musicians and injuries

[stokes]

I found these URLs about injuries. Hope it'll help any of you..."Playing the piano, playing with fire"!
http://www.ismennt.is/not/sen/musmed.html ....Click on enter, NOT on his name.

Musicians and Injuries:
http://www.engr.unl.edu/ee/eeshop/music.html

[mozartean]

Thanks for the links. As a physician myself, I am convinced that a pianist is like any other sportsman who can be prone to injuries. Pianists often do not consider themselves as sportsmen because they think that they are only exercising the small muscles of the fingers and arms. The truth is that it is the small muscles that tire more easily and get injuried faster than big muscles of the lower limbs and back which atheletes use.

[Pianorak]

Many office workers seem to sustain RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) due to working with computers.
Am I right in thinking that pianists too sustain this kind of injury except that it probably isn't called RSI?

[mozartean]

The repetitive nature of piano playing can be more damaging than an office worker typing on the computer. Pianists are at risk of developing hand conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, and de Quervain's tenosynovitis. As a physician, I would advise the pianist not to repeat a difficult passage too many times - repetitive cycling is the most damaging form of practice. Intersperse your practice of difficult pieces with easy ones - it not only develops your musicianship but also gives your hands their much deserved rest.

[pianodeanne]

I am a pianist, married to a massage therapist!  Oh, yeah!  I remember when I got my first professional massage.  The best part of it was the hands and the forearms.  You should try it out, too.  It's awesome!

[mozartean]

Many injuries come about as a result of taking difficult passages at a speed which is still not manageable. In trying to learn a difficult passage in the shortest possible time, there is always the temptation to speed up. This adds tension which contributes to hand injuries.

[ted]

I've thought about this a lot. I regularly play very physically demanding and active music at the piano for an hour or more while improvising. Why have I never had the slightest problem of this nature? I think it might be mental. I'm basically a very creative amateur (not in the inept sense of the word I hope) - I don't have to "perform" for anybody . Although my time spent in continuous, demanding playing probably adds up to more than many professionals do, I am never stressed, nervous or up-tight because I'm enjoying myself and nothing depends on it. Just a theory.

[ClassicalPiano2002]

i've never had a problem , unless ive been playing for 3 hours straight or more.  Then i get finger cramps or my wrist starts to ache.  But i find that to be normal if your playing for that long of a period...

other than that nothing