Do all teachers have a history of injury?

[immortalbeloved]

Hey,

I am just curious, from my own experience with two teachers who have a form of tendinitis, does every teacher you know have a form of injury like this? Is this something all pianist should expect, or, if not tendinitis, some sort of injury that will be life long?

I don't think I have met a teacher yet who doesn't mention in passing some injury they sustained in their youth. Two I know had tendinitis and one I was just speaking to recently said he had something with his wrists that still hurts him today.

[outin]

? I would expect not...

[drkz4ck]

My curent teacher has had injuries himself.
I haven't asked much, but from what he told me, it happened because of the way he played, which was wrong. He even had to go through a surgery.

After that it seems he had to somewhat re-learn to play. Because of that he really makes a point to his students about playing comfortably, without hurting yourself and avoiding tension (similar to Taubman's approach, I guess). We work that every lesson.

My previous teacher, on the other hand, never mentioned bad injuries of herself. She did talk about building endurance, stretching rands and arms and whatnot, though.

[dogperson]

My current teacher has a Master's in Piano Performance and has never had an injury..  She stresses repeatedly to avoid tension and to take care to avoid injury...   and it seems to be something she practices. 

[lostinidlewonder]

The only injury I had from playing piano is from cutting my finger after doing a rapid glissando Blood all over the keys lol. Certainly you can injure yourself if you over practice and stubbornly pushing through pain while doing so, that is a little silly but can be encouraged especially if you have deadlines which pressure you to perform well within a certain short time period. Playing should always lean towards feeling comfortable, even mad acrobatics should have some degree of effortlessness to them.

[109natsu]

You shouldn't be getting injured if you are playing the right way, therefore injuries are not common and it doesn't happen to everyone. They are also unexpected, so one shouldn't be blaming himself for getting an injury, be he should be thinking about fixing his habits to avoid another injury...

My teacher tells me not to practice more than five hours a day because I can get injured. And I sometimes practice six. But as long as you are not going off limits, you will be fine.

Even if all two of your teachers have gotten injured, it doesn't really matter as long as they still can play the piano

Short answer: Not all teachers have injuries.

[coolpianoman]

NO!

[timothy42b]

You shouldn't be getting injured if you are playing the right way, therefore injuries are not common and it doesn't happen to everyone.

I'm not so sure about that.  Every survey of musicians I've ever seen shows high rates of injury, and for piano at higher levels it's almost universal.