Thinking of the other thread, how many people have a repetitive strain injury? How long have you had it and what have you done about it?
I have been struggling with a recurrance of RSI for a couple of months. My upper back goes into spasms on a regular basis, and sometimes it pinches the nerves. I have tried Alexander Tech. in the past , and am now trying self administered trigger point therapy.
I don't know wether my aches and pains are RSI or bloody old age !
But what I do know is if when your practising for hour on end and it starts to hurt . . well stop . . cos when it starts to hurt you could be doing serious damage to your joints , ligaments, muscles, or anything else you've got . . .
As in the other thread.... yoga postures are reversing "guitar shoulder". Some view this as a religious practice, to me it is physical therapy.
You basically can learn from a book or a few lessons, which are sort of the reverse poses for what it happening. My right shoulder gets pushed one way while playing, I hold poses sending it back the other way.
Physical therapists these days incorporate yoga because it works. My back kinks up too while playing ... I am sort of stretching the right side over towards the left when playing. A break to reverse that move by lifting the left side over... well it's really hard to explain, but try a few poses and see if it helps. Doesn't cost anything.
I just wish i could fix the darned pinched nerve in my foot but no luck yet. Tried trigger point work too, no luck. Surgery, which can go bad in many seems the only option.
I thought it was old age, but it is reversing. I am more limber than I was at 20 now.
I use weekly Chiropractic and Message Therapy to counter the repetitive stress placed on my right shoulder, arm, wrist, and hand as well as to maintain my health. Stretching prior, during, and after playing is also of great importance. As Iris does, I also spend time in postures that reverse the postures that are causing the stress and subsequent injuries. I find myself in double jeopardy as I spend a good bit of time using the computer and obviously the mouse so I now mostly use the mouse with my left hand. I don’t think I could learn to play the guitar and bodhrán left handed.
I usually practice for 45 minutes and then rest for 15 minutes, and practice again for 45 min, rest for 15, and so on. This way, I can play during a whole afternoon without any articulation or ligament problems. (
I have a timer that beeps loudly to know when it's time to stop, otherwise I get carried by the music and play for two hours without noticing!
Never heard of guitar shoulder before . . but I think I must have got it. Also my left elbow gives me some jip . . I'm righted handed by the way, and play mandolin sometimes 2 or more hours a day and the guitar occasionally . . I think I'd top myself if I couldn't play again because it was too painful. OK so I'm exaggerating a bit . .
This is what I do and it works for me. Exercise vigorously to develop strength and flexibility in the part affected. You have to work your way up to this, it's no good suddenly going daft and injuring yourself, but you need to end up doing enough, often enough, that it really makes a difference.
I have found it difficult in the past to get myself to follow my own advice here, but one thing I found worked was to get into the habit of exercising when watching sport on tv, which is something I enjoy doing. I use exercise bands, like giant elastic bands or tubing, they are silent, portable, and you can find routines to exercise all parts of the body. If you don't watch sport, do exercises when watching the gardening programme, or whatever.
More recently I've taken up surf kayaking and joined a badminton club, and I get plenty of the right kind of exercise that way, so I haven't been using the exercise bands recently.
I often use a computer all day, and play the fiddle a lot, and I used to get all kinds of aches and twinges, but I rarely have problems now, and if I do I just build up more strength and flexibility in the affected part.
I think the yoga must strengthen the muscles too, around the affected area. so should the bands.
When I was younger I never had the problem, so in part it must be aging, or muscle and joint deterioration.... so stronger muscles at least should compensate like a rubber band keeping it all together? Just a guess.
Every time this comes up, I offer myself as a cautionary tale to make the point that these injuries shouldn’t be ignored or treated lightly. I injured both wrists nearly twenty years ago and I’m still dealing with it. At the time, I didn’t know that immediately applying ice might have prevented a lot of pain. Neither did I know that most doctors didn’t know (at that time, anyway) how to deal with a strain injury. My condition was untreated for several weeks and then maltreated for a few years. I got lots of advice and prescriptions from several branches of the health care system, most of it useless. This is why I say find a doctor who specializes in strain injuries. There are a lot more now than twenty years ago.
The only really useful advice I got was from a chiropractor, who showed me how to use ice and how to stretch without hurting myself. Those two things plus finding a drug (no thanks to any doctor) to stop the inflammation have helped me hugely. I also agree with Iris about stretching in the direction opposite to the strain. It works.
