RSI

[iratehamster]

Here's my RSI (repetitive strain injury) story:

Two months ago, while I was typing, my wrists started bothering me.  It was just a slight pain/discomfort that I had experienced many times before whenever I typed too long without a break, and usually went away after I took a break for a couple hours.  So I wasn't concerned and continued to type.  Soon afterwards the tingling in my wrists got more intense, and I also started to feel a dull burning sensation right under my wrists.  It wasn't really painful, so much as it was uncomfortable and annoying.  But it was bad enough that I couldn't continue typing.  I still wasn't worried in the least, of course, since I had experienced this many times before in a lesser degree, and I figured it would go away with a night's rest.

Well, now it's two months later, and my left wrist is currently still burning, and I'm typing this by pecking the keys one-by-one with a pencil.  I'm a piano major, and the semester begins in about a week, but I'm not able to play more than 15 minutes at a time before my left hand (which got it worse) starts burning up.  Even less time than that if I'm playing Bach (who's equally unforgiving on both hands).

I'm terrified.  I think as RSIs go, mine is pretty mild--it's not painful or uncomfortable enough to be distracting most of the time, and I can do everything comfortably except type or play the piano.   But it's just not going away.  I still haven't seen a doctor about it.     (But I will soon.)

Does anyone have any advice or insights into what form of RSI I have?  Or (God forbid) have stories of their own to share?  RSIs sneak up on you.  I hope my story conveyed that and helps some people avoid injuring themselves.

[ihatepop]

Here's my RSI (repetitive strain injury) story:

Two months ago, while I was typing, my wrists started bothering me.  It was just a slight pain/discomfort that I had experienced many times before whenever I typed too long without a break, and usually went away after I took a break for a couple hours.  So I wasn't concerned and continued to type.  Soon afterwards the tingling in my wrists got more intense, and I also started to feel a dull burning sensation right under my wrists.  It wasn't really painful, so much as it was uncomfortable and annoying.  But it was bad enough that I couldn't continue typing.  I still wasn't worried in the least, of course, since I had experienced this many times before in a lesser degree, and I figured it would go away with a night's rest.

Well, now it's two months later, and my left wrist is currently still burning, and I'm typing this by pecking the keys one-by-one with a pencil.  I'm a piano major, and the semester begins in about a week, but I'm not able to play more than 15 minutes at a time before my left hand (which got it worse) starts burning up.  Even less time than that if I'm playing Bach (who's equally unforgiving on both hands).

I'm terrified.  I think as RSIs go, mine is pretty mild--it's not painful or uncomfortable enough to be distracting most of the time, and I can do everything comfortably except type or play the piano.   But it's just not going away.  I still haven't seen a doctor about it.     (But I will soon.)

Does anyone have any advice or insights into what form of RSI I have?  Or (God forbid) have stories of their own to share?  RSIs sneak up on you.  I hope my story conveyed that and helps some people avoid injuring themselves.

Poor you.

See a doctor immediately. The sprain could get worse (which is very likely).

Best wishes,

ihatepop

[pianistimo]

i am ultra cautious of my wrists.  of course, in the last few months my piano technique has gone down (due to some gardening and carrying heavy watering cans, etc).  but, whenever i do one thing that is semi-repetetive or hard on the hands/wrists/arms - i don't try to do a lot of practice the same day. 

because the soreness has not gone away for you - i'd definately see a doctor.

maybe as an intermediate thing - do the dishes.  that always helps me.  soak your arms up to your elbows in warm/hot water as bob once said.  this covers the entire group of muscles including those many small ones in the wrist area that lead to each finger ligament.  i used to rub my wrists, but i don't do that anymore.  just soak, relax, and don't practice a lot when they are 'burning.' 

you might tell your teacher what is going on, too.  that way he/she will understand and not give you a piece of bach that is ultra long or repetitive - but something short and mild.  perhaps not any bach right now.

my husband once had a gel filled wrist-rester which he placed in front of the keyboard.  i don't know where he got it.  maybe that would also help with typing?

[nortti]

If the hand starts burning after 15 minutes, you should rest it after, say, 10 minutes. Don't play until it begins burning..

[mlha]

The same thing happened to me.  Typing for long periods of time made my wrists tingle at first and then became like you said a burning sensation.  I have played the piano my whole life and never felt this before until I started a job where I had to type.  Possibly, my wrists were already starting to have trouble and the typing just brought it out.  Then when I got a new piano, I practiced like crazy trying to get some 'big' pieces learned, and the pain in both wrists and forearms got to be too much.  I went to an orthopaedic doctor who first gave me a shot of cordizone in both wrists, but it did not help.  Then he sent me to another doctor who tested me for carpel tunnel and the results came back negative.  I did not have carpel tunnel but do have tendonitis.   Currently,  I do still type at home but I sit higher and take my hands off the keyboard often.  And for some reason, using the mouse also causes pain so I try to 'poke' at it instead of leaving my hand resting over it.  Also, I don't practice piano for long stretches at a time anymore.  It also helps to do wrist stretches. 

[trix]

I've played both piano and violin for a few hours daily for more years than I care to recount and I never had any pain issues until the internet came along and when I lay off, or severely limit, the comp. the tendonitis goes completely away no matter how much I continue playing piano and violin but as soon as I start spending more than a moderate amount of time on the the comp. I'm in pain again. 

I get sporadic tendonitis in my hands, the only symptom of which is the palms of my hands ache, throb, and  feel like they're being put thru a shredder; like I'd caught a baseball at 500 mph with my bare hand (don't ask me how I'd know what that actually feels like lol  ).  The thing I definitely noticed about it is that it came on only after I'd discovered the internet and started spending many hours each day online.  The mouse really aggravates it too, as someone else noted; something about keeping the arm outstretched and the hand tensed in that position seems to really aggravate things, and it also can  be a painful experience for the right neck and shoulder as well.   

It's odd: Certain sites seem to bring it on; there are certain forums I can stay on for hours and have no problems and others that hurt almost the second I look at them.  I attribute that to the way I must be (unconsiously) positioning myself with respect to the different layout of the forums (i.e., table positions, text location etc.).  Luckily this forum doesn't seem to bother me.

The warm/hot (as hot as you can stand it for as long as you can) water works wonders-I do it prophylactically every day at the end of my shower.  Also try a soak in a jacuzzi if you can.

[trix]

I forgot to mention that some of the support gloves and splints (as well as the mouse/keyboard  rests) can really help.  I use these gloves when I'm online and, just recently, it struck me to use them when I'm playing too so, if I can remember to, I use them for that as well. 

This pic isn't that great; the gel mouse and keyboard rests are clear against the black desk background, and this is a really old, cheap webcam, so they don't really come out in the pic but I highly recommend them as well as these support gloves that you can find  in most any drug store and alot of grocery stores too:




BTW I reach a 9th .