Short Scale Guitars and CTS

Question/Insight needed here.

I have been battling a decent case of carpel tunnel syndrome in my right hand for a while now, mainly running along the top tendon from my wrist to my first knuckle on my index finger. When I make a fist and bend my hand down, sharp wincing pain ensues followed by the good 'ole tingling feeling. I asked my doctor who seems to think that there is a different cause of the issue, but he is not a guitar player....

That said, I play a short scale F-30R and I am a tall guy (6'-3") with rather long spider fingers. I play finger style and when all the factors are combined, my right hand has to form a downward angle when I play in order to hold the guitar comfortably and still have good string coverage. Is it possible for this position to cause inflammation? Has anyone ever experienced this before on their RIGHT hand?

Basically I am trying to figure out if moving to a larger scale guitar with a bigger body would be more suitable to my size and hopefully eliminate my CTS with time.

Thanks for any/all insight.

I'd probably try some different positions for holding the guitar, & see how they affect your right-hand position.

Maybe also try playing with a brace on your right hand, & experiment with seating/standing positions until you find one that allows you to keep your wrist straight instead of dropped sharply down.

Leo Kottke went through something like this many years ago, & took a couple years off from performing until he found a position that his hands could tolerate.

Regarding different guitar body/scale sizes, there's probably no substitute for simply trying a few different instruments in a guitar shop.

Good luck, & please post what works for you.

Edit: here's a link posted on LTG by someone else. Note how this guy keeps his wrist straight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuURt1p ... ature=plcp

Well this thread is a little old but I decided to give a little update as I am now on the recovery road from my recent surgery. My doctor referred me to a specialist in hands due to my age (25) and a suspicion that I might not be suffering from CTS yet. After a few appointments with the specialist, an MRI, and a few "trial" solutions, it was determined that I had developed a neuroma on my radial nerve where it crosses over my thumb tendon. Apparently these develop when the nerve experiences blunt trama and will never heal/reduce in size. For the life of me I cannot remember ever hitting my hand on that specific spot but regardless, my guitar playing was suffering and I golf was completely out of the question.

I had two options presented to me: either go to physical therapy and try to "program" my brain to not recieve the pain signals, or head to surgery to remove the nerve all together. I opted for the second and went in on January 15 where he cut and removed the radial nerve at a location before it crossed over my tendon. While PT may have resolved the issue, I have a belief that teaching my brain not to recieve pain signals is the wrong choice when dealing with an issue that will never resolve itself. Anywho, today my hand feels great! The left side on the top of my right hand has no feeling to it anymore, but that is no different from when I had the neuroma. I can play my guitar for hours with a contant thumb attack and swing my golf clubs without wincing pain.

My wife likes to poke fun at me saying two months after our marriage, I am out of warranty and begin to break down.

Great news! Hopefully that's the end of it, and you have a lifetime of happy pickin' ahead of you.

guitarjamman said:

...
My wife likes to poke fun at me saying two months after our marriage, I am out of warranty and begin to break down.

Click to expand...

Dude, it just goes downhill from here.

That's good news, GJ.
Now you can go out and find you a new Guild in any size or shape.
Life is good.

Great news. Must be wonderful to not only be pain free, but able to enjoy golf and playing the guitar.

Now there's a story with a happy ending.

Darryl Hattenhauer said:

Now there's a story with a happy ending.

Click to expand...

+1

Glad for you, GJ!

All the best,
B.

Did they ever inject it with steroids? Just curious is all. They did that to a neuroma in my foot and it helped tremendously. Regardless, it's good you're back to playing and swinging and all PAIN FREE!! It's a wonderful thing, yes?

Now you can play any guitar size you like. I have big, medium, and small. I like the variety pack!! Good to know you're back to your normal activities, GJM!!

Good to hear you're back up to speed. Now to catch up on that pickin'... :wink:

Chazmo said:

guitarjamman said:

...
My wife likes to poke fun at me saying two months after our marriage, I am out of warranty and begin to break down.

Click to expand...

Dude, it just goes downhill from here.

Click to expand...

Naahhhh....It never gets any better than this!
(insert full irony emoticon here)

Hey, thumbs up to you! :mrgreen: