Nerve pain in tip of 2nd finger (left hand)

March 19, 2013 at 03:44 PM · Without seeing you play, its very hard to give advice. Nonetheless, here are 2 thoughts.

1. Nerves and tendons take a long time to heal - much longer than muscle strains. They are easily re-injured until months, sometimes many months, after the original injury. Return to playing very slowly. If its 5 minutes and the injured area feels tired, then stop before it gets sore. The following week, maybe it will be 10 minutes. You get the idea. Practice basic technique - stance, relaxed muscles, long bows, etc.

2. Fingers get "assaulted" by any and all problems further up in the hand/wrist/arm/shoulder/back and neck chain. Your description has hints in it that you may have tension in the hand, and if so, you very likely have tension all the way up the chain. If so, that has to be corrected to stop the finger problems. This possibility makes me cringe when your physical therapist has you tapping your injured finger with increasing force and instructing to do it the same way you always have. That will just re-enforce possibly poor technique. If any of this hits the mark (clearly I can't see your movement), you need a teacher who knows muscles as well as the violin, and can teach a relaxed stance and motions. Chose carefully, not all teachers can do that.

March 20, 2013 at 03:06 AM · I agree with Mike.

In this case, while you are resting and healing, it is a good idea to re-visit your posture and the way you hold your violin.

I had a brief episode with numb fingers and tingling due to BonMusica shoulder rest. It went away as soon as I stopped using it.

Beware of a shoulder rest that fits too well - if you can not move your violin even slightly, chances are that the problems will manifest in your fingers.

UPDATE: Please confirm with your luthier that the string clearance is standard. The last thing you need now are high and tense strings. Also, consider switching to gut strings, or a lower tension gauge.

March 20, 2013 at 05:11 AM · Hi Ellen,

I have been going through something similar. It was caused initially by a fall down some steps. I had some soreness immediately, but a couple of weeks later my right hand became quite painful, particularly the thumb, index and middle fingertips. Fortunately it was the right hand. If it had been the left, I would have been unable to play. I went variously to my doctor, to a chiropractor, to a physical therapist, and to a McKensie therapist (a specialized branch of physical therapy) who gave me the most help.

They all agreed that it was a pinched nerve, probably originating in the neck, in the C5 or C6 vertebra, and traveling down my arm. The chiropractor and the McKenzie therapist gave me some neck exercises which I did faithfully and continue to do. Perhaps they helped. Also he gave me some carpal tunnel type exercises, although I respond negatively to the carpal tunnel tests. The doctors also all agreed that it could take many months to heal. The thing that helped me the most was from the McKenzie therapist, which is consistent with what your therapist told you. He said, first of all, "use it." Secondly he had me "desensitize" the fingertips by rubbing them on something rough like a turkish towel, or in my case, the rough seam on my jeans. This seemed to help a lot.

It's been seven months. It's much better, but not completely, and it gets worse sometimes when I exert myself with a hard workout.

I'll be happy to continue comparing notes with you, either here on V.com or privately.

Wishing you good luck and a good recovery.

Roy

March 20, 2013 at 07:47 AM · We tend to press much more with middle finger than with the others.

I often correct this between sessions: one finger on each string;

- pressure zero: contact;

- pressure no.1: the strings are lowered halfway;

- pressure no.2: the strings touch the fingerboaerd;

- pressure no.3: the skin of the figertips touch the fingerboard each side of each string;

This way I can equalise the action of all four fingers.

We tend to use pressure nos.6 or 7 with the middle finger, and no.5 with the others..

Pressure no.2 is usually enough. High up on the E-string, or the A on my viola, I don't allways even need to hold the stringright dowm for a clear sound.

Once I have damaged my fingertip (pressure, or even a small DIY accident!) I cover the tip with a small plaster to play..

March 20, 2013 at 01:33 PM · This just happened to me, except for me it happened on the tip of my first finger. It was very strange...I still cant 'put my finger' (couldnt resist) on what exactly caused it, i can only rationalize it by saying i must have come down on the string "just right" but all of a sudden i got a sharp shooting pain as though there were a thorn stuck under my nail, or a very very short hair if anyone has ever experienced that feeling.

The wierdest part was that it didn't go away right away. It took around 2-3 days for it to completely go away, by the end of the first day i could play again but it was quite uncomfortable. I probably should have abstained from playing but im stubborn and impatient. Once the 3 days was over it completely went away, and hasnt come back since but it was definitely some sort of nerve issue. Had me scared for a day or 2 there.

