Rehab for guitar players

[Starbreaker]

So I had shoulder surgery on December 22nd, and by the time I'll be able to pick up a guitar again I'll have had about 2 months of not having played. For any other guitar players who have had surgery and have had extended periods of time without being able to play, how did you get back to your previous level of playing ablility after your surgery?

[Dr Death]

So I had shoulder surgery on December 22nd, and by the time I'll be able to pick up a guitar again I'll have had about 2 months of not having played. For any other guitar players who have had surgery and have had extended periods of time without being able to play, how did you get back to your previous level of playing ablility after your surgery?

Perhaps I just don't understand the kind of surgery you had, but why would you have to stop playing for two month's? You can sit and play, that shouldn't have any effect on your shoulder. The other part of your question is pretty difficult to answer, because it's different w/ everybody. How long have you been playing? One year? Five years? Or 30 years? If you've been playing for a long while and have good chops then two month's off won't hinder much... you'll be a tad rusty when you pick it up but you can get that shaken off w/ practice in probably two weeks. If you've only been playing one year then two month's off would be pretty devastating. But again, practice is what will get you where you want to go.

If it were me I would figure out a way to play, if for nothing else my love for the instrument, but if you're that worried about your skill set then figuring a way around the surgery shouldn't be too hard.

[Starbreaker]

I probably should have been a bit clearer. My biceps tendon on my strumming arm (the one connecting the bicep to your shoulder) was popping in and out of place, so they anchored it down. The physical therapist and the doctor who did the surgery said that I should wait until mid-late February to start strumming, but that I could do finger picking in early February. Oh, and before my surgery I had been playing for a little over a year.

Does that help any?

[BonzoLikeDrumer]

I probably should have been a bit clearer. My biceps tendon on my strumming arm (the one connecting the bicep to your shoulder) was popping in and out of place, so they anchored it down. The physical therapist and the doctor who did the surgery said that I should wait until mid-late February to start strumming, but that I could do finger picking in early February. Oh, and before my surgery I had been playing for a little over a year.

Does that help any?

Your still young? I've gone years with out playing, the longest being at least 2 years and I came back to it ok. Just had to shake off the rust. I did spend the first 10 years or so of my playing career at an all most non stop rate. So I don't know about your situation but I came back in a a matter of day's.

[Dr Death]

I probably should have been a bit clearer. My biceps tendon on my strumming arm (the one connecting the bicep to your shoulder) was popping in and out of place, so they anchored it down. The physical therapist and the doctor who did the surgery said that I should wait until mid-late February to start strumming, but that I could do finger picking in early February. Oh, and before my surgery I had been playing for a little over a year.

Does that help any?

Yeah, that helps. Since you've only been playing a little over a year am I correct in assuming you haven't done much w/ finger picking? If you haven't this situation presents a great opportunity to explore that area of guitar playing. It will also keep your fretting hand active.

Be patient, finger picking, properly done, is a process. It's muscle memorization and it takes time to get down, but the rewards are infinite.

[Page-ist]

I think it was maybe September '09 that I broke my middle finger on my left hand(fretting).

It really sucked for me, because after the six weeks of being in a cast, all of the fingers on my left hand were so stiff that it hurt just to bend them(not to mention they smelled incredibly grotesque). Also, my middle finger was a little bit crooked and will be for the rest of my life, but for some reason, it only affected my playing very minimally. So it took several days to get my fingers back to just being able to bend the strings, but now, months later, I' playing better than ever.

Probably the best thing to do is to just ease back into it. I'm sure you'll be fine.

[Starbreaker]

Yeah, that helps. Since you've only been playing a little over a year am I correct in assuming you haven't done much w/ finger picking? If you haven't this situation presents a great opportunity to explore that area of guitar playing. It will also keep your fretting hand active.

Be patient, finger picking, properly done, is a process. It's muscle memorization and it takes time to get down, but the rewards are infinite.

Actually, I've done quite a lot of finger-picking. And you're right, it's such a great technique to explore and do all sorts of things with.

I thank all of you who have responded to my question. All of you have given me great advice

Since I went from playing stuff like Hey Jude when I started out, to being able to play early Metallica (the rhythm parts at least) in one year, I was just a bit nervous that I would have to work a lot to get back to where I was in mid-December of '09, but thanks to all of you, I'm not a aprehensive about picking it up again.

Cheers!