Uh oh...hand pains...

[usamablackbelt]

I'm getting a pain in my left ring finger and my left middle finger when I play. I don't even play that much, only like, 15-30 minutes. It isn't a stamina thing, I think, because I feel it in the middle of my hand, or around my knuckles methinks, and those fingers become weak/slow. I use these fingers primarily for 1,2, and 3.

Can you guys think of what may be wrong, and any possible cures/aids?

[rmz]

Join the club. I used to get wrist pains after about half an hour of play, and I had to cut back on IIDX a little. Now that I don't just play IIDX for hours on end, it's not a problem anymore.

[tawkumi906]

heres a small story: i played at AI for 2 hours then went home and played til 2am and had pains in my right wrist and actually got a cramp by my right elboow then got a small pain on my left pinky

[Akkaraju]

Happens to me all the time too. Sometimes it happens to me even playing DDR too if I use my chair-bar at home because my hands get really awkwardly placed when I use it.

When it happens to me on IIDX i usually don't play all that much for a couple days until my hands stop hurting and that's it really, taking pain relief medicine helps me too.

[Trex210]

I still get those pains too but thats if I play for about 2 hours. I relax for 2 days and it seems Ive improved somewhat. like by a letter grade on some songs

[Psydude]

weak wrists.

work out your forearms some. buy one of those squeeze-things and play with it when you watch movies/walk to class or work or whatever. not only will you look immensely cool, your finger movement will improve and your hand cramps _should_ go away.

or go rock climbing or something.

[TBsmasher]

Maybe start on easier stuff when you sit down to play. If I go a couple days without playing, then pop in, say, 9th style and go right for something like Quasar 7k, my forearms hurt and I can't get through the entire song. Now, if I step it down some to, let's say, End of My Spiritually 7k, maybe some of the harder L7s, then go back up to the flashing 7s, I get much better results. It's kinda like warming up on a musical instrument. You don't just pick up a trumpet and belt out a grand C

[valius]

I can vouch for the effectiveness on "warming up" on easy songs before going all out and struggling on the songs that you're aiming to pass! For me:

5-6 L7
7 7k
and then flashing 7/8 7k mania... lots of fun.

[RemK313]

It could just be poor posture.
I used to get cramps after playing fighting games.
I figured out that it was the fact that my wrist would be held against
the console, and my fingers would jut out and reach into it, puttig pressure on my wrist.

Same thing with IIDX, I used to get cramps because I would tense up a lot, and keep my arm in unusual positions for extended periods of time.

If you've ever taken a keyboarding class, they'll probably tell you that comfort is paramount to keeping yourself pain-free. So, when you type, they tell you NOT to lay your wrist flat against your keyboard's surface, but instead keep the hands floating above the keyboard in such a way where if you made a fist, your knuckles would be folding away from you, and not towards you.

It's the same thing in IIDX. Play a game, and watch your hands. If the knuckles in the middle of your fingers are pointing more towards you than they are the screen, you're likely to hurt yourself.

Also... if your scratching-side shoulder aches, your elbow might be placed up so high, that it puts strain on your shoulder. A lot of people who have hurt shoulders after playing IIDX can put this as the cause.

The rule of thumb is don't place yourself against gravity for extended periods of time. Try your best to make sure that your moving parts are working WITH gravity, and not against it. I mean, this isn't completely unavoidable, but bearing this in mind can save you a bit of pain. I myself still hurt after a game of IIDX sometimes, but more often than not, I'll have sore finger tips because I might have caught the edge of a button, or might have slammed my hand between the console and the scratch too hard.

[dj D-LOG]

Usually I get some hand pains after playing alot of Pop'n, but sometimes after long periods of IIDX, especially at the arcade. Just rest your hands a bit by doing something else, or work to them to the point you can't feel anything.

[bumm]

Having the controller at a lower elevation helps too. When I play at home I've been tending to get sore a lot faster because the IIDA I have sits a lot higher than the KOC's. So when I sit down, it's a few inches below my breasts as opposed to a wee bit above my belly button. I think it may have something to do with circulation, but I don't really know that much.

...but if you're already playing with it on your lap as opposed to on a desk of some sort, then I don't really know what to say. ^^;

[usamablackbelt]

Originally Posted by TBsmasher

You don't just pick up a trumpet and belt out a grand C

Maybe YOU don't... jk.

Yeah. I normally warm up though, that's the thing.

I think I'm just gonna try those finger exercises. They seem to aim towards what tI thought the problem is. I could also try changing the height...I know posture is important (piano), but I thought it was okay...maybe if I took a pic, you could judge?

I'm gonna go buy one of those squeezie things today, actually...

Thanks for the help, though, guys! I was scared for a second that it would be Carpel Tunnel...

[afex.racer_X]

You'd have to play a lot of beatmania to get carpel tunnel. Anywho carpel tunnel has all to do with your back alignment. The nerves in your wrist get pinched and go all the way back to your spine, so just get adjusted every now and then and you'll be set! No though i usually dont have problems with cramping, but i have been playing since like...god 2000. Hiphopmania complete was introduced lol. Only song i've cramped on lately is AA [a] but i think that ones a given lol

[bumm]

Originally Posted by afex.racer_X

You'd have to play a lot of beatmania to get carpel tunnel.

I dunno about that. My friend got tendonitis in her hands and she barely uses them, especially compared to the average iidx player.

Though I'm not going to deny that excessive play furthers chances.

[shogunviper]

i dont think its about whether or not you warm up....you wont pull a muscle or anything, but you will get stiff after prolonged periods of beatmania-ing. I support most the idea of posture...if you keep your limbs (arms) in a certain position for a while, you could slow down the blood circulation, which contributes in part to those cramps. I don't know about the wrists, but arms yeah. The initial feeling of pins & needles in your upper arm is a telltale sign that your blood circulation isn't at full capacity.