Injured hand from EXTREME practising?

[mmhardky]

We have a problem. Our keyboardist was supposed his Absolutorium concert this week, as a finale of his conservatorium piano studies. He, being a total psycho, chose a 70 min playlist technicaly as insane as possible, with the grand finale being Liszt's Grand Galop Chromatique in a tempo as played by Gyorgy Cziffra.

Well the problem is, that one afternoon he played this track 6 times in a row (without rest) and screwed his right hand. He suddenly started to feel pain and his wrist swell. Next day, we had a rehearsal, he played with his left hand, but most of the time he could not resist and used also his right hand, despite the pain (so I suppose he couldn't have torn appart his sinews or anything, as he was still able to play some crazy arpegios and stuff)

It's been a week now and it still hurts him as much (he is now not practising at all).
My question is if anyone experienced something similiar and how long can it be till things recover. We /www.personagrata.sk/ have an important gig next thursday and it would really suck to cancell it... I'm starting to get worried...

[henrah]

I really think he should cancel it, and go see a doctor about his pain. It might be something very serious.

Urge him to do it as soon as possible, and stop playing piano all together until he finds out what it is.
Henrah

[invictious]

Well it is possible that he has improper technique, leading to some hand injuries, tendonitis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or some other form.

Tell him to get plenty of rest, get a doctor, and don't play too much for a month or so.

If the injury is extensive, he might need surgery.

It is pretty possible that it is a Repetitive Strain Injury, so REST for a MONTH or so/

[mike_lang]

Fleisher went through it - he didn't play two-handed rep for 20 years.  This is reckless practicing, and the pain is the result.

[mmhardky]

He has proper technique. He won many big european interpretation contests. He is studying piano from the age of 2. What he did last week was an extreme.

[donjuan]

he cant practice right now; it's not going to get better right away.  If he can't practice, you are risking the performance quality anyway. 

You'd better cancel right away.

and that should teach him for trying to pull a Cziffra.  (although Cziffra himself screwed up his tendon sheaths in prison during the war, and had to wear leather wrist straps afterwards to play)

[henrah]

and that should teach him for trying to pull a Cziffra. (although Cziffra himself screwed up his tendon sheaths in prison during the war, and had to wear leather wrist straps afterwards to play)

He wore one of those leather wrist straps in the video of Gnomenreigen, but only on his right wrist.

He has rare hands/fingers.
Henrah

[ilsa]

Hey, I did the same thing just two weeks ago... 3 hours of guitar coupled with 1 1/2 hours of octaves at double forte... totally killed my right hand.  It left my right hand limp and useless but now it's feeling normal, though it still hasn't regained it's former stamina yet.  I can only play for about 10-15 min at a stretch, so I think it will take another week or so before its completely back to normal. 


Your friend seems to have had it worse, though, my wrist didn't swell.  I really suggest he rest the hand and not touch the piano, or indeed, use his right hand to do anything at all.  If the gig is not too strenous, I suppose he could try to do it, but in the meantime, don't even use the injured hand! It's really up to him, though, but I'd really suggest resting it.

[lostinidlewonder]

I don't even know why it is so difficult to understand that if someone injures their hands the last thing they should think about is using it for a music peformance. But some people are stupid and they will try to do it, if they are lucky they will still be able to play piano when they are older.

Extreme practice shouldn't cause injury, I practice pieces from Sorabji which in some places purely hand breaking.  Practicing Mary had a Little Lamb wrongly would hurt your hands just as practicing Liszt wrongly would. If you hurt yourself when playing you did it to yourself not the music.

[crazy for ivan moravec]

i had tendonitis. it took me 5 months away from piano to heal. that is the only way to heal, REST. it was over use of tendons, as the doctors said. but it was more of wrong practice technique that i think lead to it. DON'T PRACTICE HARD HIGH/OPEN FINGERS.

but that injury taught me a lot. from then on, i always strived for relaxation.

[mkaykov]

He wore one of those leather wrist straps in the video of Gnomenreigen, but only on his right wrist.

He has rare hands/fingers.
Henrah

cziffra's hands were damaged during his imprisonement, by the communists in Hungary.

[henrah]

Weren't they broken by some guard where he was imprisoned, and he had to completely re-learn the piano because of it?

[sevencircles]

I have often heard about Carpal Tunnel.

Is Carpal Tunnel the same as fingers and hands injured by to much practice?

Which ones of the greatest virtuosos suffered from hands injured by to much practice?