Injury - please help !

[rohansahai]

A few days back, the fourth finger of my right hand felt stiff ....I could curl it, but could not straighten it fully. I stopped practicing with my right hand, hoping it would improve. Initially, I felt a very slight improvement, but now, the same feeling is being felt in my middle finger as well. On top of that, there are sudden "pinching" pains in the area where the thumb joins the palm (right hand).
I have booked an appointment with the doctor, but there are no doctors here with experience in such cases (no pianists here).
What do you suggest? I am due to join college in Cleveland Institute of Music in August after a tough decision (law being the other option). But, if this problem is serious and there are chances of it persisting, I might give it another thought.
PLEASE HELP ..any tips, suggestions, ideas are welcome!

[thalbergmad]

"pinching" type pains normally indicate a trapped nerve.

Rest and hot oil massage has worked for me in the past.

Thal

[pianistimo]

good thing you plan to see a doc, too.  you never know.  everyone is different - and if you are planning a career around your hands - maybe knowing exactly what's going on is important.

if you want a home remedy - mine and thal's will work.  mine suggestion would be that if you are used to practicing over 3 hours per day - stop!  do as you are doing - and just stop completely ( unless you occasionally do 10 minute or so thing once in awhile).  for my hands, even gardening can make them tired.  if i garden (pull weeds) a lot one day - i usually don't practice a lot on that day.  i am really overprotective of my hands now.  if they are sore - i will do what thal says (put lotion on ) and rub them and pamper them with warm water.  basically, letting them rest.  some people put this health food store 'tiger balm' stuff on (that heats up). wonder if some of those bottles of massage lotion at fredericks of hollywood would work too? it feels good anyway.

and, don't forget - you can eat oil.  lots of olive oil on your salads.  and, bananas.  i think that there are many nutrients that really DO help - but these are all home remedies.

the doctor will probably be able to x ray or do whatever they do to look at your nerves and see if there is a kink or knot.  perhaps u've been over practicing.  maybe you have to even take two to three weeks off and not touch the piano.  the doctor really should be able to refer you to someone who deals with pianists, though, because the importance is so high to you.  i really hope someone else on the forum will connect you to the right place!  for me, personally, i might go for some massage therapy over having surgery at first.  surgery, to me, is a last resort. 

ok - sorry to go on and on - but this came to mind.  my mom found this chinese lady that i think did accupressure and maybe accupuncture at the same time.  anyway - her prices were really good and she actually achieved some really good results on my mom.  just a thought.  maybe accupuncture isn't what you want - but the accupressure can be very relieving.  my mom started to learn how to do it from this lady - and worked my leg when it was broken - when she came to visit.  i was amazed at the function in my toes after she did it.  nerves can use some pampering sometimes.

[palika dunno]

https://www.peter-feuchtwanger.de/english/startenglish.html

Piano Exercises for Curing Playing Related Disorderns and for Acquiring a Functional and Natural Approach to Piano Playing

this is the best thing that could happen to me. you know, I have read all those books on piano technique..whiteside, sandor, fink....I had serious injurys from playing the piano. after 3 weeks of working with these exercises I feel no more pain and have a completely new approach to making music. Peter Feuchtwanger is a very famous piano teacher who worked with pianists like argerich, cherkassky, helfgott etc.
If you want to work with these exercises (which are not at all "technical exercises" in the conventional meaning) you should buy the DVD, not only the book...otherwise they could be pretty much useless because it is actually a whole "piano philosophy" not only a couple of exercises...

I wish you all the best,
Palika