Pain in Hands day after - Ouch! haha

[goodmosconi]

Hey guys,

Quick question for you. Do many of you experience pain in your upper knuckles and palms when you've taken a break from playing for a couple of weeks? I played a 3 1/2 hour gig last night with my band and when I woke up this morning my upper knuckles were screaming at me. Do you think that's normal? Any advice would be fantastic.


JSG

[Ivan]

Hey Bro,

Well, I experience soreness depending on how long I've been playing the night before... I think we all play a little differently, so I am not sure that anyone would experience the same exact pain you are referring to... If I understand you correctly, the pain you have is on the opposite side of the playing surface of your hand? Hmmm.... When you play, do your fingers bend backword?

The pain I mostly experience is on the playing surface of my hands... Sometimes I play so long that a nerve gets knocked out of place and it feels like someone is pinching it...

I've been advised to soak my hands in a bowl of ice... Untill it hurts... Strange huh? I haven't tried it yet, but will let you know when I do. You should do some stretching excercises before and after playing... Otherwise, I think it's natural to feel some pain...

Afterall.... no pain no gain!!!! :p

[Raymond]

Pain in your hands after playing, giving the benefit of the doubt that your playing technique is correct, is normal most of the time. Depends also in your experience and the resistance you have build up. The more resitance you have build up, the more you will endure in regards to playing. Also, one thing you will learn, specially after you have consecutive gigs is to "pace" yourself and not overdo it so you have your hands OK for next immediate gig. That...you will determine it on your resistance based on your experience...

This is like body building...No pain, no gain...The bowl of ice is recommended. (I've never done it but taking it from some of the actual congueros here appears to work). A thing that I do is to after each gig, treat my hands to some cream and "massage" my hands. (Although it will not avoid some pain from the day before but it will provide some therapy to the next gig)...

Saludos!

[ALKEBULAN]

Try soaking your hands in hot water and Epson salt...Then ice them down, dig?:cool:

[JohnnyConga]

That is also a great method....... Boxers after a fight will often soak their hands in ice water to ease the swelling. The Epson salt with hot water will help your bones. I have used both ways over the years and they both work. OH BTW....HAPPY HOLIDAYS!! TO ALL MY DRUM BROTHERS AND SISTERS HERE AT CONGAPLACE and All the Best for the NEW YEAR!....... "JC" Johnny Conga...... :;):

[sabrosona]

Am I the only one here that never feels any kind of annoyment after playing? My palms get red for 2 minutes after giving a few bass strokes but then get back to normal .. no pain or numb whatsoever... either I'm totally insensitive or I'm not playing hard enough... hmmm.. ???

Please tell me this is normal...! :O

[dvon]

I know you are talking here about other types of pain, but I have a question I posted up several months ago, and that I haven´t been able to handle yet.

I try not to play taping my fingertips so as to develop calluses, and it has worked fine, expect for one or two fingers that still get bruises and wounds. (I believe it can be one of several things: technique, my skin, the heads (water buffalo LPs ?)).

Well I have heard of several myths for treating this kind of stuff (I'm not sure it they are myths... I believe it was JC who posted several months ago that the tradition of urinating over the palm is myth- the thing is that I have not tried it yet ). Does anyone know a method for getting my wounds healed up quickly? Any especific product?

Thanks and Happy New Year!!!

[Obi]

Although I am not one to suffer pain after playing (Normally), I do reccomend using Arnica, which can be found in most stores that sell African goods. Also most Health stores sell Shea butter w/ arnica. I generally use shea butter before I play, but have found it works wonders with other aches and pains.

As for soaking in ice....


forcing your hands to endure extremes on a regular basis actually increases the incidence of "arthritis-like" pain" . I would reccomend the epsom salts in warm water if you are experiencing continued pain. If this still fails to bring results, You might consider your technique &/ or your heads.

