Your Body Almanac

Playing guitar

Hours of fretting, strumming and holding an awkward posture.

Playing an instrument is good for your brain and your mood. The body cost comes from repetition and posture. Fingers press hard on strings for hours, the fretting wrist bends sharply, and the neck and shoulders hold one position. Loud amps add a risk to your hearing.

01

Hand, wrist and finger tendon strain

Pressing strings with a bent wrist and gripping the neck tightly loads the finger and thumb tendons. Sudden increases in practice time are a common trigger for pain.

SourcesRepetitive strain injury (NHS)De Quervain's tendinosis (OrthoInfo, AAOS)
Do tendon glides for your handsDailyMove your fingers through five positions to help the tendons slide smoothly through the wrist. Stretch your wrists and forearmsDailyGentle wrist flexor and extensor stretches for hands that type, grip or tap all day. Build up training graduallyWeeklyRaise how often, how long and how hard you train by no more than about 10% a week. Get up and move every 30 minutesDailyBreak up long stretches of sitting with a few minutes of standing or walking.
02

Neck, shoulder and back tension

Looking down at the fretboard and hunching over the body of the guitar pulls the head forward and lifts the strumming shoulder. A strap set too low adds strain.

SourcesNeck pain (OrthoInfo, AAOS)
Do chin tucksDailyGlide your head straight back to counter the forward-head posture that screens and desks encourage. Stretch the sides of your neckDailySlow side tilts to loosen neck and upper-shoulder muscles that tense up at desks. Extend your upper back over a chairDailyGently bend your mid-back backwards over a chair to counter hours of rounding forward. Vary your grip and postureDailySwitch hands, tasks and positions so the same muscles and tendons are not loaded for hours.
03

Hearing damage from loud music

Amplified rehearsals and gigs often go well above 85 decibels, the level where long exposure can damage hearing. Ringing in your ears after playing is a warning sign.

SourcesNoise-induced hearing loss (NIDCD)
Protect your hearing from loud noiseAs neededWear earplugs or earmuffs around loud noise, turn the volume down and step away when you can. Get your hearing checkedYearlyAsk about a hearing test at your yearly checkup, especially if you work around noise or notice signs of hearing loss.
04

Carpal tunnel symptoms

Keeping the fretting wrist sharply bent for long periods can press on the median nerve. Numbness or tingling in the thumb and first fingers is the usual sign.

SourcesCarpal tunnel syndrome (OrthoInfo, AAOS)
Stretch your wrists and forearmsDailyGentle wrist flexor and extensor stretches for hands that type, grip or tap all day. Do tendon glides for your handsDailyMove your fingers through five positions to help the tendons slide smoothly through the wrist.

When to see a professional

See a doctor or hand therapist for numbness or tingling in your fingers, pain that lasts after you stop playing. See an audiologist for ringing in your ears or muffled hearing that lasts. Fingers that curl or won't respond normally only when you play can be musician's focal dystonia, a nerve problem. No exercise is known to prevent it. If it starts, see a neurologist rather than practicing harder.