tendonitis advice??

[GraceStansbury]

I've been practicing extra hard lately and now i have a touch of tendonitis... any ideas on how to fix or help it??   Thank you!!  

[dinosaurtales]

STOP!!   and put cold on it, maybe take some aspirins.   I have a similar problem, and will do anything to avoid getting a full-on case of tendinitis.  It takes forever to heal up.

Several years ago I got a tendinitis in the tendon in the forearm that's a *tube* where all the nerves go through.  Any activity I did would activate it, and I had to give up tennis, kayaking, bicycling (jars the forearms), and piano!  Took 3 YEARS to get over.  And my right hand is the weaker hand now.  

So DON'T mess around.  Get thee to someone who can help you head it off at the pass - in my case it was an orthopedic surgeon who hooked me up with a physical therapist and made a cast thingy that I had towear to bed for several months.  total drag!

[meiting]

A mild case of tendon tension can be relieved with actually a massage and a heat-pack. Just make sure you don't do anything strenuous, but stretching the arm lightly's a good idea before you play anyway. If you practice hard, make SURE you take some time every 30 minutes or so and STRETCH.. or if you're doing something very difficult, then every time you get tight.

[robert_henry]

Learn to play correctly.  You obviously have great tension in your elbow, wrist, and in the bridge of your hand, whether or not you are at a peace to admit it to yourself.  You should be able to play literally non-stop if your mechanism is sound.  Talk with your teacher about it.  If they have no answers, find another teacher.  Tension is such a waste of time.  Don't waste your valuable formative years working with someone who isn't giving you solid footing on the very basics.  I see professional level musicians drop out of competitions frequently, even at the Leeds competition last year.  I see DMA students walking around with wrist wraps on.  These people are in their late 20's!  Don't wind up like one of these poor souls.  Take this tendonitis business VERY seriously.  Just because it will clear up in a little while doesn't mean you won't wind up there again.  There is an axiom:  "The rich keep getting richer because they keep doing the things that make them rich (applying themselves, investing, higher education, etc.), and the poor keep getting poorer because they keep doing the things that make them poor (developing no marketable job skills, wasting money instead of investing it, poor job or scholastic performance, having kids when they can't afford to, drugs, etc.)." This sensibility applies to your technique as well.  If you keep doing things the same way, you can't expect a different result!

Robert Henry

[GraceStansbury]

well... i've never gotten it in the like 9 years i've been playin... but ok! Thanks guys... i didn't know it was so serious  :-/   little bit scary!! Is your arm all better now DinosaurTales?? Hope so.  

[dinosaurtales]

Yes, it's better now, but I still have to *watch* it.  At some point it can become a chronic problem.  But for Robert Henry - great point!  I know my teacher knows about these things, but she hasn't said *boo* to me about it - I have a lesson Saturday and will definitely ask.  i am hearing from varioius members on this board about relaxing wrists and arms.  But I think I am like GraceStansbury - I am working on a piece that has lots of stretching and technique (for me - the Appassionata) and I get *sucked in* practiciing it and then realize I am all tensed up.
There must be *exercises* to relax?  does that sound weird?

[robert_henry]

Grace, it's just that you are probably just now getting to music that is more demanding for your body.  It doesn't matter if you played 100 years without any problems.  There is a problem NOW, and it is the most serious problem a pianist can face.  A case of tendonitis is an indicator to you that you are moving your body inefficiently.  Use this problem as a learning opportunity.  I hope for the best for you.

Just saying it like it is  ,
Robert Henry

[comme_le_vent]

i went from playing 3 hrs a day to about 16 a day for a while, and i got really sore hands and had to stop playing for a while, my lesson - never make a big change in practice time in a short period, always build up to long periods

[erak]

This is maybe off topic, but I don't think I should make a new topic about it.
When I practice for a long time my wrists start to hurt, since I don't really know what tendonitis is, is this normal? I play quite 'wrist-demanding' pieces. They feel kind of stiff. Is this normal or bad?

[robert_henry]

Bad.

RH

[GraceStansbury]

good points... demanding music this year... makes sense! guess i'll just soak it and take some asprin or something and hope it goes away. hehe exercises would be good... anyone know of any?? (Glad you're better DinosaurTales.)

[erak]

So relaxing should just be 'the cure'?

