Is it possible to cause a stress fracture in the thumb by playing guitar excessi!
Question: I have recently picked a guitar back up after several years of not playing whatsoever, and for a while I was playing 2 or more hours a day shortly after I picked it back up. I've always had a tendency to hold on very tightly to the back of the neck of the guitar with my thumb, usually with just the tip of my thumb touching the back of the neck of the guitar. Lately, I've started feeling pain in my thumb when I do this, and even when I use less pressure. I'm afraid it is a stress fracture and I'll have to take time to heal....has anybody heard of something like this before?
Answers: I have recently picked a guitar back up after several years of not playing whatsoever, and for a while I was playing 2 or more hours a day shortly after I picked it back up. I've always had a tendency to hold on very tightly to the back of the neck of the guitar with my thumb, usually with just the tip of my thumb touching the back of the neck of the guitar. Lately, I've started feeling pain in my thumb when I do this, and even when I use less pressure. I'm afraid it is a stress fracture and I'll have to take time to heal....has anybody heard of something like this before?
No sounds like "Gamekeeper's Thumb". I doubt that you have a stress fracture.
Try the below link:
Stress fractures are almost always a result of weight-bearing activity. While I can't rule the possibility out totally, I think you are more likely experiencing an inflammation/strain of the muscles and tendons that are associated with the thumb. Try taking some Emergen-C with MSM (be sure you get the brand with MSM... Emergen-C has other products) 2 or 3 times of day and soaking your hand in warm water after particularly long sessions.