If you have more going on in your life besides your guitar practice, you\u2019ll likely get sore hands or an injury at some point.<\/p>\n
Whether it\u2019s from\u2026<\/p>\n
\u2026it\u2019s easy to strain or bruise the little muscles in your hands, or get minor wounds that take some time to heal.<\/p>\n
When your hands hurt, how do you practice guitar? You need to keep practicing, but you also need to give your hands time to heal. So how do you balance those opposing desires, and what do you actually do in guitar practice on those hurt-hand days?<\/p>\n
First off, if you’re perpetually getting guitar injuries in your practice, you may have a flaw in your technique. \u00a0If you use improper form or positioning, you can cause wear and tear on your connective tissues and strain your muscles (or something worse<\/a>).<\/p>\n Always be on the lookout for ways to improve your fundamental form<\/a>, positioning, and movements, and you’ll gain increasing comfort and safety in your practice. \u00a0But assuming you have a run-of-the-mill hurt hand….<\/p>\n In the most general sense, when you have a hurt hand, focus your practice time on the other one. If your right hand is hurting, focus on the left, and vice versa.<\/p>\n If both hands are hurting, spend your time with more intellectual study and mental practice.<\/p>\n Perhaps the worst thing you can do is to just \u201cwork through the pain<\/a>\u201d. This notion was popularized by the sports field before they knew better. But now the best trainers recognize that it doesn\u2019t make sense to sacrifice the long term for some short term, low-stakes practice goal.<\/p>\n Rest your hurt hand as much as possible.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Instead, your best course of action is to rest your hurt hand as much as possible. The body is generally good at healing, given the opportunity and conditions.<\/p>\n Some nurturing, care, and rest will speed the healing and have you back to 100% quickly.<\/p>\n If both hands are out of commission, there\u2019s no need to abandon music altogether. You can still come leaps and bounds in your practice time. If you have one good hand, put all your attention and time into training it. Let the hurt hand rest lightly in your lap, or let it hang loosely.<\/p>\n\nHow to Practice with Guitar Injuries: Basic Strategy<\/h2>\n
Rest is Job One<\/h3>\n
Related Article:\u00a0Oh, My Aching Shoulder!\u00a0<\/a><\/h6>\n
Do Other Things<\/h3>\n
\nYou can focus your time on other areas of knowledge that support your playing.<\/p>\n\n
\n<\/strong>– Quiz yourself on your guitar knowledge
\n– ID note names on the fretboard
\n<\/strong>– Work on new techniques for non-hurt hand<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nIsolate Your Other Hand<\/h3>\n
How to Practice with a Hurt Left Hand<\/h2>\n