Nerve/tendon problems in hand

[mistresstogould]

I have been experiencing sensitive nerves in my right hand, 4th and 5th fingers, since I began working on Bach pieces from the WTC. The problem seems to stem from interchanging fingers: e.g. 5-3, 4-5 or from doing trills with 3-5 and esp. 4-5. Perhaps I am doing the trills wrong to be causing nerve problems? It is now recurring and it gets worse when I use a mouse for the computer (though it does not stem from the mouse, it just further aggravates it). I never had problems before. I must be straining my tendons with the trills and interchanges. Does anyone have any advice?

Stephanie

[ted]

If it is in the two outside fingers only, that can be caused by some activity which puts pressure on the elbow or the outside of the wrist. People who cycle with drop handlebars or walk with crutches often get it. I got it from certain movements using a bullworker. I thought it was piano playing for a while. The activity doesn't have to be heavy and obvious to do it. It might be your playing but I wouldn't have thought such movements of the fingers, however fast and dextrous, could produce that. What do you get exactly ? Numbness ? Pain ? Tingling ?

[johnmar78]

Mistress, I think you need to pratice it softly RIGHT from the start. Obviosly, there is some muscle /tendon strain somewhere. At least your fingers are still active. My advice is DEEP MESSAGE into the pain spot for 20 minutes, to ease the tension inside the muslces/tendon. And HAve a rest for 3 days and see how your finger behaves next.  Cheers

[robert_henry]

I agree with JohnMar. Deep massage. Deep enough that it is intense, if not painful. If it hurts in a certain spot, you need to be worked there. Find a male therapist and tell him exactly what you want, meaning you don't want a full body massage, but just a deep massage on the arm(s). It may take a few tries to find someone who will listen to you and will deviate from their routine.

Overuse (and massage) can cause swelling. You could try ice plunges or ice cups. Ice plunges are uncomfortable, but they are very effective. Also, compression sleeves.

Anyone can get overuse injuries. Mine usually come from carrying luggage and/or driving a lot.

You might have some pinching of the nerves above the elbow, like in the shoulder, chest, and neck. The nerves of the arm pass through these areas. The pinch could be anywhere, but start with the forearm.

I speak from experience. I've done all of the above. Best wishes.

Robert Henry

[costicina]

Welcome back, Robert!!!!  We missed you soo much. Please, don't disert us again!!!!

[jgallag]

First of all, problems at the piano are the result of misuse, not overuse. Pain doesn't mean you're doing too much, it means you're doing it wrong. Of course, as has already been mentioned, your pain may be a result of something you do away from the piano. As for general technical pointers, remember that you only need apply enough pressure to hold the key down (when switching fingers); beware of pressing. When doing trills, three things: the other fingers, unless they are playing other notes (I had to trill and play a melody in a Mahler acc. once. Awful.), should be relaxed and lightly brushing the keys. The forearm should rotate at the elbow to support thing trilling fingers. Finally, the wrist should "breathe" throughout the trill (move up and down). This is a very small movement, but you'll need to practice making it big to help your awareness. A helpful way to determine how the trilling arm should breathe is to sync it with the other arm. Finally, watch out for ulnar deviation (a google search should lead you to a picture) and its mirror. These can lead to carpal tunnel, and while it is sometimes necessary to go to these extreme positions for an instant, there's no need to hold the wrists in these positions.

It would be helpful if you could name specific passages, too.