Have you ever broken a hand?

[lovettmusic]

On Memorial Day of this year, I was visiting my parents with my fiancee and our dog Ruby, who is a Boxer-Mastiff mix. (Basically, she's four years old and weighs as much as I do. Big. Strong. Dog.)

At one point, Ruby got a little violent with my parents' dog and as I held her back with the third and fourth fingers of my right hand, she twisted against my grip and shattered my metacarpals.

Thinking at first that I had sprained my hand, I made a splint and hesitated until the next day to go to an emergency room. It turns out the break was too small to operate on, and the doctor put me in a cast for four weeks, and told me that I would need physical therapy after wards and that it would be at least a year before the tendons healed completely.

By the way, I'm right handed. The following four weeks sucked, suffice to say, and the event happened days before my students' recital, where I was also scheduled to perform the Moonlight Sonata. Nonetheless, I was able to acquire a book of Sonatas for the left hand and was able to put together a small ditty for the recital.

The cast is now off, and I've been back at the piano learning new pieces. Since returning to the piano, however, I find that I experience a lot of pain and stiffness in my middle finger. Part of it is the break, but I have recently become conscious of the fact that I've been regressing in technique since the cast was removed. It may be nerves or frustration, but I play with far more tension in my hands and fingers than is needed. I feel like I've forgotten how to play with a light touch, and I struggle to relax when I'm at the piano.

Has anyone here ever broken a hand? How did you recover from it? What are some good exercises to play with that will help me recover dexterity and fluidness?

[lostinidlewonder]

I have never broken my hand but I have been bitten by an animal and my hand got infected over a month and restricted my playing for about 2-3 months. The remedy is to simply not play until your hand is almost back to normal. It is very difficult to resist playing and I found that out the hard way. At one point I thought my hand was good to play but I ended up causing more problems and it took longer to heal. Certainly use your sore "paw"  to play but use it very very limited and as soon as you feel pain of any sort you must stop, it is your body telling you that it can't handle that at the moment, don't be impatient and force yourself. You have to do easier exercises with your weaker hand away from the piano. I have known a broken hand to take more than half a year to recover, sometimes even longer, a good friend of mine her son had a car accident last week and crushed his hand requiring several pins and wires, I am interested to see how long it will take him to heal up and he uses his hands his trade as well.

[ed palamar]

The personage of Daniel 11:7 chopped my hands off at the wrists in the c. early-mid 60's (the date of which I'm not very sure).  This was followed by bouts of 'botched' surgeries.  It has been an abusive and horrific experience.  I sympathize with your ordeal.

[go12_3]

I broke the right hand, a bone, below the ring finger on the Metacarpus(below the 3rd knuckle). After it healed up, I have had no problem in playing the piano and guitar. 

[mike1515]

Hello lovettmusic,

4 years ago I had an accident while running on a competition. One of the contestants made me trip and I fell so hard I broke my ulna and my radius (of the left hand), near the wrist.

I had to stop playing the piano for 4 months. After those months I started again, but I had lost all control and tecnique I had acquired with lots and lots of work.

For the next 4 months, I concentrated only in doing scales, beginner exercises, all types of chords... Then I started playing again. It made me mourn with happiness, although it wasn't as good as before.

It was last year when I felt I was completely recovered from that accident. Now, I play better than ever.

So. my advice is slowly start with scales (they really help), and then some exercises on learning how to use your arm weight (there's a post somewhere about that), and mostly exercises concentrating on your wrist to lose that stiffness

I understand your accident is less than mine, and you will recover in one year maximum, but those exercises should help.

Best,

Michael

[lovettmusic]

Thanks everyone so much for your help and responses. Knowing there are pianists out there who have suffered damage to their hands and are still successful is a great comfort.

The personage of Daniel 11:7 chopped my hands off at the wrists in the c. early-mid 60's (the date of which I'm not very sure).  This was followed by bouts of 'botched' surgeries.  It has been an abusive and horrific experience.  I sympathize with your ordeal.

What???

Hello lovettmusic,

4 years ago I had an accident while running on a competition. One of the contestants made me trip and I fell so hard I broke my ulna and my radius (of the left hand), near the wrist.

I had to stop playing the piano for 4 months. After those months I started again, but I had lost all control and tecnique I had acquired with lots and lots of work.

For the next 4 months, I concentrated only in doing scales, beginner exercises, all types of chords... Then I started playing again. It made me mourn with happiness, although it wasn't as good as before.