Remember to be "sensitive" to your hands,
too many guys with great chops can suffer unbearable pain from years of "heavy hitting"???...
We frequently become heavy hitters when trying to be heard in group situations, but playing harder doesn't necessarily create more volume.
& yes, those LP Water buffalo skins can also create quite a bit of discomfort ???

After all is said and done, if you still find no relief, see your doctor, Arthritis is not uncommon for congueros.

Obi

Gahu productions

[Ivan]

Thanks and Happy New Year!!![/quote]
Well I have heard of several myths for treating this kind of stuff (I'm not sure it they are myths... I believe it was JC who posted several months ago that the tradition of urinating over the palm is myth- the thing is that I have not tried it yet ). Does anyone know a method for getting my wounds healed up quickly? Any especific product?

Dvon,
You can't get around the cuts and bruises on your hands and fingers... That's for sure. I find that treating your hands with lotion after a long night of playing works in healing those annoying cuts. If you plan on playing the next day - I advise taping the cuts to keep them from opening up more...

Ivan



Edited By Ivan on 1104778686

[dvon]

Thanks Ivan,

That's what I've been doing. What type of lotion are you talking about?

Once again, thanks for your reply.

[Obi]

The arnica and/ or shea butter that I mentioned previously is about the best you can get. These products not only moisturize the skin, they keep it moist.

Dryness is the main reason you are suffering consistent cuts, this dryness, especially in your fingertips, weakens your skin's resilience.

Most hand lotions contain alcohol which, dries yor skin. Even though your hands will feel moist at first, in the end, you are not giving them any long term relief.

Bruising on your palms however, is caused by moisture. This happens when your hands begin to sweat, causing them to "stick" to your heads. the best cure for this is preventive maintainance.

Before your gig, rub your hands with good old baby powder. Trust me, it works. I keep a small bottle of baby powder on hand for those really long nights.

A steady practice of this will soon end your bruising problems.

A steady practice of urinating on your hands eventually will make your burger & fries taste like well, You know... ??? and ultimately, will ruin your love life
:p (if you do make this a practice, I wouldn't reccomend telling anyone)

Obi

Gahu productions

[Ivan]

I just use regular lotion - I can't remember the name of it at the moment, but it's pretty thick stuff... Anything with Aloe or Vitamin E in it is good for the skin.

You should also consider using palm oil for your conga skins. This way the skins on your congas don't need to absorb the natural oils in your hands.

:;):

Chow

[goodmosconi]

Thanks everybody for the input and responses. The epsom salt and warm water is definitely helping a lot after a long night of gigs and shea butter & baby powder has worked wonderful for keeping my hands moist.

JSG

http://www.joshgoodeband.com

[yoni]

Hi Dvon, GoodMosconi, Ivan, Obi, everybody...

I remember a product sold at pharmacies in the US called "Corn Husker's Lotion". That stuff worked wonders for me for preventing cuts and keeping skin strong, somehow. Had lots of glycerin in it. Any good hand cream will probably help.

Hi Sabrosona,
Just saw on your profile that you're aged 23. A young buck! It's great that your hands don't hurt yet, and no need to try to. If you don't blast too hard too often, maybe they never will.

I hurt my hands often in the past playing "full gas" acoustically in groups where I had to blow hard to be heard. Like Johnny Conga said, soaking them right after in ice water a little while helps for congueros and boxers - keeps swelling down.

All the best,
yoni



Edited By yoni on 1107967040

[OldGuyAl]

Arnica is a miracle for bruises! Just remember that you need to apply it every few hours - it's not a synthesized product so it requires multiple and repeated applications.

Shea butter is a miracle for moisturizing the hands but you need to use it daily - not just before and after.

For the heads, use pure lanolin on the underside of the head to keep it moist and less "thirsty" but, don't overdo it! Usually, once every year or two will do the trick. (Don't get lazy and put it on the playing surface - take the head off and treat it overnight but wipe it cleaner than clean before you remount it or your bearing edges will get soaked in it and that's nearly fatal.)