Guitar Risk Assessment & Management 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A guitarist is recovering from De Quervain's tenosynovitis. Which activity poses the HIGHEST re-injury risk?
- Gentle scale practice at slow tempo
- Rapid thumb-over-the-neck power chord grip (Correct answer)
- Fingerpicking with a relaxed wrist
- Light strumming with a pick
Correct answer: Rapid thumb-over-the-neck power chord grip
De Quervain's involves the tendons on the thumb side of the wrist; thumb-over-the-neck grips place maximum stress on exactly those tendons.
Question 2: Which of the following is an example of a SECONDARY risk factor for guitar injury?
- Poor fretting technique
- Playing a guitar with high action
- Stress and inadequate sleep reducing tissue recovery (Correct answer)
- Attempting a technique beyond current skill level
Correct answer: Stress and inadequate sleep reducing tissue recovery
Stress and poor sleep are secondary lifestyle factors that impair tissue repair, making the body more vulnerable to overuse injury.
Question 3: During a risk audit of a guitarist's practice routine, which data point would be LEAST useful?
- Average daily practice duration
- Types of techniques practiced most frequently
- Color of the guitar strap (Correct answer)
- History of prior hand or wrist injuries
Correct answer: Color of the guitar strap
Strap color has no bearing on biomechanical load, injury history, or practice patterns, making it irrelevant to risk assessment.
Question 4: A guitarist who recently increased practice from 1 hour to 4 hours per day reports elbow pain. Which principle explains this injury risk?
- The FITT overload principle applied too rapidly (Correct answer)
- Insufficient guitar neck radius for the player
- Playing too many different styles simultaneously
- Using the wrong pick thickness
Correct answer: The FITT overload principle applied too rapidly
Rapidly increasing volume (Frequency, Intensity, Time, Type) without adequate adaptation time is the classic overload injury mechanism.
Question 5: Which professional is BEST qualified to diagnose nerve compression causing numbness in a guitarist's fingers?
- A music teacher
- An orthopedic specialist or hand therapist (Correct answer)
- A fitness trainer
- A guitar luthier
Correct answer: An orthopedic specialist or hand therapist
Nerve compression is a medical condition requiring diagnosis by an orthopedic specialist or certified hand therapist, not music professionals.
Question 6: What risk does tuning a steel-string acoustic up a full step above standard pitch create for the player?
- No risk unless the guitar is old
- Increased string tension requiring greater fretting force, elevating strain (Correct answer)
- Reduced string tension making bends harder
- No effect on playing effort
Correct answer: Increased string tension requiring greater fretting force, elevating strain
Raising pitch increases string tension, which requires more finger pressure to fret cleanly, directly increasing tendon and muscle load.
Question 7: A guitarist wants to prevent injury while learning to play fast. Which approach best manages this risk?
- Start at full target speed and slow down if it hurts
- Practice at a slow, accurate tempo and incrementally increase speed over weeks (Correct answer)
- Use a lighter string gauge only
- Avoid fast passages entirely for the first year
Correct answer: Practice at a slow, accurate tempo and incrementally increase speed over weeks
Building speed slowly with correct technique allows tendons and muscles to adapt progressively, preventing overuse injuries.
Guitar Risk Assessment & Management 4
A guitarist is recovering from De Quervain's tenosynovitis.
Which activity poses the HIGHEST re-injury risk?