I'm 52 years old. I've been playing guitar since I was 14. I've played and taught professionally throughout most of my life.

Currently I play a lot of bass. This week I'll do three sessions, 17 songs; play four gigs; rehearse an artist for a session; and, teach a guitar student.

I rarely get pain. I do a lot of stretching using three basic stretches:

1. Wrist Circles. I hold my arms out with my elbows at a ninety degree angle, make a loose fist, and turn my hands in circles one way then the other. I don't push to the point of pain, just a good stretching feel.

2. The Spider. I put my thumb and fingertips together and turn my hands up until my fingers point to my chest. Then, I push my hands away, stretching the bottoms of my wrist. No real pain.

3. Wrist Stretches. Hold one hand straight out in front of me. With the other hand, I push the first hand down and back, then up and back.

I can't stress the no pain part enough. Don't stretch when you are cold, like after being outside in the winter. Start by playing easy stuff for a few minutes, then stretch.

When I've gotten hand pain from over-work, I've put plastic bags of ice on the pain area 20 minutes at a time (no stretching with cold hands.) I've rested on my back, keeping my hands above my heart. When I've had to play like that, I've used an ointment called Mycoflex. It works pretty well. I've had no chronic pain from the guitar or bass. The only real problem I've had lately is with my index finger. I've figured out it's from the computer mouse LOL.

All the Best,
Mike

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Mike Dunbar Music

You've got to know your limitations. I don't know what your limitations are. I found out what mine were when I was twelve. I found out that there weren't too many limitations, if I did it my way. -Johnny Cash

It's only music.
-niteshift

Mike Dunbar Music