March 20, 2013 at 02:19 PM · This happened to me once practicing perhaps excessively, left hand pizzicato passages in a Sarasate piece I was playing but like Aaron it went away after a couple days or so. Seven weeks wow I can't how frustrating that would be!

March 23, 2013 at 04:11 AM · Without knowing the cause, I wouldn't know where to begin. It may take some work, but if one pays more attention to their kinesthetic sense with light touch, it's likely to strengthen the playing, and wit great surprise and satisfaction. If a digit is painful more than once, I always tape it u til I feel it's healed lest i just damage it further. If a joint hurts or a tendon hurts, I splint it immediately to protect it until its healed. A simple bandaid around a joit can limit flexibility, absorb energy and allow for healing. Ultimately nothing should hurt. Never hesitate seeing a sports orthopedist or hand specialist.

March 27, 2013 at 12:40 PM · Thanks to everyone for your replies. When my Hand Therapist told me to keep tapping my fingertip onto soft, then harder surfaces, my immediate reaction was that it is the opposite of what I thought I should do. In other words, I thought that doing this might aggravate it further and my gut instinct was to rest it.

However, I had to trust my therapist and needed get over the fear of using that finger again and as Roy said, to 'desensitise' the nerve. The tapping seems to have helped, as has building up my playing gradually and being very aware of not over-pressing the strings. I needed to start with slow stuff first and am now progressing to playing quicker again. Things are looking up!

With regard to the bridge/nut height, strangely enough, the last time this nerve thing happened to me (about 7 years ago) was just after I had had my bridge & nut lowered! When you have alterations to your bridge/nut, it changes the angle of the strings slightly and you also have to get used to the different finger pressure needed (which in my case was less). I guess I didn't take that into consideration at the time! I now know that these small changes can make such a big difference to your technique - your body gets used to certain positions and sometimes complains when something is slightly different. The longer you've been playing, the more it complains!

Perhaps using lower tension strings could help, but unfortunately my violin doesn't seem to respond very well to them. Maybe I'll look into some different brands.

I think there are various circumstances in which our fingertips can be more prone to injury:

1) Changes/alterations to instrument

2) Fingertips out of condition (due to less playing)

3) Pressing too hard on the strings or too much string tension

4) Overplaying! Especially after a period of underplaying!

My recent injury I think was caused by no. 2 and no. 4!

That's my theory anyway :)

March 27, 2013 at 03:23 PM · I had a similar issue in my undergrad. Tip of 1st finger was not usable for 7 or 8 weeks.

I was quite sure it was from pressing too hard, and often coming down from a shift and slamming that finger into the strings. I still also think that the shoulder was a culprit.

Strange though, that the injury was a gift of sorts. Not being able to play shook me out of thoughtless habits, and coming out of the injury, I remember feeling a renewed love for the instrument (or maybe was just happy to be back at it!).

One thing though, I did in fact change the angle of my finger. I played (and still play) with the pad of the first finger - in every situation except quick passagework. The change of angle did help me a lot, and if I attempt to play always on the tip I can feel twinges of that old injury (it happened 20 years ago).

David

March 28, 2013 at 04:04 PM · I did also consider the angle at which my fingers hit the strings and generally I play on the pads. I have a very short 4th finger and one thing I've noticed is that when I keep my 2nd finger down on a 'low 2nd' (e.g. C natural on A string in 1st pos) and then play a 4th (e.g. E natural on A string in 1st pos), it pulls my 2nd finger right onto its tip near the nail. This seems unavoidable for me. In some cases I don't need to keep the 2nd down when playing the 4th, but when playing fast, its not practical to lift it only to put it back down again.

I agree with David that sometimes these things are a blessing in disguise and force you to evaluate your technique!

September 15, 2015 at 10:21 PM · Thank you, Ellen for this very helpful post.

I have been playing professionally for 20 years and experienced an acute injury to my 2nd finger 6 months ago, during a symphony rehearsal. In my case it is clear that this is a local injury specifically to my fingertip. As a teacher I spend most of my time teaching rather than performing / practicing, so no reliable calluses.

I found some quick relief using a rubber finger sleeve (Office Depot), inside out and trimmed a bit. This allowed me to play normally but makes half-steps difficult (the sleeve catches on the adjacent finger).

My new discovery is making a finger sleeve from tape. It is nice if the tape is breatheable (e.g. medical tape) and has enough rubbery texture to grip the string. Since a lengthy rest period is not a viable option for me, I am hoping that using the sleeve consistently will allow the nerve to heal, then use desensitizing protocol above.