These injuries can last days, weeks, months or years, depending on a lot of things, including how much inflammation develops. I practically lost the use of my right hand for two years and my left hand was seriously weakened for most of that time. I hate to even think about how much of that could have been avoided if I hadn’t been so ignorant.
I want to build a guitar with a cutaway for your picking arm!! wouldn't that look funny!! Already did an ergonomic with a slope, which helps, but this takes it further!
One thought, if your instrument seems hard to play, like poor guitar action, go get it set up properly. You may be working too hard. I don't know how that would apply to flute, but for stringed things should help a lot.
I bought my first exercise bands from the small local sports shop, so I guess they are fairly widely available. I now use a brand called "Rep Cord" which are non-latex, so they don't make your hands smell funny, and don't deteriorate as rubber does. They come in different colour-coded resistances, and I found the green cord is the most useful. I bought these off the internet, can't remember exactly where from now.
There is what looks like an excellent manual (a pdf document to download for free) on all aspects of exercise bands and cords at http://thera-bandacademy.com/
Funny....I practice Emergency Medicine and to me RSI stands for "Rapid Sequence Intubation". We do use a paralytic agent as one of the drugs for RSI....sure, it'll take your spasms away but that whole "not being able to breath on your own" part might get in the way.
I'm a massage therapist.....I recommend stretching and moist heat to the area. I play the fiddle and pipes, so I know what muscle pain is! I really like what Dana H. said. Practice 45 minutes and rest 15 and so on.
RSI
RSI
Thinking of the other thread, how many people have a repetitive strain injury? How long have you had it and what have you done about it?
I have been struggling with a recurrance of RSI for a couple of months. My upper back goes into spasms on a regular basis, and sometimes it pinches the nerves. I have tried Alexander Tech. in the past , and am now trying self administered trigger point therapy.
# Posted on November 17th 2006 by Kheelch
Re: RSI
I don't know wether my aches and pains are RSI or bloody old age !
But what I do know is if when your practising for hour on end and it starts to hurt . . well stop . . cos when it starts to hurt you could be doing serious damage to your joints , ligaments, muscles, or anything else you've got . . .
# Posted on November 17th 2006 by Justintime
Re: RSI
As in the other thread.... yoga postures are reversing "guitar shoulder". Some view this as a religious practice, to me it is physical therapy.
You basically can learn from a book or a few lessons, which are sort of the reverse poses for what it happening. My right shoulder gets pushed one way while playing, I hold poses sending it back the other way.
Physical therapists these days incorporate yoga because it works. My back kinks up too while playing ... I am sort of stretching the right side over towards the left when playing. A break to reverse that move by lifting the left side over... well it's really hard to explain, but try a few poses and see if it helps. Doesn't cost anything.
I just wish i could fix the darned pinched nerve in my foot but no luck yet. Tried trigger point work too, no luck. Surgery, which can go bad in many seems the only option.
I thought it was old age, but it is reversing. I am more limber than I was at 20 now.
# Posted on November 17th 2006 by irisnevins
Re: RSI
I use weekly Chiropractic and Message Therapy to counter the repetitive stress placed on my right shoulder, arm, wrist, and hand as well as to maintain my health. Stretching prior, during, and after playing is also of great importance. As Iris does, I also spend time in postures that reverse the postures that are causing the stress and subsequent injuries. I find myself in double jeopardy as I spend a good bit of time using the computer and obviously the mouse so I now mostly use the mouse with my left hand. I don’t think I could learn to play the guitar and bodhrán left handed.
Peace,
Ed
# Posted on November 17th 2006 by ejsant
Re: RSI
I usually practice for 45 minutes and then rest for 15 minutes, and practice again for 45 min, rest for 15, and so on. This way, I can play during a whole afternoon without any articulation or ligament problems. (
I have a timer that beeps loudly to know when it's time to stop, otherwise I get carried by the music and play for two hours without noticing!
@+++
Dana
# Posted on November 17th 2006 by DanaH
Re: RSI
Never heard of guitar shoulder before . . but I think I must have got it. Also my left elbow gives me some jip . . I'm righted handed by the way, and play mandolin sometimes 2 or more hours a day and the guitar occasionally . . I think I'd top myself if I couldn't play again because it was too painful. OK so I'm exaggerating a bit . .
