Avoiding Injury as a Guitar Player (And What to Do When it Happens)

Just because guitar playing isn’t a sport (despite there being some contention around treating it as such) doesn’t mean it isn’t an intensely physical activity. Utilising fine motor skills may not leave us panting and sweaty, but it is still important to warm-up and stretch just as you would before lifting weights or going for a run.

A warm-up can take just 5 or 10 minutes but allow a little longer if you’re planning on tackling something very challenging and have the time to do so. There are two key ways to approach warming up: to use exercises specifically designed to mobilise the fingers or to play through some easy and comfortable repertoire that gets the hands going. You can find many examples of warm up & practice routines on LickLibrary, some of which are fairly challenging! Warm-up exercises aren’t always the most musical - as the priority is mobilisation however, they’re worth factoring into your practice routine if you really want to improve your dexterity. There’s even the possibility of integrating basic music theory practice with warm-up exercises, splaying through some scales with the metronome at a comfortable pace is a great warm-up. If, however, you’re primarily playing for pleasure and aren’t overly concerned with building dexterity or becoming a theory buff, you don’t have to spend time on exercises that you don’t enjoy by any means. Instead play through some songs you enjoy that feel easy and low effort for you, whatever that may be – if you’re brand new to guitar playing then go over something you’re beginning to feel confident with or strum a couple of chords that are coming comfortably. Don’t be tempted to push your speed too quickly. Take your time and try to avoid playing in a particularly cold environment where possible!

Once you’re warmed up, you should then stretch gently. Here are three stretches to try:

• Hold your hand out in front of you, with your palm facing away and arm fully outstretched in a ‘STOP’ type motion. With your free hand, grasp the top of the fingers and pull gently back towards you. You should feel this stretch in the underside of your wrist and down your forearm. Repeat on each side.

• Almost the same as stretch one, but this time have your inner arm facing upwards, your elbow facing toward the floor. Gently pull on the fingers toward you and again feel the stretch on the inner wrist and forearm.

• Once again place your arm and hand out in a ‘STOP’ type motion but this time take your arm out to the side of your body, rather than in front of you, so that your palm faces the wall to your right. Then, turn your head to the left, facing away from the extended arm. You should feel a gentle stretch in your neck and shoulder, as well as in the wrist and forearm. Repeat on the other side.

You can also use some shoulder circles, neck circles, and other back stretches which will help you to stay mobile and prevent injury before it happens.

Many guitar players struggle with back pain as a result of poor posture, particularly when playing for hours on end. It can be difficult to avoid hunching over the guitar when seated for practice, but if you find yourself stooping down toward the guitar to make it feel closer to you, why not try adopting a seated position more typical of a classical guitar playing style? Sit with the guitars body between the legs, resting on the knee of the fretting hand side and add a foot stool, or any object, to prop up the knee below the guitar neck. If you still prefer resting the guitar body on the picking hand side knee, an object or footstool underneath this side is equally effective. Keep the shoulders relaxed and focus on lengthening the spine. When looking at your fretboard, tilt the head from the joint where your neck meets your skull, instead of being tempted to stoop the shoulders or curve the spine.

Be aware that if you’re struggling with a difficult song or technique and it’s causing you to feel mentally tense, it’s highly likely that your body will also be reflecting that tension. Your shoulders may creep up when you’re feeling frustrated, or you can end up gripping far too tightly onto the neck which is highly taxing for the tendons in your arm and hand, Be sure to check in with how your body is feeling whilst you practice and if you notice you have a great deal of tension, try to relax that or get up and stretch or shake out if needed – it may even help you nail the part you’re struggling with!

With certain guitar players popularising the low slung Les-Paul, you may also find when playing in a standing position that you are hunching down toward the guitar if your strap is too low. It may come at the expense of looking a bit more rock and roll, but don’t be afraid to adjust the height of your guitar strap to something more comfortable. Though no matter the height of your strap, some pain is expected after a long set with a heavy guitar, so again treat your recovery as you would in an athletic context and utilise stretching, icing, cool-downs, and perhaps even go for a sports massage if you’re having a busy gigging period.

Firstly, always seek a doctor’s advice for injuries that are a cause of ongoing concern especially if you aren’t sure what problem you’re dealing with. Whilst not all aches and pains are cause for panic or are telling you to put down the guitar immediately – if something doesn’t feel right, taking a break before you risk making it worse is very important. You can be doing everything correctly and still run into issues with repetitive strain, pulled muscles, trapped nerves, or inflamed tendons. So, if you have pain that begins as soon as you start playing, step away from the guitar for at least a few days to rest and ice the area before returning to practice gradually and see how you feel. Don’t be tempted to go out and buy a wrist support to keep it on for days on end whilst trying to keep playing without consulting a professional as this can worsen weakness in the tendons and cause further problems.

Don’t be tempted to push through pain to the point of causing damage. You will be less effected by injuries long term if you respect what your body is telling you and rest when the moment calls for it. It can be frustrating to encounter an injury when your making progress, but you can always get creative if you don’t want to stop practicing! If your picking hand is out of action, why not try working on left hand only trills and legato.