Every now and then we read statistics like "over 80% of pianists have suffered some form of repetitive stress injury". I have often wondered how valid that statement is. I doubt that anyone has ever gone around polling pianists.
(a) Have you ever suffered a repetitive stress injury (e.g. tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome,....etc.) that made it impossible (or extremely painful) to play the piano for a week or more?
(b) Do you know what led to the injury?
(c) What did you do to heal, and are you approaching the piano differently now?
here is the advice Andre Watts dispensed: "If you have an injury, do not play through it!" He had done this once, and it almost ruined his career.
Each time I *try* just a bit with this left hand...........in particular left pinky..........does OK.........for just a *bit*............and then sore again......even typing at the moment...................does that...............seems just the pinky.....
It' the well known PPS (Pinky Period Syndrome).
Your problems likely come from you constantly typing "." with your left pinky. Just look at your posts. It' the well known PPS (Pinky Period Syndrome). It's aggravated by the coloring of text passages, which requires unnatural movements in the meta-carpals. I am convinced, if you get rid of those two things, you will feel a lot better (and everybody else too)
Seriously, some injuries require years (!!!!!) to heal.
This is true for example for rotary cuff problems (shoulder) and other injuries where ligaments and tendons are involved. No serious pianist or athlete or worker will wait this long.
Athletes and workers usually get help through injections of cortison and other drugs that accelerate the healing process.
Everybody is kind of hoping that low activity will not hurt the injured part.
Boy I wished it were that simple ..........I would never type a *....................*again............but they are automatic.......just hold the key down..........
Have you ever suffered a repetitive stress injury (e.g. tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome,....etc.) that made it impossible (or extremely painful) to play the piano for a week or more?
My piano teacher does warn me alot on some passages to never practice it more than two or three minutes straight, so that I prevent myself from getting tendonitis.
A combination of rock climbing, computer work in an inergonomic setup, piano playing with flawed technique and a bad sleeping habit (hands tucked under my head).
Piano playing is not isolated from other activities. In many cases, it is not the piano playing itself that causes injury, but it will definitely aggravate it and bring it out, or make it chronic. One has to change all bad habits. For example, healthy piano playing is impossible if one does not know how to sit correctly. Sitting correctly requires one to know how to stand and walk correctly. One must know how to lift things correctly, and so on. It is not enough to concentrate on hands only, but similar and beyond to what Brian said, one must apply this to everything one does to prevent bad things from happening. It spans the entire gamut from brushing teeth to sex.
I must say that after all is said and done, the whole experience was really a blessing in disguise. The injury caused me to rework my faulty technique, and I play much better now than I ever have. I find myself much more relaxed and fluid at the piano. In a way, I'm glad I got injured, as strange as that sounds.