Taking a piano break...

[geopianoincanada]

I've been to the physiotherapist. Severe muscle tension and strain all along the right arm down to the hand stemming from a whiplash injury nearly 40 years ago, radiating from my neck through the shoulder down.

I've been told to take 2 weeks away from any strenuous piano work keeping it only light. So I showed the paperwork to my teacher, she told me to keep up practice just on scales and nothing heavy, that if I didn't do this then my ability to play may become permanently impacted.

Funny it's only affecting my right arm and hand, not my left. I'm booked for 2 months of physio and thrice daily exercises which do seem to be having a positive effect. Much of the tension in the right hand has already diminished and I can sleep through the night without being awoken by pain.

[perfect_pitch]

sh*t - sorry to hear of the pain you're experiencing. No piano player ever wants that, but I hope you're on your way to a speedy recovery.

You know you don't want any permanent injuries so a bit of time away from the piano will make you yearn for it more after your recuperation.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder...

[geopianoincanada]

Yea, it feels so out of sorts to have to avoid or minimize piano for the time being. It's a big slice missing out of my routine which I've been doing for nearly 6 years every day at this point.

I tried a bit of piano yesterday on a reduced schedule playing just scales as my teacher recommended. I found that playing E minor harmonic and G minor harmonic scales definitely triggers right hand and arm pain radiating up the outer length of the arm but not when playing C minor harmonic scales. Left hand  arm and shoulder plays and feels normal playing all of the same scales, no discomfort or pain of any kind.

My teacher recommended I should refrain from Schumann practice for now until my arm is better. I had been working on "Of foreign lands and people" (RCM grade 6) for some time and was making progress on it (the reading of the notes was very challenging for my eyes).

We'll continue to focus on book learning for more indepth music theory education as eventually I want to compose as well as teach piano music with my seeing eye dog, haha.

The pain and issues affect my ability to use sign language as well (my wife is born deaf) so I'm having to try to use my left hand for signs which slows me down significantly.

[pianocavs]

Hi!
You highlight an important point that is sometimes overlooked.
What we could call the "physical condition" of the pianist.

Piano practice involves different postures, muscles, tendons, etc.
If the practice is intensive for a long time, we begin to suffer tension and even pain in different parts of the body.
Sometimes the weak point is the back, or could be the arms, wrists, neck, etc.
They limit the practice time by causing discomfort or pain.

The solution may be to attend a gym and do exercises that strengthen the muscles and give them flexibility.
The improvement may be noticeable.
Perhaps pianists should do athletic exercises to improve muscle strength.
And it is also very important to maintain proper breathing and oxygenation during piano practice.

I hope you get better soon.

[geopianoincanada]

Thanks.

It's been a couple of months now away from the hard grinding regiment I had going. I paused in August and now in October I'm slowly resuming. There is some improvement. But as soon as I try to put forth more effort I notice the muscles spasm down from my neck through the right shoulder and into the right arm.

I have to re-learn how to play with this old whiplash injury in mind. I'm slowly building up practice on the fundamentals to warm up and accomodate this issue after doing my physio exercises. Then I make a cautious effort in the pieces I had been working on previously paying more attention to what tension is building up. Schumann seems to trigger the tension in my right arm.

Joining a gym, etc...probably helps for the young. Once you get a number of decades and a variety of mixed injuries piled up, well you know the road in the rearview mirror of life is longer than the road ahead and there's no pretending otherwise.

[perfect_pitch]

Still wishing you the best... I hope that eventually more fundamentals will slowly improve stamina and the ability to play without bringing on said spasms and muscle pains.

I can't imagine the thought of not being able to play piano properly and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

Stay strong... it's been a tough few months for you, but I'm hoping the worst will soon be over.

[geopianoincanada]

Well it's a bit early for a Christmas present. I went to my physio appointment a couple of days ago, he said that my right arm is up to 80% of normal function now. Nearly all of the crushing tension which crippled my right arm and hand is gone.

I'll be glad to get back into practicing pieces once again! Still I used my time productively working on grade 6 music theory. I'll be cautious about just diving right back in because the last thing I want is to risk reinjuring the old whiplash injury.

[lelle]

Congratulations! I've read about your struggles in recent years. Happy for you that things are improving!

[geopianoincanada]

Things started becoming painful once again despite taking precautions.

I made an appointment with my GP, got XRays and an ultrasound scan done. Xrays show wrists and arms are ok but the right shoulder shows bone on bone friction towards the upper area of the shoulder joint combined with bone degradation and inflammation of the supraspinatus muscle. No wonder it was waking me up at night. But there is absolutely no issue at all with my left shoulder or arm.

I wonder why the pain and cracking in my right wrist would be due to shoulder troubles? Xrays showed there is nothing wrong in the wrist yet it stiffens up, making crack sounds and the right arm tends to intermittently "freeze" while playing or signing to my wife (she is deaf, I use sign language).

Fortunately the doctor prescribed more physiotherapy and not surgery. And I have to still take it easier on piano. It's a shame because I just recently bought myself a good refurbished Yamaya U1X to supplement teaching piano to my young students along with the Roland LX-7 I've had for several years.