Hello I just heard something and I need to know has anyone ever heard of Prince having hand pain, if so when? Thanks ya'll.

FuzzyPatricia said:

And String instruments are the worst to play when to comes to hand pain. It wasn't just a stunt that he wanted to accompany himself with piano and sit down most of the time. It wasn't perfect because he still had to pound away on the piano and I am sure his upper back hurt (maybe partly while he would sit and stand back and forth--shifting the stress from back to legs/hips, legs/hips to back).

littlemissG said:

FuzzyPatricia said:

Hello I just heard something and I need to know has anyone ever heard of Prince having hand pain, if so when? Thanks ya'll.

After he passed. Makes sense, repetitive motion injuries are common for musicians. I also took a close look at some of his pictures in some you can see swelling around the knuckles.

It's completely possible, but the first I heard of it was the Moline OD. I think he told Judith that's why he needed the meds.

I think it is more than possible. I think it is very likely. Transferring from guitar to piano as his primary instrument is another indication. I doubt Prince would publically admit that his most notable talent was becoming too painful to continue.

Rev said:

It's completely possible, but the first I heard of it was the Moline OD. I think he told Judith that's why he needed the meds.

Must not have been too much pain in his hands, he never seeked help from a pain management Dr.

PennyPurple said:

paulludvig said:

PennyPurple said:

Must not have been too much pain in his hands, he never seeked help from a pain management Dr.

That is not really evidence that he wasn't in pain.

If a person is normally in a lot of pain they seek help from a Dr. If the person is in screaming pain, they seek help from a Dr.

His profession required using his hands, if he could no longer perform due to the pain, then the 1st normal thing to do would be to see a Dr. wouldn't you think?

PennyPurple said:

PennyPurple said:

paulludvig said:

PennyPurple said: That is not really evidence that he wasn't in pain.

If a person is normally in a lot of pain they seek help from a Dr. If the person is in screaming pain, they seek help from a Dr.

His profession required using his hands, if he could no longer perform due to the pain, then the 1st normal thing to do would be to see a Dr. wouldn't you think?

Key word. What about Prince said "normal," to you?

We are not privy to all private conversations he had with doctors, but according to even the investigative reports, he had pain and saw numerous doctors who gave him pills. The pain pills probably did help with some physical pain, even if physical pain wasn't the only reason he was taking them.

Its common for musicians especially those playing string instruments to have physical pain. Musicians are human beings who experience physical pain. Prince was a long-time musician and human being who was just as vulnerable to pain as anyone else. Deductive reasoning.

PennyPurple said:

paulludvig said:

PennyPurple said: That is not really evidence that he wasn't in pain.

If a person is normally in a lot of pain they seek help from a Dr. If the person is in screaming pain, they seek help from a Dr.

His profession required using his hands, if he could no longer perform due to the pain, then the 1st normal thing to do would be to see a Dr. wouldn't you think?

A couple of his assistants/managers talked about it. I am not going to look through that enormous file to find it. Sorry. Its been stated on here as well.

Morgaine said:

Several people spoke about his having physical pain after his death, but I don't recall anyone stating it was specifically hand pain until Judith's statements were made public in the investigation reports. I also do not recall the investigation docs stating he saw "numerous doctors who gave him pills", please state where this is in the docs. I found this article/blog post about arthritis, chronic pain, and Prince that I thought had an excellent POV: https://rheumatoidarthrit...s-of-pain/

SkipperLove said:

And String instruments are the worst to play when to comes to hand pain.

That's a very broad statement. The guitar is a very ergonomic instrument - the violin isn't.

The fact that he was a multi-instrumentalist would actually mean that he'd be less susceptible to RSI type issues, owing to changing the position of his arms, hands and general posture regularly and dependent on which instrument he was playing. If he had hand pain, I'd put it more down to being exacerbated through computer use. I and many other musicians I know have such issues which are primarily down to computer/phone use (which is not ergonomic in nature) more than playing instruments.

[Edited 7/19/18 16:53pm]

jjam said:

SkipperLove said:

And String instruments are the worst to play when to comes to hand pain.

That's a very broad statement. The guitar is a very ergonomic instrument - the violin isn't.

