Guitar Fingers: How To Build Calluses, Relieve Pain, And Avoid Injury

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How to Relieve Finger Pain When Playing the Guitar (or Other String Instruments)

Medically reviewed by Deborah Weatherspoon, Ph.D., MSN — Written by Tim Jewell on November 19, 2019

Causes of finger pain
Callus formation
Pain prevention
Pain relief
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Takeaways

Finger pain is definitely an occupational hazard when you’re a guitar player.

Aside from typing on phones and computer keyboards, most of us aren’t used to the manual dexterity you need to play notes, chords, and perform other string acrobatics.

But the more you know about what your fingers do when you shred, strum, or pick, the more you can do to prevent pain and potential injuries such as tendinitis or carpal tunnel syndrome that can accompany guitar playing.

Let’s get into what causes your fingers to hurt when you play the guitar and what you can do to prevent or treat the pain when it occurs.

What causes fingers to hurt when playing the guitar?

Most people don’t typically use their fingers to press down on thin metal or nylon strings in their everyday lives.

So when you first take up the guitar and spend up to a few hours or more practicing new notes or chords, it’s no wonder your fingers hurt!

Repetitive contact with strings can cause blunt trauma on your fingertips

When first playing a string instrument, the relatively soft tissue on the tips of your fingers experiences repeated blunt trauma, according to a 2011 study.

The trauma results from making constant, repetitive contact with the harsh material of the strings.

Over time, this repeated pressing wears away the top layer of skin, exposing the more sensitive and nerve-dense dermal layer underneath.

Trying to keep playing with exposed fingertip tissue is painful enough. But if you keep playing without letting the skin grow back, you can do real and permanent harm to your skin, nerves, and blood vessels.

In extreme cases, you can lose sensation in your fingertips completely.

If you let these injuries heal, they’ll eventually turn into calluses and allow you to play without any pain. In fact, this is considered a rite of passage for many new guitarists.

Repeated isotonic movements can strain finger tendons

Sore and exposed fingertip tissue is only one type of injury guitar playing can expose you to.

The repetitive movements you make to play the guitar are called isotonic movements.

Performing these isotonic movements a lot for a long time can put strain on the tendons in your fingers. Tendons allow your fingers to move fluidly over the fretboard on your guitar.

Overuse of fingers and wrist can cause tendinopathy or tendinits

If you don’t give your fingers time to rest between songs or concerts, you can develop inflammatory conditions in your fingers and wrist like tendinopathy or tendinitis.

Both of these conditions can increase your risk of a host of hand or wrist injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome, some of which can end your career.

Developing calluses on your fingertips is a rite of passage for new guitarists.

How long does it take for calluses to form?

Developing calluses on your fingertips can relieve a lot of the initial pain of learning to play guitar. On average, it takes 2 to 4 weeks for calluses to fully form.

But callus formation differs from person to person depending on:

how often you practice or play
what kind of music you play (rock, folk, metal)
what techniques you use (strumming vs. fingerpicking, simple vs. complex chords)
what kind of guitar you play (acoustic, electric, bass, fretless)
what type of strings you use (nylon vs. steel)
how tough your fingertip skin is before taking up the guitar

Keep in mind that your skin can heal if you don’t regularly keep up your guitar playing, and the callus formation process doesn’t need to begin again.

How to speed up callus formation

Here are some tips for speeding up callus formation:

Practice a lot for short periods, giving your fingers a break so that you don’t break open the skin.
Start with a steel-stringed acoustic guitar to get your fingers used to tough materials.
Use thick-gauge strings that can rub against your fingers and develop calluses rather than cut open your fingertips.
Press down on a thin edge of a credit card or similar object when you aren’t playing to get your fingers used to the sensation and pressure.
Use a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol on your fingertips to dry them out and promote faster callus formation.

Are there things you can do to avoid or reduce the pain?

There’s plenty you can do to avoid or reduce the pain of playing guitar. Here are some best practices:

Don’t press down too hard when you hit a note or chord. Many guitarists will tell you that a light touch will typically give you the sound you want.
Keep your nails short so that the fingernails don’t absorb the pressure and put strain on your fingers.
Start short and play longer and longer as your calluses develop and you adjust your technique to minimize pain. Play for about 15 minutes at a time three times a day and go from there.
Switch to lighter-gauge strings once your calluses are built up to avoid the possibility of being cut by a thinner string.
Adjust the space between the strings and fretboard on your guitar so that you don’t have to push down as hard.

How to treat sore fingers

Here are some home remedies for treating finger pain before or after playing:

Apply a cold compress to relieve the pain and swelling.
Take a mild pain medication, such as ibuprofen (Advil), for muscle or joint pain.
Apply a numbing ointment to ease the discomfort between sessions.
Soak injured fingertips in apple cider vinegar between sessions to promote healing.
Talk to your healthcare provider about surgery if the pain is constant and intense, even if you haven’t played in a while.

Can guitar playing cause carpal tunnel?

Long-term guitar playing can increase your risk of carpal tunnel syndrome if you’re not careful.

Here’s what you can do to reduce your risk:

Take breaks between long sessions to relax your muscles and tendons.
Flex and stretch your wrist and finger muscles often to keep them flexible.
Keep your hands warm to allow more muscle and tendon flexibility.
Meet with a physical therapist, if possible, to get regular treatment for sore or damaged muscles and ligaments.

Here are some more carpal tunnel exercises you can try to help reduce the symptoms or development of the condition.

Key takeaways

Whether you’re passionate about the guitar or just want to be able to play a song or two, you definitely don’t want pain holding you back.

It’s important take care of your fingers inside and out. Be kind to your fingertips by building up your calluses gradually. Do whatever you can to limit the stress and pressure on your finger joints and tendons.

Now go shred (or strum, pick, or tap)!

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Godwin Y, et al. (2013). Assessment of the presence of independent flexor digitorum superficialis function in the small fingers of professional string players: Is this an example of natural selection? DOI:https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1753193412474151
Lee H-S, et al. (2013). Musicians' medicine: Musculoskeletal problems in string players. DOI:https://ecios.org/DOIx.php?id=10.4055/cios.2013.5.3.155
Ramirez MA, et al. (2011). Digital soft tissue trauma: A concise primer of soft tissue reconstruction of traumatic hand injuries.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3215123/
Rienzi G. (2016). Musicians get hurt a lot: Paging Dr. Serap Bastepe-Gray.https://hub.jhu.edu/magazine/2016/fall/peabody-doctor-for-musicians-injuries/
Sheibani-Rad S, et al. (2013). Hand disorders in musicians: The orthopaedic surgeon's role. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1302/0301-620X.95B2.30092

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Medically reviewed by Deborah Weatherspoon, Ph.D., MSN — Written by Tim Jewell on November 19, 2019

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