<p>Hi,</p>
<p>To make a long story short, I've been playing flute on and off since 2004, and after a two year hiatus, I started playing in my college band. I'm pretty sure that my right hand pinky is hyper-extended. The hyper-extension has been there for a long time, and was either caused by playing the flute or is at least made worse by it. The more I play, the worse the pain/soreness gets. The joint at the top bends inward when I play, and the shape of my right pinky at rest is definitely oddly shaped, almost like a zig-zag (my left pinky is fairly straight). Whenever I try to fix it, my pinky locks and I have a hard time using the rest of my hand. I also play the guitar and do not experience any pain or locking when plucking. I have, however, started piano lessons, and I'm having a hard time with my form because of my pinky.</p>
<p>I was hoping someone who has experienced this could give me some advice. Any tips on how to strengthen my pinky or how to fix the positioning? Should I see a doctor if I intend to continue playing the flute? At what point should I really start to worry? I don't want to make something out of nothing, but I also don't want to end up with a bad hand injury... I know you all aren't doctors or anything, but any advice would be appreciated. </p>
<p>Thanks,</p>
<p>FrayedPages</p>
<p>I gather that you don’t use an off-set key? Are your hands particularly small? Bottom line, if it hurts then you need to see someone about it- don’t try to splint or manipulate it yourself and the time to worry is now.
If your college has a decent music department, stop in and find out who they refer to. In some urban areas there are specialists who deal with musicians injuries- there is a great clinic here, but we also have several conservatories and a major symphony orchestra so they get plenty of business. If you want to PM me, I can give you their contact information as they might be able to refer you to colleagues in your area.
Wishing you all the best!</p>
<p>I play an in-line flute, and I definitely don’t have small hands. I’ve heard that in-line is better for people with long fingers, but do you think trying an off-set key might make it more comfortable?</p>
<p>I haven’t tried splinting it or anything. Mostly, I try changing the direction of the foot joint or just changing to an upward bend (normal bend). Both result in locking.</p>
<p>I will try asking around. Thank you!</p>
<p>I would definitely get an offset key or modification to the end joint so that your hand and pinky are comfortable. I’m have double jointed fingers, so my pinky always bends backwards. Everyone is different.</p>
<p>I had a number of modifications made to my daughter’s English horn, so that her fingers would be in a comfortable position when playing. Her hands are small and the modifications really helped. I found a technician who also had small hands, and he knew exactly how to modify the horn.</p>
<p>This is a fascinating thread. I didn’t realized that woodwinds could be modified in this way.</p>