The fact that he was a multi-instrumentalist would actually mean that he'd be less susceptible to RSI type issues, owing to changing the position of his arms, hands and general posture regularly and dependent on which instrument he was playing. If he had hand pain, I'd put it more down to being exacerbated through computer use. I and many other musicians I know have such issues which are primarily down to computer/phone use (which is not ergonomic in nature) more than playing instruments.

[Edited 7/19/18 16:53pm]

No doubt he played his instruments much more than he used the computer on a regular basis. He was mid 50's. I'm sure arthritis was developing on some level. I know he was quoted as saying he couldn't really play his guitar anymore. Also, I believe I read in the investigative report that he complained of either numbness/tingling or pain, or both during the vist to the Doctor in MN.

*

Not sure why it would be hard to believe that he suffered from some type of pain or arthritis in his hands - after 40+ years of playing guitar and piano constantly....

Thank you.

violetcrush said:

jjam said:

That's a very broad statement. The guitar is a very ergonomic instrument - the violin isn't.

The fact that he was a multi-instrumentalist would actually mean that he'd be less susceptible to RSI type issues, owing to changing the position of his arms, hands and general posture regularly and dependent on which instrument he was playing. If he had hand pain, I'd put it more down to being exacerbated through computer use. I and many other musicians I know have such issues which are primarily down to computer/phone use (which is not ergonomic in nature) more than playing instruments.

[Edited 7/19/18 16:53pm]

No doubt he played his instruments much more than he used the computer on a regular basis. He was mid 50's. I'm sure arthritis was developing on some level. I know he was quoted as saying he couldn't really play his guitar anymore. Also, I believe I read in the investigative report that he complained of either numbness/tingling or pain, or both during the vist to the Doctor in MN.

*

Not sure why it would be hard to believe that he suffered from some type of pain or arthritis in his hands - after 40+ years of playing guitar and piano constantly....

PennyPurple said:

Must not have been too much pain in his hands, he never seeked help from a pain management Dr.

There's no evidence he didn't consult a doctor at any time for pain management. It's unlikely Prince would've submitted to surgery on his hip and ankle without a consultation, don't you think?

We only have vague, fragmented information regarding the last year of Prince's life - nothing more. The majority of posts here about Prince's medical history are pure conjecture.

SkipperLove said:

Thank you.

violetcrush said:

No doubt he played his instruments much more than he used the computer on a regular basis. He was mid 50's. I'm sure arthritis was developing on some level. I know he was quoted as saying he couldn't really play his guitar anymore. Also, I believe I read in the investigative report that he complained of either numbness/tingling or pain, or both during the vist to the Doctor in MN.

*

Not sure why it would be hard to believe that he suffered from some type of pain or arthritis in his hands - after 40+ years of playing guitar and piano constantly....

It's not about using the computer more than playing instruments. Using a computer/phone is not a normalised way of using one's hands with regards to how our muscle physiology has evolved. From my own experience and other musicians I know, it is the prime factor in hand/arm pain that we experience. It will be less of an issue to younger generations who will grow up using their hands and arms in this manner (another example of muscle physiology evolving). Numbness/tingling is often a symptom of nerve issues (not necessarily a physical cause or deterioration of joints etc.).

I've yet to see a direct quote to him saying this about playing guitar. If anything, playing the piano can be more taxing on the hands than the guitar regarding the hand stretches involved. And again, being a multi-instrumentalist does somewhat help to ward off usual RSI issues owing to the positioning of hands/arms/posture differing dependent on the instrument being played (so not as much repetitive strain being exerted).

joyinrepetition said:

In the last 2 years before Prince passed away, I noticed Prince deferred many guitar solos to Donna. I thought he could have had arthritis issues, but once we found out he was suffering from pain and using pain killers, I felt that Prince may have had issues with his dexterity from that point.

He was always a giving musician, but he may well found that he had weakness issues with his fingers owing to his hand issues. Nothing that physio wouldn't usually sort out - it's something I've had to work on.

Hard to say without knowing exactly what the cause of his hand pain was, but it sounds like possible cubital tunnel.