[bernhard]

Have a look here:

https://eeshop.unl.edu/music.html

[Musikchik]

Posted by: GraceStansbury Posted on: Jan 7th, 2004, 7:23pm
I've been practicing extra hard lately and now i have a touch of tendonitis... any ideas on how to fix or help it??   Thank you!!    



My piano professor has been working with me a lot with relaxing while playing. You need to always, always, always keep your shoulders relaxed and down while you are playing. Otherwise, it builds a ton of tension and can give you shoulder problems. As far as arms and wrists are concerned, use graceful rounded (and relaxed) motion. Use gravity to your advantage...most of us have had to learn this the hard way. Gravity is your friend...use it to drop into the keys and round off. It makes for better sound and better technique.   I believe that Chopin would be good for developing this kind of technique.

Sarah

[BoliverAllmon]

don't take aspirin. Take ibuprofen, it relieves swelling and works on muscles. Aspirin just dulls the pain.

boliver

[krenske]

PIRIN tastes better though

[chsmike2345]

Like Rober said, if it hurts, then you're doing something wrong. I remember a competitor in the finals of the latest Cliburn competition that wore wrist wraps. Not good. Work hard, but also work smart.

[Roberto]

I think that tendonitis with pianist in a lot of cases has to see with Focal Dystonia...

[sausagefingers]

Sorry about the necrosis but I'm incensed

"There is an axiom:  "The rich keep getting richer because they keep doing the things that make them rich (applying themselves, investing, higher education, etc.), and the poor keep getting poorer because they keep doing the things that make them poor (developing no marketable job skills, wasting money instead of investing it, poor job or scholastic performance, having kids when they can't afford to, drugs, etc.)"

This "axiom" may be one of the most disgusting things I've ever read on the internet and it really does make me feel sick just knowing there are people who think like this. I urge you who posted and whoever told you this supposed pearl of wisdom to stop and think about this for a while. It is disgusting on several levels , but the most offensive is the assumption that poor people on a general scale have easy access to the things you , the spoilt , fascist, donkey of a man take for granted. Social deprivation is not something a person chooses , drug abuse comes from apathy , boredom , despair, pressure, serious drug abuse is just fatalism tempered by people who treat poor people the way you speak about them,  people who spend there time kicking peoples fingers  off the bottom ring of the ladder.

You may simply be , it is possible, an incredibly misguided and naive individual , I hope that, I really do, but if you actually believe this ridiculous statement you really are one of the most heartless, inhumane people I have ever encountered and may bog himself have mercy on your soul.

Have a nice day

[ionian_tinnear]

Many years ago when we bought the house we live, I had to a lot of excess labor.  Mainly putting in a new yard.  After roto-tilling the yard, I found I had lost almost all strength in both arms/hands.  This of course made piano impossible, I could play 10-15 minutes before the pain was too great to continue.

It took several years to recover, and I've never fully recovered.

Moral:  Take care of you instrument (i.e. YOU!).  If it hurts, that's your body saying Stop!  Seek help, change habits, get coaching on your technique, maybe how you're playing, sitting, etc is causing the pain and pain means damage.

Now, I can play again (20+ years ago for the injury) but not at anywhere near the level I used.  No more concertos..  I now have to choose pieces that do not aggravate my muscles.

[iansinclair]

seek your teacher's or coach's advice; you may have a problem with your hand position.  Some folks (me, for instance) are much more susceptible to tendonitis than others.  I've sometimes envied those who can practice for hours on end -- I can't, and never could, without taking a break.

If the pain persists -- at all -- try ibuprofen (any brand).  Aspirin will dull the pain, but ibuprofen will relieve at least some of the inflammation.  Do NOT use Tylenol, paracetamol, or anything containing it.

[jmanpno]

SausageFingers essentially supported whatever the axiom writer initially said... but also should have his/her post removed on account of going woefully off topic.

That being said, it is true:  doing what you have always done and expecting different results if foolhardy.  "Tension" issues are VERY serious.  Quite simply, there should be nothing from which to relax.  There are motions and manners of getting around the piano that don't require one to stretch in probably 97% of all instances. 

If you play well on a functional coordination level you can be away from the instrument for months only to return to a demanding rehearsal regime without becoming any worse for the wear.