From: lag0002 [mailto:lag0002@ibm.net] On Behalf Of LGreene
Sent: Wednesday, July 28, 1999 10:22 PM
Subject: RE: Any musicians w/tendinitis


Hi Mark (and everyone),

I'm getting into this discussion rather late, but I'd like to make a
suggestion in addition to all of the other very good suggestions made by
folks on the list.  I speak from personal experience (I'm a pianist), and
from professional experience (research for an article on Musicians' Injuries
published in 1994 in Massage Therapy Journal).

Rather than telling you to "play through the pain" (what awful, but typical,
advice), your teacher should be helping you figure out what about your
technique is causing your tendinitis.  It is most likely either something in
your posture at the keyboard, or the actual technique you use to play.  Try
to notice EXACTLY what movements cause pain when you play - is it just when
you sit down at the keyboard for a while?  Try just sitting at the keyboard
with your hands on the keyboard for 15 minutes, and see if just that
produces pain.  Is it only when you play runs?  Or is it when you you cross
your thumb under the rest of your fingers, or stretch your pinky out to
reach a large interval?  Is it when you play fast, or slow?  Answering these
questions will help you to revamp your technique to eliminate the
movements/postures that are causing the problem. Until you do this, you will
ultimately only reinjure yourself every time you go back to playing.

It is entirely possible that your current teacher will be useless in helping
you rework your technique (especially since he seems to already have a lousy
attitude about injury).  Most teachers are steadfast in their dedication to
the technique they use and teach.  I can tell you that the technique I was
taught almost crippled my hands, and I had to completely revamp my technique
at age 21 after 17 years of playing - very difficult, but the best thing I
ever did - my playing improved greatly, the pain went away, and the sound I
produced from the instrument was much more ringing and sonorous.  But I had
to change teachers and start fresh in order to affect these changes.

Some pointers for keyboard players: as with computer users, make sure your
arms are basically at 90 degree angles to the keyboard as you play (so
adjust the height of your seat to enable this); make sure your shoulder
remain neutral, not raised, as you play; sit far enough back from the
keyboard to enable you to use the larger muscles of the back to create the
movement of the arms/hands, but not so far that your arms get tired from
holding them up; don't let your palms get near the keyboard as you play,
rather keep the "bridge" with rounded fingers, so that you are not playing
with the fingers only (what I call "crab" position - looks like your hand is
the body and your fingers are the legs moving around the keyboard).  Take
frequent breaks as you play; warm up before and cool down after; never play
with cold hands.

Hope this is helpful - any other keyboard players out there with technique
pointers?

Best regards,
Lauriann Greene
author, Save Your Hands! Injury Prevention for Manual Therapists