Shoulder Pain

oliver

Hi Everyone
I have been experiencing shoulder pain from over use and over practice! I can't really practice right now without any pain and discomfort It is my left shoulder which is my fretting hand! I am a faithful voyeur on this forum and a fan of Jim's music and lesson's! I have purchased five of Jim's download lesson's and also "Sonic Tele". I don't see much discussion on here about the physical element of playing guitar. So I am looking for some feedback about that. Has anyone ever had a shoulder injury from playing? What did you do to heal? Did you change the way you approached your practicing? Did you change your posture? Did you go to physical therapy? Any feedback of that nature would be appreciated! Thank You
Oliver

JimCampilongo

Oliver - Sorry to hear about your pain.

It's a distressing situation -and to ease your mind, almost every professional guitarist I know has some kind of issue.

**I'm no doctor** so I don't know what to responsibly suggest for you, but in my 43 year journey of guitar playing I've had many physical ups and downs, including arthroscopic surgery on my shoulder for bone spurs (complete recovery), chiropractors , acupuncture, physical therapy, cortisone ... you name it!

All these options had benefits for me... and ibuprofen and drinking a ton of water helped me too, when I had no choice but to play the gig.

I'm currently pain-free but at some point, age will have to be a factor ( "...getting old isn't for sissies..." - Bette Davis ) so I've been readying by studying with a classical guitar teacher who really knows his stuff.

I've been studying with Michael Lorimer and aside from being an intelligent, wonderful musician, he's been invaluable in getting my technique more efficient and less stressful. He's also got me stretching my hands and arms - something I've never done.

Don't worry, you'll get through this! And again, I would suggest checking out the entire gamut of options available, and personally - I would always consider surgery a last resort.

Take care my friend -Jim

morroben

I currently have a partially torn rotator cuff and partially torn biceps tendon on my left side from a work incident. While these weren't a result of playing guitar, they have certainly affected my guitar playing. I would second Jim's comments regarding stretching and focusing on efficient, relaxed technique. I would also say surgery should be a last resort. I'm nearing the point where I might have to go that route, but I'm still hoping to avoid it.
For the time being I've thrown myself completely into lap steel, which is easier on my shoulder and left arm. It's actually been a blessing in disguise. This lap steel thing is going incredibly well and it's starting to look like this might be my niche in the music world.
Another thing I would say regarding this or any other injury is, if you go the doctor or chiropractor route, get a few opinions. I've been to the best orthopedic surgeon in the area, the best sports medicine doctor, a few other general physician types, and a great chiropractor, and they all have their own diagnosis and their own recommendations for treatment. Quite frankly, I was shocked at how dramatically differently various professionals can interpret the same MRIs, x-rays, and interviews.

AaronW

Try to get a hold of Julian Lage. I read (and sorry I can't remember where), he was having some serious physical issues for awhile, then he started to study posture techniques with someone (again, can't remember his name). Julian talks about how beneficial that was for him. If you can find his performance at Borders or Barnes and Nobles, I believe he talks about it during that performance.

oliver

Hi Thanks for all the feedback! Really appreciated!