It was last year when I felt I was completely recovered from that accident. Now, I play better than ever.

So. my advice is slowly start with scales (they really help), and then some exercises on learning how to use your arm weight (there's a post somewhere about that), and mostly exercises concentrating on your wrist to lose that stiffness

I understand your accident is less than mine, and you will recover in one year maximum, but those exercises should help.

Best,

Michael

Where can I find these arm weight exercises?

Thanks to everyone again!

[ask_why]

Did you end up seeing a physical therapist?  If not, it might be worth asking around to find a good one in your area -- they would probably know some exercises or stretches you might not otherwise think of.

As your finger strength returns I would think you'll see your technique improve as well.  People seem to take it for granted once they've been playing for years, but I've taken several long breaks due to school and the difference is pretty dramatic.  I prefer playing my keyboard over our acoustic piano, but I use the acoustic far more often just because it has a very heavy action and helps maintain that strength.

Good luck!

[alan22]

I broke the right hand, a bone, below the ring finger on the Metacarpus(below the 3rd knuckle). After it healed up, I have had no problem in playing the piano and guitar. 

yes i have had the same problem but after so much time one of my friend ask me to go to physical therapist now im absolutly fine......

[snoot]

On a similar note... I'm having problems with my left hand. After buying a piano 2 months ago making the switch from keyboards, i have been practicing alot. The strength in my hands and playing improved massively. Then last week my left hand is started to actualy become weaker which is very strange. I've played for a lot of years and never experienced this. It just doesn't seem to want to hit notes which before i had no problem with. It's very frustrating. It seems to be getting weaker and weaker with practice. Anyone had any experience with this?

[jesc]

I second the notion of not playing until your hand is completely healed. However, I recognize situations where you're forced to play.

For example, my hand problems weren't as serious (no broken bones) only muscle pains. I knew that I had to wait days for my muscles to repair themselves (it happened before). Unfortunately, I have to memorize a piece by the end of a week. So the only solution I had, was to play on the lighter digital piano. Right now, the pain is going away plus I'm able to progress on my playing.

that's what i can offer as a suggestion for now with my limited experience (play on a light instrument). However, I've heard of stories where after an unfortunate accident a pianist had to permanently adjust to the occasional pain. (but every case is unique to each individual so this doesn't mean that your pain is also permanent)

[escort]

I used to be pretty heavy into skateboarding as a teen, and messed up my right hand with that; I needed pins and all to hold the bones in place, and actually required a neurosurgeon as the injury had caused the much of the hand to lose feeling (was nice to not have to go through the pain when it happened, but I sure noticed it after the surgery!).  The longest lasting impact from the whole ordeal is a bit of a phobia towards sports...
The pinky on my right hand is 'twisted' a bit from the left hand, but it's really something I've grown accustomed to playing with.  It took a long time for things to become more comfortable, but I've recently just entered graduate studies in performance, showing that it's certainly not a career ending problem. 
Leon Fleisher is back to performing with two hands after many years of being forced to play left-hand only repertoire. 
'Stuff' happens; just give it time and try to be patient.  Even in instances of permanent damage, the body can adjust.  Technique is not wholly dependent on the perfect body structure (though it certainly never hurts...).  This trauma may be an interesting way of forcing you back to basics which are often overlooked or forgotten.  Try to find the positive and don't worry about difficulties; it's not worth the emotional burden.

[pianoplayjl]

I've broken my thumb once but it was not painful so I practiced less for a week or two.

[ed palamar]

What???

I can inform you a little better about it then.

That "bud" in Daniel 11:7 was a King of France who axed off both of my hands early in the 1960's A.D.

It was somewhat in retaliation for his own son having been murdered by the youngest of the Kings of Persia foretold in Daniel 11:2.

The King of France's son was still in the womb (with a female twin) when the murder occurred, and Nostradamus foretold it, too.

https://risen-from-the-dead.forumotion.com/t108-century-viii-32

The most amazing thing happened later when that King of France came to me in tears, truly sorry for what he had done :

I forgave him.

[j_tour]

Sure.  A few years ago (three or four) I was sparring with a drinking buddy and my left connected with a 4x4 beam of wood.
"
Boxer's fracture.  Eight months or so of pain whenever I had to use that hand to reach into a pants pocket for keys and stuff. 

The most technical stuff I have to play besides fast jazz, rock, blues, are some basic "classical" repertoire things I keep in my bag, and scales and patterns in thirds and sixths as exercises.  So not a big loss.

