I had issue with tennis elbow and power/barre chords as well. The problem was two-fold:
Squeezing too hard
Too much bending at the wrist
After taking time off to mend, I decided to use an old power-chord mini-course on JG to work on my strength and form. Here’s a link to it: Master Rock Power Chords
BTW, i simply found some good stretches and excercises for tennis/golfers elbow on the web and followed them for about 3 months until I felt better. I only stopped playing for a week or two until the stretches/excercises began to show a slight improvement.
I strongly suggest you actively work on keeping your fretting wrist as straight as possible and squeezing the least amount necessary to fret the 2 (or 3) strings for your power chords. It will both save your arm and make barre chords so much easier as your hand strength and your proper form continue to build through practice.
I’ve currently taking a few weeks off to allow my arm to rest. I’ve started doing some stretching and exercises, not sure of it’s helping. What stretches and exercises did you do?
I think I got the routine from WebMD or someplace similar. It included wrist curls (palm up and palm down) and rotating my wrist while holding a hammer in my hand. The weight of the head created the resistance.
A also had issues with overuse symptoms, when I practiced power chords and F changes and moving the F exessively at the same time. I had to stop and then slow down the whole process. I took a break from power chords for a couple of weeks and then restarted with at least one day break inbetween two practice sessions. Worked for me. I think it’s a process to get used to it and to build up hand strenght. But nevertheless, you should check your wrist and thumb position. For me, tension is caused by pressing too hard with my thumb.
I’ll risk being unpopular and ask how do you know it’s tennis elbow and not radial tunnel syndrome?
Have you been diagnosed by a specialist? Have you had any specific tests done?
My experience with rehab suggests isometric exercises or eccentric contractions when tendon injuries are involved.
But we don’t know your case and I’m not a doctor, so please get yourself checked
Hi,
I don’t know for sure it is definitely tennis elbow, my symptoms are very typical of tennis elbow. Also pain started when putting strain on the area where the pain is. I’ve been doing stretches and strengthening exercises and pressure points exercises so fingers crossed this will work.
It is probably due to form issues. You could try to take a video of your playing and ask.
Wear a brace and stop. It takes about 6 full weeks of no reinjury to fully heal but you could probably start light playing after a week or two depending on the way it feels. Always listen to your body and the doctors.
I’m going to take a few lessons with a guitar teacher once my arm feels better. there’s obviously something wrong with my technique, one on one lessons will help identify the mistakes i’m making. Playing most chords or single notes feels fine, only really get pain when playing power chords or the F chord. Going to give it another week and will star practicing again and avoid power chords and the F chord until the pain has completely gone.
Not sure if you are still active or not, but I have the same exact issues right now with my power chords. I absolutely hate them and I hate practicing them because they hurt so bad and I can never do them right. My pain just comes from the muscle between the thumb and index finger, I suspect gripping to hard, but I can’t seem to play them otherwise.
It kind of sucks because classic rock is my number 1 type of favorite music and I hate playing power chords more than anything else I have been learning. I was debating going to get in person lessons to see if it was my technique and have someone in person show me what I was doing wrong. Was wondering if you went through with the in-person lessons and if they helped you out?
I had the same issue for quite some time, but I can play now power chords for an hour without any problems. Based on my experience, 3 things can cause this:
Your hand muscles are not strong enough
Your hand is not relaxed enough
Thin guitar necks make your thumb and index closer and together with 1) and 2) additionaly increase cramping/muscle pain.
I think 2) is actualy critical. Once I developed the feeling of how light touch is needed, everything was ok from there.
Yeah, honestly at this point, I have semi confidence I will be able to get power chords with enough practice, but palm muting with it, I don’t feel like I am ever going to be able to do that.
I guess it is alright to be able to do some things on the guitar, but not others and have to live with that reality. I have been practicing this for months now and I absolutely dread Wednesdays Thursdays to pick up the guitar because those are my power chord and palm muting consolidation practice days.
Might be worth visiting someone in person that can show me what I am doing wrong, but as of now I just feel like I am never going to be able to do this part of guitar and have to be okay with that.
Just have to play lead all the time on rock songs. Nothing wrong with that right
I will give it a go before I throw it all in the garbage lol. No seriously I will keep chugging along, but man I am learning songs and playing with a pianist and I feel like I am doing well strumming along, getting the right key and chords to play in tune with the piano I am playing with.
I do all that and feel great about my abilities and then Wednesday rolls around and I am ready to throw it all away and say screw it, that is the frustrating part. Humbled real quick.
I feel your pain with power chords. When I first encountered the lesson with power chords and palm muting, I was surprised how bad I was (especially because I’d heard power chords were “easy”!). I worked on it for a month or so, then set it aside to move on. I’m now working on a song that forces me to revisit both power chords and PM, and have these experiences: I’m surprised how quickly that muscle between my thumb and index finger fatigues (this is 2.5 years into my guitar journey). My palm muting is getting better - now almost mediocre. My song has a riff that leads into a power chord - I have trouble making the change smoothly! I’ve realized that these are three separate skills, and so I’ve been practicing them individually and not practicing each piece for more than 5 minutes (and sometimes less). My progress accelerated once I broke things down, though I still have a long way to go. What I’ve learned: be patient with yourself, and you’ll get there!
For sure! I took your advice on the F chord and it has really made a difference. No more than 5 minutes a day, but to make sure you get ion 5 minutes on it is huge. I can for sure see the difference it is making.
Power chords and palm muting is for the birds though. I also heard it was easy and you will pick it up in no time, like yeah right. I think there needs to be a whole grade on just this stuff at this point.
Just have to go see someone in person that can help me figure it out one of these days. Just got to keep grinding in the mean time.
My song has a riff that leads into a power chord - I have trouble making the change smoothly! I’ve realized that these are three separate skills, and so I’ve been practicing them individually and not practicing each piece for more than 5 minutes (and sometimes less). My progress accelerated once I broke things down, though I still have a long way to go. What I’ve learned: be patient with yourself, and you’ll get there!