Finger Pain - Trigger Finger?

I am 62 and have been playing for 7 months. The middle finger knuckle keeps popping, I went on line and may have trigger finger.

How long do I rest it and if it gets better how do i keep it from returning?

Hi Mark. My advice.

  1. See your Doctor
  2. Don’t self diagnose using the internet
  3. Don’t ask for medical advice on a guitar forum.

Seriously, visit your doctor. If it’s something to worry about he’ll tell you.
Good luck. :smiley:

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Hi, Mark,

Sorry to hear that you’re having trouble with your fingers.

Sairfingers has a point about not asking for medical advice on a guitar forum. From a broader perspective, though, you’ve done exactly the right thing in bringing it to the attention of the forum.

The chances of a GP having come across the finger problems of a 62-year-old guitar player are not high. On the other hand, the chances of someone on a guitar forum, numbering thousands of guitar players, having come across your problem should be significantly higher.

Here’s hoping someone can point you in the right direction. I would certainly follow the advice of Sairfingers, but in the meantime, do your own research into finding specialist medical help, starting maybe with the national register of physiotherapists, and seeking out someone with the requisite experience.

Or give Keith Richards a bell. He seems to manage adequately, with fingers that are well battle-scarred :confounded:

Seek specialist advice.

When we moved to France I had to make our 1.5 acres of open land dog secure and that meant fencing it all off. Naturally, tension points needed concreting into the ground and involved transporting ready mixed concrete via wheelbarrow. So to save on the number of tips out to the periphery I loaded far more concrete in than I should have done.

OK job got done but result of the weight, distance and wheelbarrow grip resulted in trigger finger on all 4 fingers of each hand. Fun and games when they locked up I can tell you and no guitar for sure. Fixed with cortisone injections, which you won’t find here I suspect.

:sunglasses:

Hello, Mark. I have had trigger finger problems with both my ring fingers for many years. Find a hand specialist and go in for an exam. The doctor will be able to give you the best advice on how to proceed and you may be surprised to learn you are not the first guitar playing person to consult with them.
I have had three injections in each hand. My doctor says 3 is the limit as there are diminishing returns. The injections definitely helped but limiting the activities that contributed to the problems (chainsaws, construction, wrestling timbers, etc.) has been the most beneficial. In addition to limiting the stressors on my hands I use a eucalyptus and CBD oil-based hand cream every night before bed. I really believe practicing and playing my guitars is some of the best physical therapy there is!