The worst hand problems I've had has always been catching the nails of 4 or 5 of the LH between the keys.  Once you have a blood problem, makes you a little skittish about "finally getting those Chopin Preludes perfect" (IMHO, Chopin is the worst for making you get in close to the keys, and that's why I've been sticking to Bach lately).

Someone said it above, more philosophically, but, I'll say my own crude way, meh, even though I don't play concert repertoire at Carnegie, it's still a fact of my professional and personal life to deal with these problems.  I just think of them as annoying little challenges, like someone walking too slowly in front of you on a sidewalk. 

My hands are basically effed up, with scars, that broken LH knuckle still sticking out (but not hurting, just grew back in weird), but the only thing I've learned in my forty years as a hack is that you don't have to be perfect, or even good -- just good enough.

[iansinclair]

I managed to run fingers 2 and 3 of my right hand through some farm machinery.  This is no recommended practice.  What were supposed to be two bones (the medial metacarpals in those two fingers) wound up in a total of 13 pieces of varying sizes, held together by a bit of skin.  Not fun.

However, with the assistance of a fantastic emergency room surgeon, and an even more fantastic orthopedic surgeon, and a really good physical therapist, I still have the fingers -- although they don't bend at the distal joints.

That was two and a half years ago.  After diligent work, I have gotten almost all of my repertoire back, with the exception of a few odd fingerings and trills which don't and never will work again.  But which nobody notices.  (current rep. being all of the Chopin Nocturnes, all 8 of the Schubert impromptus, a couple of Beethoven sonatas -- that sort of thing).

So it can be done.

[jinfiesto]

I broke my right middle finger, and also shattered a disc in my right thumb (fencing injury.) My middle finger, is fine, but I can't extend my right thumb more than say, 30 degrees from my index finger. It doesn't actually bother me too much surprisingly. I can still play 10ths easily with my right, and can play Chopin op 10 no 1 without too many problems.

For my middle finger, I didn't play with my right hand for a couple months. Ended up playing left handed only literature, which there is fortunately a lot of.

I've also nearly dismembered myself several times (love to cook.) Cut the nerve in my left middle finger once and couldn't feel the top half of that finger for like a year.

I guess my point is that usually if you just take it easy for a while, you'll bounce back. If you've been playing a while, at least this is my experience, your playing tends to be pretty durable. I've not played for years at a time and come back like nothing's happened.

[lostinidlewonder]

I can inform you a little better about it then.

That "bud" in Daniel 11:7 was a King of France who axed off both of my hands early in the 1960's A.D.

It was somewhat in retaliation for his own son having been murdered by the youngest of the Kings of Persia foretold in Daniel 11:2.

The King of France's son was still in the womb (with a female twin) when the murder occurred, and Nostradamus foretold it, too.

https://risen-from-the-dead.forumotion.com/t108-century-viii-32

The most amazing thing happened later when that King of France came to me in tears, truly sorry for what he had done :

I forgave him.

I know your baiting people for comments, but.... really ed, take ur medication, your schizophrenic type posts are real silly.

[alatrousse]

No!  Who do I look like?  CLARA HASKILL!

Regards (better)

Burn HARD!

[j_tour]

.

[octave_revolutionary]

Just for fun, are there any doctors reading this? And if so, and you're a doctor, or better yet, specifically a bone specialist, what do think the chances are of breaking one or more fingers from playing like this:

?

P.S. DON'T try that at home (or anywhere else, for that matter)! 

[electricboobs]

Boxer's fracture. I got it before I took up piano. It didn't heal perfectly. I might be slightly hindered for some of the fast piano licks due to this. I might get it broken and reformed correctly some day.

[j_tour]

Boxer's fracture. I got it before I took up piano. It didn't heal perfectly. I might be slightly hindered for some of the fast piano licks due to this. I might get it broken and reformed correctly some day.

For real, you'd seriously consider re-breaking and maybe stabilizing the fracture in some kind of splint/cast?  I was talking to my brother-in-law's brother on American Thanksgiving last night who had recently broken his cravicle, and I was trying to show him my old broken knuckle, and apparently it seems to be not the knobby protusion it used to be.  That was a boxer's fracture from about two years ago, maybe three, and to my surprise it doesn't seem to be noticeable.

Out of curiosity, does your hand still hurt?

I'm not a medical doctor, nor especially knowledgeable about physiology, but I have an average curiosity about such things.