OperatingThetan said:

PennyPurple said:

Must not have been too much pain in his hands, he never seeked help from a pain management Dr.

There's no evidence he didn't consult a doctor at any time for pain management. It's unlikely Prince would've submitted to surgery on his hip and ankle without a consultation, don't you think?

We only have vague, fragmented information regarding the last year of Prince's life - nothing more. The majority of posts here about Prince's medical history are pure conjecture.

We are not talking about his hip, we are talking about his hands.

There is no evidence he consulted a Dr for pain management for his hands.

PennyPurple said:

OperatingThetan said:

There's no evidence he didn't consult a doctor at any time for pain management. It's unlikely Prince would've submitted to surgery on his hip and ankle without a consultation, don't you think?

We only have vague, fragmented information regarding the last year of Prince's life - nothing more. The majority of posts here about Prince's medical history are pure conjecture.

We are not talking about his hip, we are talking about his hands.

There is no evidence he consulted a Dr for pain management for his hands.

There is no evidence that Prince didn't either. As I mentioned we only have scant, fragmentary medical information regarding the final year of Prince's life via (an imperfect) police investigation. If Prince visited a consultant for hand pain in 2010, for example, we would have no knowledge of it. To suggest Prince never consulted a doctor for pain management of any kind at any point during his life is pure conjecture. We simply don't know either way.

OperatingThetan said:

PennyPurple said:

We are not talking about his hip, we are talking about his hands.

There is no evidence he consulted a Dr for pain management for his hands.

There is no evidence that Prince didn't either. As I mentioned we only have scant, fragmentary medical information regarding the final year of Prince's life via (an imperfect) police investigation. If Prince visited a consultant for hand pain in 2010, for example, we would have no knowledge of it. To suggest Prince never consulted a doctor for pain management of any kind at any point during his life is pure conjecture. We simply don't know either way.

Well if he had, he would have had LEGAL prescriptions.

PennyPurple said:

paulludvig said:

PennyPurple said:

Well if he had, he would have had LEGAL prescriptions.

Not necessarily. He might have been cut off. He might have preferred getting the meds without leaving a paper trail. We don't know. But I see absolutely no reason to doubt that he was in pain. Some people are hell bent on reducing everything he did to addiction. A recreational user. Just a junkie, right? No he wasn't.

So just because someone might have preferred getting meds without leaving a paper trail, makes it all OK? He got them off the streets, he was self medicating. Simple.

PennyPurple said:

OperatingThetan said:

There is no evidence that Prince didn't either. As I mentioned we only have scant, fragmentary medical information regarding the final year of Prince's life via (an imperfect) police investigation. If Prince visited a consultant for hand pain in 2010, for example, we would have no knowledge of it. To suggest Prince never consulted a doctor for pain management of any kind at any point during his life is pure conjecture. We simply don't know either way.

Well if he had, he would have had LEGAL prescriptions.

The only prescription information we have is a very limited window in 2016. Any other suggestions for other time periods are pure speculation.

Prince was clearly self-medicating in 2016. What he did or tried prior to the dire circumstances of that year is not known.

I read in an artcle that Prince said he could not play the guitar anymore. That's when he decided to have the Piano and Microphone tour.

Wlcm2thdwn3 said:

Prince started having tingling sensations in his fingers and hands.

OperatingThetan said:

Wlcm2thdwn3 said:

I read in an artcle that Prince said he could not play the guitar anymore. That's when he decided to have the Piano and Microphone tour.

So many of his statements at his final Paisley party caused confusion. Prince made that comment in regard to his new custom guitar that he had ordered and displayed to the audience. He couldn't play that guitar now as he was immersed in the Piano and a Microphone tour. I don't think he intended to convey the impression he could no longer play the guitar as it was made in reference to his new guitar. The comment was also made long after the piano tour started and he had tragi.cally played what would be the final date in Atlanta. That doesn't mean he didn't experience pain in his hands, of course.

Co-sign regarding the guitar (OperatingThetan).

He banged the piano pretty hard while performing during the Piano and Microphone tour. Perhaps some ice, rest for a few days/week and Advil likely would have helped helped.

[Edited 7/20/18 18:36pm]