String Instruments and Numb Hands
Dear Dr. Abby,
I am a bassist and my hands started getting tingly while I play a few months ago. It’s gotten to the point where they fall asleep after playing for 10 minutes. It goes away after I stop playing and shake them out a bit. But I can’t get a decent practice session in! Help!
Wake Up my Hands, Please!
Dear Wake Up My Hands,
Thank you for your question! I hear this from a lot of musicians and yea… that would be annoying! I definitely encourage you to see a physical therapist for this one. What you are describing sounds like (going to say a big fancy term that sounds scary, but it’s not, so please don’t panic… ready?) transient neuropathy — This is what happens when nerves get temporarily compressed while you play and the sensation to the area that nerve serves gets altered (aka falls asleep). When you stop playing, the compression is let off and your arms feel better. So the reason to go to a physical therapist is to find out how to change the load on the nerves that are in charge of your hands. There could be something you could change in how you hold your bass, what your stool height (if you use one) is, how the height of your music stand affects your neck or shoulders, how your head/neck move while you pluck or bow… or any of the other 5093824543 ideas in my head.
As you can see from the photo to the right, the nerves in charge of your hands start at your neck. They then branch off all the way down to your hands. There are multiple sites your nerves may be feeling the pressure, mostly commonly at you neck, shoulders/collar bones, elbows or forearms.
There are three different nerves that serve your hands — median, radial, and ulnar nerves. I goofed around on IG to show you what areas of your hands each nerve is in charge of. Based on this photo, you might be able to tell which nerve(s) are affected based on where you are feeling your symptoms. Don’t worry, I’m aware it looks like a preschooler did these. But knowing if one area or multiple areas of your hands are affected will help your PT figure out what to do next.
As you can see from the photo to the right, the nerves in charge of your hands start at your neck. They then branch off all the way down to your hands. There are multiple sites your nerves may be feeling the pressure, mostly commonly at you neck, shoulders/collar bones, elbows or forearms.
There are three different nerves that serve your hands — median, radial, and ulnar nerves. I goofed around on IG to show you what areas of your hands each nerve is in charge of. Based on this photo, you might be able to tell which nerve(s) are affected based on where you are feeling your symptoms. Don’t worry, I’m aware it looks like a preschooler did these. But knowing if one area or multiple areas of your hands are affected will help your PT figure out what to do next.
Keep in mind that these nerve glides can be really helpful, do nothing at all, or kinda aggravate your symptoms depending on what it really going on, which is why I always recommend getting a full evaluation before trying stuff from the internet. But I hope this info helps you to feel prepared for your first PT appointment.
Good luck and let me know if I can help!
Appreciate you,
Dr. Abby
