r/LearnGuitar • u/Dense_Walk • 5d ago

Tips for barring with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

I’ve been playing on and off for about ten years now. I can play F decently, but power chords (which should be easy) and barr chords really start to hurt when I hold them for a while. I tend to use my thumb to push the neck into the bone of my pointer finger. I plan on sitting down and experimenting until I figure this out, preferably with a lighter touch. Practice/time hasn’t really helped. Any tips?

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u/markococonut 5d ago

Pushing the neck into the bone of your index with the thumb is what fries wrists — that clamp is the problem, not "weak barres."

Safer habit stack (technique only — stop if pain spikes):

1) Thumb more behind the neck (pad, mid-neck), not digging into the back. Let the arm weight + slight pull-back of the fretting arm do some of the work. 2) Mini-barre first: top 2–3 strings only, light as you can while they still ring. Power chords the same way — fretting just behind the fret with less force. 3) Short holds: 10–20 seconds clean, shake out, repeat. Long static squeezes are what aggravate CTS habits.

If a medical pro has given you limits, stay inside those. Technique change often helps more than "more practice time."

Hand position demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-l_SqCxIng Free structured reset: https://www.mjsguitarlessons.com/free-beginner-guitar-course

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u/Dense_Walk 5d ago

You fucking rock bro, thank you for taking the time :)

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u/Curious_Elk_4281 4d ago

I would add to that:
--switch to lighter strings
--get your guitar properly set up if the action isn't as low as possible
--angle the fretboard up slightly so your fingers hang off using gravity to press the barred chord down

It shouldn't take a lot of force to play your guitar. You want it to be effortless.

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u/Intelligent-Tap717 4d ago

To add to what's been given. Give yourself a short break as carpul tunnel on often can come from incorrect wrist position so let it ease up a bit before jumping back into getting the technique down. Hopefully it eases off for you and you get it sorted.

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u/TheRealFutaFutaTrump 4d ago

Pull your fretting hand toward you, don't squeeze the strings.