Fingertip and DIP joint pain?

[rebus0]

Hi,

I'm new here and have been browsing recently trying to find threads discussing similar issues to what I am experiencing, but have found limited information, and so wanted to make a post to ask others' thoughts. I have loved the detailed responses and advice, both here and on PianoWorld, in the threads I did read. Thanks for visiting and I welcome any feedback.

I have been experiencing new pain in the fingertips and DIP joints (more pronounced in the index and middle fingers on my right hand, but occurring in multiple joints - the middle finger on my left hand to some extent, and depending on what I am practicing, my right pinky and ring fingers). The pain in the fingertips feels like bruising, whereas the DIP joint pain feels more arthritic and worsened with lateral instability. This has been going on for about a month and I believe it is correlated with both my learning a piece which is fairly demanding for me (Christopher O'Riley's arrangement of "I Can't" by Radiohead - intensely beautiful but requiring a good amount of spread of hand/fingers and some lateral strain of the joints due to the speed), the arrival of my new digital piano (Roland GP6, previously playing Roland FP10), and probably exacerbated at work where I am using a mouse and keyboard. I have noticed that when I occasionally collapse my joints while playing, this seems to worsen the issue and in learning about crimp injuries in rock climbing, I believe this tendency is at least partly contributing as well; I have been revisiting my technique with that aspect, and using tape to stabilize the more problematic joints when not playing. Other context would include a fall on my outstretched right hand while cycling a couple years ago, which took some time to heal and I feel sometimes my right wrist is less mobile than my left.

I've been playing classical for most of my life, and have not experienced this type of pain, at least not to this extent - even with pieces like Prokofiev's Toccata op.11. I just saw a doctor and had XRs done, so hoping for a direction there.

Thanks for reading. I'd love to hear if anyone has experienced something similar, or thoughts/potential solutions.

[lostinidlewonder]

You simply should not be playing if it is the playing causing this injury, you will do yourself no service. Wait for your fingers to heal and then try again. You likely have over practiced and pushed through pain barriers. You should always stop if you feel sore or tired, it's very common sense but still pianists will ignore it and then suffer in the long term, just not worth it.

[rebus0]

You simply should not be playing if it is the playing causing this injury, you will do yourself no service. Wait for your fingers to heal and then try again. You likely have over practiced and pushed through pain barriers. You should always stop if you feel sore or tired, it's very common sense but still pianists will ignore it and then suffer in the long term, just not worth it.

Thank you for your input. I recognize that continuing to play despite pain is counterproductive to healing, and am giving myself some time before returning to practice.

[roncesvalles]

If you're experiencing pain, it may be worthwhile to have a consultation with a doctor. The piano requires repetitive use of the fingers and wrist, and if you've been pushing yourself too far and either haven't developed the mechanism to comfortably play with that degree of difficulty or if you are without a teacher and are perhaps reinforcing suboptimal technique, some physical therapy might be in order as you go through the healing process.  If I were injured I would want to go through this process, do the therapy exercises, and deeply consider hiring a qualified teacher to help guide you towards using appropriate technique. Of course, this may not always be feasible or available to a person for a variety of reasons.

The main thing is that you're feeling discomfort, and that you're putting in work in something that you acknowledge is difficult or awkward for you. After taking some rest time away from the piano, consider approaching easier pieces. I'd consider "working smarter, not harder," with your dream piece. Identify the techniques that are required to play your piece. Break those things down to their most basic forms--if there are a lot of chords, read through something like easier hymns that get you comfortable with chords, from basic triads to eventually more complex positions. If it's arpeggios, look for basic arpeggios and alberti basses that don't span more than an octave first. Examine the music you want to perform and simplify it to something that is more comfortable for you. Watch videos and learn how to build relaxation into your playing if you don't have a teacher. I liken piano playing to something like learning a language. If it's your dream as a non-native English learner to learn the works of Shakespeare in English, for instance, the best way is not to jump straight into the bard's works straight away, but take lessons, pick up bits of grammar, develop useful grammar, have conversations, make mistakes, get corrected, learn about culture, watch movies, etc., which all slowly build up your capacity to navigate and comprehend the language. If you start immediately with the poet's massive vocabulary, intricate syntax, and tendency to create neologisms, you might be able to get through the sonnets, perhaps, but the results won't be as pretty, as useful, or as meaningful as when you patiently put in the work and get to the point where, for the most part, years later, you can finally just read the works without excruciating effort in the act of reading. I'm speaking as someone who speaks 5 languages (and takes language classes for others as a profession-adjacent hobby), and as someone who started the piano on his own as an adult, pushing to do pieces I wasn't ready for, which led to frustration and injury. Take the cue from your body to not just take a break and come back and do the same thing but as a prompt to re-examine your approach to the piano and to seek help from others (medically, therapeutically, or in the teaching profession) who understand your goals and can help you progress towards them.

[lelle]

How old are you? I e are you old enough that it could actually be arthritis?

Maybe take a look at it with your doctor if so.

It's good to be aware that pain in finger joints can sometimes be due to nerve impingement anywhere between the neck and the site of the pain itself. This often happens because of muscle tension. If so, exercises/treatments to loosen up the problematic muscles can help. Modifications to your technique so the tension doesn't build up in the first place is also necessary.

[thalbergmad]

I have never had finger and hand pain from piano playing, but i most certainly have from arm wrestling.
Best to see a specialist, but peptides like BPC 157 are wonderful for tendons and ligaments and completely healed my rotator cuff problem. Supplementing with Collagen is also a pretty good idea.
You can get arthritis at any age, but it is normally more prevalent in the elderly.
My piano teacher had to have a finger joint fused when he was 70, but it didn't affect his playing one bit.
Good luck
Thal