<p>So I just learned that my son visited a PT for a problem/injury he is having with his hands. He is a jazz double Bass major. The PT diagnosed him with trigger finger. He will need to wear a splint and limit his practice to 2 hours a day. Anybody else's child have experience with injuries. How did it pan out? </p>
<p>StacJip, sorry but we don’t have any personal experience with this problem (yet) but I will take this opportunity for a mini-rant that education about injury prevention is very much missing from too many (?most) performing arts programs. A great book on this topic is “Playing Less Hurt” by Janet Horvath and you could also check out The Performing Arts Medicine Association for MD’s and other providers that might be in your area.
<a href=“About Us - PAMA”>http://www.artsmed.org/about</a> This is a field of medicine that is still in its early stages, but hopefully growing.
As a side note, the most amazing bass performer I have ever seen is Edgar Meyer. He was able to produce the most beautiful music with such a relaxed, effortless and fluid posture. Whatever he is doing needs to be taught to ALL musicians.</p>
<p>My daughter has gone through quite a bit of PT for her shoulder (viola). The position somehow gets her hip out of alignment, which causes pain in her shoulder and neck. At least we know what it is and she has exercises to ease everything back into place. </p>
<p>It is a common problem, musicians because of the amount of playing they do can end up with all kinds of injuries, from injuries of the hands and tendons to back problems and so forth. In the violin world I have seen students with setups (from famous teachers, no less) who I suspect an orthopedic surgeon would cringe, and from what I know of that teacher’s students many of them end up suffering from tendon problems and the like. My son’s primary teacher through high school made a big deal about his setup and not getting hurt, and it has paid off for him,plus his teacher at conservatory also stresses playing in a way to avoid injury. Sadly, at least in my experience, teachers either are not well trained themselves, or are looking for the perfect sound and if a setup gives that, well, that is it. </p>
<p>That said there is a lot of information out there on how to try and avoid injuries, some of them are very common sense. One that I think does a lot of good is to limit the ‘burst’ of practice time, and have regular breaks, so if you are practicing, do 20 minutes of practice, then take 10 minutes where you aren’t playing (good time to look at the video or listen to what you recorded, if you want to be doing something ‘useful’)…</p>
<p>A lot of musicians recommend taking a workshop on the Alexander technique (least I think that is the name), some of the programs my S has been in offered workshops on it and other techniques. Having proper technique can stave off injuries, that much I am pretty sure of. </p>
<p>The other big thing is don’t do what we used to do in school, what was called cramming for an exam. If you are going to try out, audition, avoid trying to ‘make up for lost time’ by increasing practice time, what I have seen happen is kids doing that, then ending up with tendonitis and such because they overdo it. The key to making it is consistent practicing, and practicing let’s say 3 hours a day on violin is better than 1 a day, then the couple of months before the audition, doing 4,5, 6, etc…</p>
<p>Another biggie is if you start feeling the pain, don’t ignore it, take it as a warning sign. Talk to your teacher and have them look at your technique to see if anything jumps out, or in practicing, change the way you do it. Most injuries start small but they can turn into major ones if you ignore it, a friend of mine is an orthopedic surgeon who has dealt with musician’s injuries, and he said most of them wouldn’t have needed surgery had they not ignored the early signs (yeah, I know, easy for me to say, the person who hates going to doctors and ignores all kinds of things…). </p>
<p>I would encourage any student musician to do research and work on preventing the injuries, there is a lot out there, and there could be workshops and such you can attend, and wouldn’t be surprised if there aren’t videos on You Tube and such on preventing it. </p>
<p>My S suffered tendinitis near the end of his freshman year. He had thrown himself exuberantly into the college music scene, participating in five ensembles in addition to solo work. All those rehearsal hours started adding up, and the tendinitis came on quite suddenly. It was very frightening. The good news is that after PT, rest and icing, he was able to totally recover. He hasn’t had an incident since. It did teach him a good lesson about how to be more aware of his body and how he was using it. He added the use of a neckstrap as well, which is becoming more and more common among professionals on his instrument. He still occasionally ices his arm after long practices just as a precautionary measure. I, too, agree that injury prevention should be a part of all music students’ training.</p>
<p>I’m sorry about the set back and sending vibes for s speedy recovery </p>
<p>So sorry to hear it. The hardest part about musician injuries is forcing yourself to take the time off that your body needs to heal. D3 has had a couple of serious bouts with injury (violin and viola) and has found that there are some helpful alternatives for that time you can’t be on the instrument: listening to your rep, score study, mental practice (believe it or not, simply imagining yourself playing can do wonders).</p>
<p>Of course, responding early to any pain is crucial, and taking lots (and lots) of breaks helps. At one point after an injury, she was allowed to play for one minute and had to take the next 9 minutes off - torture! Don’t let it get to that point - “toughing it out” through an injury is the worst thing you can do.</p>
<p>Yes, so sorry StacJip. I’m hoping the splint and rest will help and he’ll have a full recovery. Keep us posted.</p>
<p>There are physical therapists who are specially trained in helping musicians, if you can find one. Alexander technique training is helpful to many. </p>
<p>There is more potential for problems for those with “hypermobile” joints perhaps. My daughter has that and an autoimmune disorder that causes inflammation. She had to give up her instrument and now composes, but even writing music can be hard if she is near deadline. PT doesn’t do much for her; she takes steroids. So for anyone reading this, it might be good to get a full diagnostic workup because the approach will differ according to the root cause.</p>
<p>StacJip, hope your son recovers quickly. Two hours sounds like a lot to me so I am glad the PT thinks he can do that. Most seem to recover and do well over time, it seems…</p>
<p>My son suffered tendonitis this year. He is a percussionist. Eastman has a PT on staff on the first floor of the dorm. He worked with them and they helped clear up his problem. His girlfriend a bassoonist also suffered and was treated by the PT office. The office communicates with teachers to let them know what is happening. It’s great to have that available for the kids. </p>
<p>bigdip, ESM has had the PT office in that dorm for years and it’s been such a terrific asset that it makes me wonder why other conservatories/ larger schools of music don’t follow suit. PT for musicians is a specialized field so StacJip, if you are anywhere near a medical school or teaching hospital, contact them and see if they have someone who does specialize in musicians injuries and rehab. If you have a good symphony orchestra nearby, perhaps someone in their administration could point you to the person they use.
Wishing all the best for your son!</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. Son is seeing a specialized PT. He is in Boston and got the name from some older musicians he knows and respects. The PT specializes in musicians. NEC offers Alexander Technique classes and I pleaded with our son to take them. He claimed he was always too busy…but now he is going to somebody who does body work for musicians at Berklee and he is seeing this PT so maybe the injury was a wake up call.</p>
<p>When I was in college the first time, lo those many years ago, I was a theater major and for our voice classes we had an Alexander specialist come in, and I have to tell you, it was like magic. I felt that I got 3 inches taller and my voice was resonating throughout my entire body. </p>
<p>I am a professional violist in my late fifties (guess that’s somewhat obvious). I swim, lift weights and do yoga; I have NO aches and pains. When I was younger I was always dealing with something - neck problems, bursitis, wrist issues, etc… I very much agree that seeing a health specialist who understands repetitive strain is important. But had I started my exercise routine as a student, I am convinced I could have avoided some of the problems I came up against. Also - pushing through pain is a huge mistake. Pain is not a badge of honor. Many students lock themselves in a practice room for hours on end, mindlessly “practicing” while committing to muscle memory bad habits. This is just my two cents based on personal experience.</p>