Stringed instruments of the lute type, such as all types of guitars, bass guitars, and other stringed instruments in which the strings are supported by a neck, are characterized by a first hand regulating the sounding length of the strings, and the other hand plucking or bowing the strings to produce a sound, with the pitch adjusted by the established sounding length of the strings.
The movement and force needed to establish chords or tones with the first hand are swift, and may need significant application of force. During play, musicians may experience various degrees of discomfort and fatigue of the hands and fingers, and may suffer temporary or chronic localized numbness, for example of the entire area of the thumb that comes into contact with the neck of the stringed instrument. In some cases, debilitating injuries may manifest, such as related to tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, nerve compression injuries and various forms of repetitive strain injuries. Such injuries can be sufficiently serious that they can halt or entirely terminate the career of a professional musician.
Various warm-up, preparation, and playing techniques have been proposed in the past, and are in use currently, to prevent such injuries, and a number of well-known treatment methods can be used once an injury has manifested. However, up until now, there are no known devices and associated methods available that can directly prevent, reduce, or alleviate injuries while playing a stringed instrument.
As such, considering the foregoing, it may be appreciated that there continues to be a need for novel and improved devices and methods for treatment of trigger points.