Karl Shiflett and hand problems

Bluegrass Today reports that Karl Shiflett of The Karl Shiflett & Big Country Show (USA; Karl is on the extreme right in the photo above) has been obliged to cancel the rest of his 2019 schedule because Dupuytren’s Contracture in his left hand is preventing him from playing guitar, and recovery from surgery can take several months. This is of course a very serious matter for Karl, and bad news for the rest of us. For the past quarter-century he and his band have been pioneers in presenting music (including original compositions) that looks, sounds, feels, and entertains the way that bluegrass did when it was still considered part of country music.

However, Kevin Lynch (from New England, now resident in the Netherlands) has put a comment on the Bluegrass Today news item that everyone with this ailment should read and consider. Kevin, who has had it himself, strongly recommends needle aponeurotomy by a capable, experienced surgeon - a non-invasive minor surgery available in the Netherlands as an out-patient treatment, after which the patient can be back playing in a few days. We hope this can help Karl Shiflett and any other picker with similar problems.