# Posted on November 17th 2006 by Justintime
Re: RSI
This is what I do and it works for me. Exercise vigorously to develop strength and flexibility in the part affected. You have to work your way up to this, it's no good suddenly going daft and injuring yourself, but you need to end up doing enough, often enough, that it really makes a difference.
I have found it difficult in the past to get myself to follow my own advice here, but one thing I found worked was to get into the habit of exercising when watching sport on tv, which is something I enjoy doing. I use exercise bands, like giant elastic bands or tubing, they are silent, portable, and you can find routines to exercise all parts of the body. If you don't watch sport, do exercises when watching the gardening programme, or whatever.
More recently I've taken up surf kayaking and joined a badminton club, and I get plenty of the right kind of exercise that way, so I haven't been using the exercise bands recently.
I often use a computer all day, and play the fiddle a lot, and I used to get all kinds of aches and twinges, but I rarely have problems now, and if I do I just build up more strength and flexibility in the affected part.
And that is my theory and that is what it is.
# Posted on November 17th 2006 by Bernie 29
Re: RSI
Where can I buy these exersise bands, and how do I find how to use them ?
# Posted on November 17th 2006 by Justintime
Re: RSI
I think the yoga must strengthen the muscles too, around the affected area. so should the bands.
When I was younger I never had the problem, so in part it must be aging, or muscle and joint deterioration.... so stronger muscles at least should compensate like a rubber band keeping it all together? Just a guess.
# Posted on November 17th 2006 by irisnevins
Re: RSI
Every time this comes up, I offer myself as a cautionary tale to make the point that these injuries shouldn’t be ignored or treated lightly. I injured both wrists nearly twenty years ago and I’m still dealing with it. At the time, I didn’t know that immediately applying ice might have prevented a lot of pain. Neither did I know that most doctors didn’t know (at that time, anyway) how to deal with a strain injury. My condition was untreated for several weeks and then maltreated for a few years. I got lots of advice and prescriptions from several branches of the health care system, most of it useless. This is why I say find a doctor who specializes in strain injuries. There are a lot more now than twenty years ago.
The only really useful advice I got was from a chiropractor, who showed me how to use ice and how to stretch without hurting myself. Those two things plus finding a drug (no thanks to any doctor) to stop the inflammation have helped me hugely. I also agree with Iris about stretching in the direction opposite to the strain. It works.
These injuries can last days, weeks, months or years, depending on a lot of things, including how much inflammation develops. I practically lost the use of my right hand for two years and my left hand was seriously weakened for most of that time. I hate to even think about how much of that could have been avoided if I hadn’t been so ignorant.
# Posted on November 17th 2006 by Bob himself
Re: RSI
I want to build a guitar with a cutaway for your picking arm!! wouldn't that look funny!! Already did an ergonomic with a slope, which helps, but this takes it further!
One thought, if your instrument seems hard to play, like poor guitar action, go get it set up properly. You may be working too hard. I don't know how that would apply to flute, but for stringed things should help a lot.
# Posted on November 18th 2006 by irisnevins
Re: RSI
Hi Stewpot,
I bought my first exercise bands from the small local sports shop, so I guess they are fairly widely available. I now use a brand called "Rep Cord" which are non-latex, so they don't make your hands smell funny, and don't deteriorate as rubber does. They come in different colour-coded resistances, and I found the green cord is the most useful. I bought these off the internet, can't remember exactly where from now.
There is what looks like an excellent manual (a pdf document to download for free) on all aspects of exercise bands and cords at http://thera-bandacademy.com/
Loads of exercises there.
# Posted on November 18th 2006 by Bernie 29
Re: RSI
Funny....I practice Emergency Medicine and to me RSI stands for "Rapid Sequence Intubation". We do use a paralytic agent as one of the drugs for RSI....sure, it'll take your spasms away but that whole "not being able to breath on your own" part might get in the way.
# Posted on November 18th 2006 by ceolgaelach
Re: RSI
Try old bike inner tubes as cheap exercise bands....
# Posted on November 19th 2006 by alexboydell
Re: RSI
I'm a massage therapist.....I recommend stretching and moist heat to the area. I play the fiddle and pipes, so I know what muscle pain is! I really like what Dana H. said. Practice 45 minutes and rest 15 and so on.
Good Luck!
# Posted on December 2nd 2006 by dfbird