German surgeons claim to have succeeded in correcting the side-effects of Eddie Van Halen's decades of blistering guitar heroism. Van Halen had suffered increasing pain in his left pinky and thumb since the end of his last tour in 2008. When initial treatments for arthritis proved ineffective, Van Halen sought out the German specialists. They found a bone spur, twisted tendon and a cyst in the joint of his thumb and decided to operate.

Doctors will remove the stitches in a few days and expect Van Halen to return to full guitar-tapping form in about four months. [Spinner]