortunately, our bodies break down over time. Stretching and water helps.
 
Bardagh said:
Some people are talking about the picking hand but it sounds like OP got a fretting hand cramp? I have had my fretting hand cramp primarily from a neck profile that felt wrong for me and my “technique.”

I also have had that tendency to apply too much pressure to the strings which can cause problems, although I learned eventually one of the best ways to stop doing that is to make sure your guitars are set up well, especially ensuring that the nut slots aren’t cut too high.

Wrist “ping” sounds more like maybe a nerve getting plucked which can definitely happen in your wrist (and elbow, and shoulder…) depending on your anatomy and whether or not you may have any arthritis.
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Yup, I fret too heavy and I only play standing up with the guitar below my belt.
 
Yep, like some others have said, I would be curious of the neck profile and string gauge. For me, a thinner neck is a cramp waiting to happen, I dont play out or anything like you and that sounds like a long set, so yes on the hydration as well.
 
2.5 hr set is WAAAY too long; unless you're a national touring act that decides to play way longer than normal........I can't imagine many people NOT cramping in some way, with either hand in that scenario. My L hand, between thumb and forefinger was the cramp spot for me. But, I could usually play through it.
Couple years ago I was asked to play bass for a fund raiser; ended up being 2 hours straight. The only issue was the softball that my R shoulder blade turned into after playing a really cool but really heavy 65 P bass. Lol
 
2.5 hours no break is no bueno. That must change. Not that I expect the owner to cave but you have to get creative to somehow insert breaks.

“Sorry ya’ll, drummers have to pee too.” And then you kill time with…something. And then rinse and repeat; singers and bass players and guitar players all have to pee.

And we’re getting old! It take 3x as long to pee and we have to do it twice as often. See…material right there to fill time.
 
gibson08 said:
Yep, like some others have said, I would be curious of the neck profile and string gauge. For me, a thinner neck is a cramp waiting to happen, I dont play out or anything like you and that sounds like a long set, so yes on the hydration as well.
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Yeah this is why I don’t get along with Ibanez. Flat + thin + wide = hand cramps to me. I’m sure if my fretting hand technique was very different and more like the guys who look like they barely touch the thing I wouldn’t have that problem, but it is what it is.
 
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