The 6 most common guitar injuries

We’ve all heard the saying ‘no pain, no gain’—and it’s safe to say playing the guitar can come with its fair share of pain. However, some guitar injuries are more painful than they’re worth, especially if they prevent you from playing for a while.

In this blog, we’ll look at some of the most common guitar injuries, how they occur, and, more importantly, how to avoid them.

 

What are the most common guitar-related injuries?

 

1. Blisters

They’re not the most serious guitar-related injury, but blisters on the fingertips are still a hurdle many guitarists must overcome, especially when first starting out.

The skin on our fingertips is naturally soft and fleshy. When it repeatedly rubs against the rough surface of a guitar string, the top layers of skin can wear away, which leads to blisters.

To avoid blisters (or any open wounds or finger pain, for that matter), allow your fingers adequate rest between practice sessions, or try to avoid pressing down too hard on the fretboard while playing.

Nylon strings can also be more forgiving than other materials, such as steel, whilst your skin adapts to playing the guitar.

Unfortunately, there’s no real way to avoid blisters completely—all guitarists experience them at some point—but what’s important is that you let them heal between sessions. Otherwise, you could cause soft tissue damage to your fingers in the long term.

The more you play (and let your fingertips heal afterwards), the harder they’ll become, and you’ll be much less likely to develop blisters in future.

 

2. A snapped string to the face

Ask most serious guitarists, and they’ll tell you they’ve had a string break and hit them in the face while tuning at least once.

There are several reasons why guitar strings can snap, such as their age or problems with the guitar nut or tuning posts. However, there are steps you can take to prevent it and the subsequent injuries.

If you regularly play live, consider restringing your guitar at least once a month. You might also want to look at your frets, bridge and tuning posts for signs of general wear and tear.

 

3. Tennis elbow

Tennis elbow—or lateral epicondylitis, to give it its hard-to-pronounce technical term—is a condition that affects the upper forearm. And no, you don’t necessarily need to be playing tennis to get it!

If you have tennis elbow, you’ll feel pain when you lift or bend your arm, grip an object, or twist your forearm when opening something (like a door).

It’s caused by overusing the muscles attached to your elbow, which help straighten your wrist. When playing the guitar, this can happen if you over-practice or apply more pressure on the fretboard than you need to!

 

4. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a common guitar injury, but the truth is that it can affect all musicians. It’s a real showstopper, so it never hurts to increase your awareness, whatever instrument you play.

CTS occurs when the median nerve in your wrist is compressed. Symptoms include tingling, pain, numbness or discomfort in the index and middle fingers and thumb, which is far from ideal for a guitarist.

Given that the chief cause of CTS is excess pressure on the wrist, it’s no surprise that guitarists are particularly at risk of getting it.

But fear not—if you do get this injury, you can do plenty of strengthening exercises to ensure you’re back on stage in no time.

 

5. Tendonitis

Arguably the most common guitar-related injury, tendonitis refers to the inflammation of tendons.

Guitarists can be prone to developing tendonitis in their wrists, and most describe the feeling as a ‘dull ache’. Tendonitis causes muscle tightness, connective tissue constriction, and of course—pain.

So, it’s the same old story as far as guitarists are concerned—over-playing leads to overworked muscles, so give your wrists time to recover!

 

6. Tinnitus

It isn’t easy to describe tinnitus to someone who hasn’t experienced it, but it’s usually a ringing, buzzing, or humming sound in your ears or your head.

For some people, it comes and goes. But for others, it can linger for long periods or become a constant issue.

Tinnitus is usually the result of damage to the inner ear due to loud noise exposure, especially for musicians who don’t have sufficient hearing protection, like headphones or earplugs.

You should invest in adequate hearing protection if you want to prevent tinnitus. It’s especially important for protecting your long-term hearing if you’re performing live or if you like to crank your amp to full blast during practice!

Tinnitus is a common condition, which means there’s plenty of advice and remedies out there to help combat it.

 

Specialist musician insurance through Insure4Music

Worried about sustaining a serious injury whilst playing the guitar? You may want to protect yourself through specialist musician insurance.

Through Insure4Music, you can get cover for Personal Accidents in case you pick up an injury during a performance like the ones we’ve discussed above and cannot work or earn money for a while.

You can also protect your guitar from theft, loss, or damage through instrument insurance.

Get a quote online today to see how we could help you.