Think I might have nerve damage

[sumpianodude]

Some days, when I play, my fingers refuse to move and hand feels numb What do I do?

[hardy_practice]

Seek some medical help.  In the UK we have BAPAM.

[outin]

Some days, when I play, my fingers refuse to move and hand feels numb What do I do?

Stop playing immediately.

[leemond2008]

I have to say I have never seen or heard of BAPAM before and I'm from the UK, thats a handy site to know about, the first thing I clicked on mentioned being hypermobile which is something I suffer from (it sounds pretty cool but it basically means you are double jointed to the point that it can cause a few medical problems)

cheers for mentioning them hardy_practice

[sumpianodude]

My mother didn't believe me. I'll talk to my teacher about it

[outin]

I am not surprised this happened since you've been playing a lot of repertoire that IMO requires much more experience than what you have. What worries me is that your teacher allowed this.

If indeed you do have nerve damage from playing, even after you take the required rest you will continue to have problems unless you retrain the way you play. Which means going back to basics.

[hardy_practice]

In the UK there's also ISSTIP.  In the US there's PAMA.

[sumpianodude]

I am not surprised this happened since you've been playing a lot of repertoire that IMO requires much more experience than what you have. What worries me is that your teacher allowed this.

If indeed you do have nerve damage from playing, even after you take the required rest you will continue to have problems unless you retrain the way you play. Which means going back to basics.

The only difficult ones  I have worked on are moonlight 3rd (which I have basically dropped and play once every week or so) and the first movement of waldstein (I practice this one very, very slowly...)as of now...
And op.2 n°1 1st movement, which I'm performing next Saturday, if you count that.

Regarding the second part of your post,
1. How can you tell if you have nerve damage(other than numbness and refusal to move)
2.how long is the "required rest"?
3.should I go back and reforge my technique from scratch or should I just work of easier pieces? My teacher wants me to work on bwv. 999 prelude in c minor and other pieces from that level.

[outin]

The only difficult ones  I have worked on are moonlight 3rd (which I have basically dropped and play once every week or so) and the first movement of waldstein (I practice this one very, very slowly...)as of now...
And op.2 n°1 1st movement, which I'm performing next Saturday, if you count that.

Regarding the second part of your post,
1. How can you tell if you have nerve damage(other than numbness and refusal to move)
2.how long is the "required rest"?
3.should I go back and reforge my technique from scratch or should I just work of easier pieces? My teacher wants me to work on bwv. 999 prelude in c minor and other pieces from that level.

Of course it's not so much what you practice but how (obessively) you do. People tend to force it when doing something too hard. Despite what some people think, slow practice can cause problems as well.

Anyway, to be sure if you have nerve issues or something else you go to a doctor.

The recovery time and required rest are individual. I reacted early on my carpal tunnel problems and only wore a brace and did not play at all for about 2 weeks. But mine wasn't solely from playing but also computer use. I also started physiotherapy right away.

Again, it's not what you play but how you practice. Posture problems can also cause nerve pressure. Have you told your teacher about your problem? Maybe you could sit down together and analyze what in your playing might be a problem. It could be the position of your wrists, twisting, straining, over curling the fingers, pressing too much on the keybed, bad posture...

[sumpianodude]

Stop playing immediately.

Do I only stop playing when I feel it or do I stop playing all togetherness? I have a recital in a week.

[outin]

Do I only stop playing when I feel it or do I stop playing all togetherness? I have a recital in a week.

I am not a doctor. You need one.

You have a recital in a week? The problems started recently?
Sounds like you may have practiced too much in a way that is not good. I am not the one to tell you what to do. If indeed you do have nerve damage and if it is from playing, it would be best to not play. Then again I you have to, at least stop when it doesn't feel right.

[sumpianodude]

I am not a doctor. You need one.

You have a recital in a week? The problems started recently?
Sounds like you may have practiced too much in a way that is not good. I am not the one to tell you what to do. If indeed you do have nerve damage and if it is from playing, it would be best to not play. Then again I you have to, at least stop when it doesn't feel right.

I didn't play for three days straight. Haven't felt it since the, hope it never comes back.