Hi all - I'm experiencing something weird in my right arm while playing my dread. This has been going on for the last couple of weeks.

It feel like a low-grade numbness or weakness in my right arm when I'm practicing. At first glance, I'm wondering if it's the size of the lower bout, and the way it sorta digs into the inner part of my upper/inner arm, just above my elbow. I've checked and double-checked my position, and visually it's fine, and my strum angle across the strings is right there just to the right of the soundhole. It feels like my right arm is either canted up high a bit too much (putting some internal pressure on a nerve in the upper part of my arm or my shoulder), or that the edge of the dread is resting on a nerve that runs down into my forearm and hand. The result is that after maybe 20-30 minutes, my right arm starts to feel kinda weak and tired, and I have to put the guitar down and stretch out my arm for a minute or two. Then when I restart, it comes back in a few minutes again. It's kinda making playing this baby no fun.

Or, I suppose it could be tension in my right arm? I have been working on some flatpicking stuff that's challenging for me, so maybe I'm carrying tension somewhere in my right arm/shoulder that's causing the problem. Not sure about that though.

Thoughts? Thanks...

quote:

Originally posted by JKR:
That condition won't improve.

The only solution is to sell me that new Collings D2HG....... take a BIG LOSS on it and get yourself a smaller guitar.

As an addendum, as I pay attention to it this morning, it feels like I'm cutting off the blood circulation to my lower arm and hand via my contact with the lower bout and my upper arm. Sheesh.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: northernbreed,

I get a similar condition, in my case it appears that its the weight of the arm concentrated on the edge of the lower bout irritating a nerve (that and I play at least 4 hours a day). Its worth seing a Physiotherapist before it gets too bad and causes long term damage.
I've heard that these arm rests help (not yet tried one), but my physio showed me a range of exercises that strengthened that area up and eventually reduced the problem though it hasn't gone away completely.

Too late - It got so bad a few minutes ago that, sadly, I was forced to self-administer an amputation of my right arm, and while that was taking place, I thrashed about a bit too excitedly. Inexplicably, the D2HG got bumped, slipped off its stand, and shattered into a million bits of Teutonic kindling and Pearse-wire.

All that's left to do now is to close the wound, rehab, and file a claim. Problem solved!

I played so much feetball in high school I have those kinds of pains even before I get out of bed in the morning.Chiropractic has helped me,but finding a good one is a shot in the dark.I usually take the Dick Butkus approach "No Pain No Gain".If that arm goes numb again get down and give me fifty !

The two possibilities that come to mind are thoracic outlet syndrome or direct compression of the brachial plexus against the lower bout of the guitar. Would be interesting to note whether or not the symptoms occur when playing a smaller-bodied guitar.

I think I may just be allowing my right arm to develop tension as I play harder (for me) stuff.

I was just going to say you might want a second opinion!

Jack Lawrence discussed how the same thing happened to him at some point during his career and how he compensated for it by resting the guitar on his left leg instead of right. I have tried this before just to see and it made my right arm line up exactly perfect. Doesnt work for me though because I feel like I am extending my left arm out too much to fret the neck and putting pressure on my left shoulder, like I'm holding my arm straight out.

Worked for Jack though, you might want to give that a try.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people will ask what is essentially a medical question on a forum such as this and - in the process - receive countless uninformed responses. Yet, when someone with actual medical knowledge chimes in, that response is poo-pooed! Thoracic outlet syndrome and brachial plexus compression are extremely common conditions suffered by those who play guitar, especially large-bodied acoustics. In fact, playing guitar is the number one non-congenital cause of thoracic outlet syndrome.

The reasons are simple: playing guitar forces the anatomy of the shoulder girdle into an unnatural position. The thoracic outlet is impinged and the brachial plexus stretched and compressed when the arm reaches around and rests on the lower bout of an acoustic guitar. This is medical fact - it occurs in all of us who play. Some of us are symptomatic from these forces, some are not. If we play big boxes long enough, most of us will encounter these symptoms, if only transiently.

The reference to Jack Lawrence supports this premise, even if he did not seek out definitive diagnosis and treatment. What he did was intuitive. He shifted the position of the instrument such that his shoulder girdle was allowed to assume a more neutral position and his right arm symptoms resolved. Makes perfect sense. This is likely why classical guitarists seldom experience such problems: they tend to rest the guitar on the left thigh (for right handers) and they player smaller-bodied guitars.

So, try resting the guitar on the left thigh rather than the right. If that doesn't help, you may need to switch to a smaller bodied guitar.

Hope that information helps, and I didn't just stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night!

Now that my friends is either one magnificent second opinion or some really deep "poo-poo"

I developed Carple Tunnel Syndrome a few decades back and had to have operations on both my hands. Some of what you are talking about sounds kinda familiar.......Kerry K