Hi, was just wondering if any pianists on here have had experience of tendonitis and could offer any advice? I've had it in my wrist since easter and it's beginning to do my head in a bit!! It's had about 4 weeks off in total so far, and then building up practice very slowly, stopping every time it becomes too much etc. but I'm still having trouble with it especially with it now being an awful lot weaker than it was several months ago Also one of the problems (with piano rather than flute) is that it doesn't start hurting for a while after practising, so if I've gone too far I don't know until after the damage has already been done. I've used a wrist splint when it's been at it's worst and also tried stretches and stuff like that. I'm looking into getting some physio on my dad's medical insurance (I love his employer!!) but was just wondering if anyone had experience of this and could suggest a good way forwards & has anyone had it and managed to get back to how they were before?
thank you for any responses
xxx

Hi Crazy Cow! Long time no see! I've had tendonitis and what helped it the most was physio, diclomax and rest - in that order. Hope your dad's insurance covers you for physio. Nice to see you back!

Hi! I haven't been on much due to not having internet in my room at uni!!! Thanks for the advice - I was given diclofenac I presume that is the same as diclomax? I have rested it twice for 2 weeks when it was at its worst and also give it days off if it gets a bit sore, only problem is every time it gets more than a day or two off at once, I end up back at square one as far as practice is concerned but with an even weaker wrist - it doesn't really seem to be helping at all other than giving it time to recover a bit :s I should be covered by the insurance - it covers him & his family, he's going to ask his boss it works so I'm hoping that it will help because after that I'm out of ideas somewhat
hoxie
xxx

You know you can get some physio for FREE from the NHS.

See your Doctor and make it clear that giving up piano is not an option (though a longish enforced rest might be necessary). Also get your technique looked at by a top-class teacher, someone from one of the top colleges who will pin-point anything that could be the root cause.

What else do you do that could be stressing your tendons? Computer mice, for example, are an ergonomic disaster - very bad for the entire arm from the shoulder right down to the fingers. If you use a computer a lot try to learn and use as many keyboard short cuts as you can in your main applications and use the mouse as little as possible. Or replace it with a graphics tablet and pen.

Best wishes
Tom

I could, or I could skip the stupidly long waiting list (I was apparently referred to physio over a year and a half ago for something that has now cleared up by itself, yet to hear anything from them...!) and get it for FREE on my dad's health insurance!! it would also mean I don't have the hassle of going through my doctors - the ones at uni are great but my ones back home are always reluctant to do anything other than prescribe daft medication

Mad Tom thank you for the reply, I would go for a longer rest if I believed it would actually help, but at the moment when I have rested it I've only ended up even worse off than I was before, so I'm a bit reluctant to weaken it further. My piano teacher at uni is brilliant and has sorted out my technique, I had had problems with my wrist before I went to uni, but then upped my practice too quickly at easter and ######ed it all up, since then I've never got it back to normal and it flares up at seemingly the slightest increase in practice (we're talking like 5 minutes!) or difficulty in pieces etc.
I don't really use mice and have given up knitting and sewing for the time being and don't really do much typing or use computers loads, it's mainly just piano and flute. I have to be wary of lifting heavy things (it usually ends up getting strapped up again) and driving at the moment is a bit tiring so have to be careful there too. Other than that I can't really think of much else I do with it Hoping to get a thumbport for my flute to take the stress off it there more, but sadly I don't think they do thumbports for pianos!! But thanks for the warning about mice!
xxx

Sorry about that, I've had similar problems before. What do you play normally? It used to happen when I played all the insane stuff, generally its diagnosed as either bad technique or just strain. In the latter case just stop playing is the answer to that. Not forever, but enough to recover (I dont mean just rest for a day) otherwise it will get worse!

It has just occurred to me that one of the sports injury specialists (trained physiotherapists specialising in sports injuries) that have practices attached ot many private leisure centres, might be better able to help you with rehabilitation for tendonitis than your doctor or the NHS. From personal experience with damaged cartilages, various sprains and strains, and tendonitis of the shoulder from swimming and racket sports the specialist I have seen was excellent.

Of course it is not cheap. Sometimes the initial consultation is free, but physiotherapy sessions can be anything from 15 to 30 pounds a time. But the most useful thing is not the sessions of manipulation and treatment with the practitioner but the advice on exercises and other things you should (and shouldn't!) do for yourself.

I'm suffering from De Quervain's (???) tenosynovitis at the moment in my LH thumb tendon - and after 4 months it's still extremely sore and still swollen, and it's beginning to get me down. I've been having physio but it doesn't really seem to be improving at all........problem is - it's not easy to rest it (having a toddler in the house who still needs carried and lifted etc fairly frequently.......) Ho hum...........

Point of detail here: If you were referred over a year and a half ago and haven't heard anything yet you never will: Assume that the referral is lost.

There is a thing called "18 weeks" in the NHS at the moment which means that a Trust (= Hospital for the purpose) is contractually obliged to deliver your definitive management (including any clinic, transfer to the right department, all investigations, any follow-up clinic, any operation and all waiting times) within 18 weeks from the date of receipt of the referral letter by the hospital. If they don't achieve this the financial penalties are swingeing, so a lot of resources are going into making it happen.

My current wait from referral to clinic averages 3 weeks and from clinic to operation averages less than 4 weeks (and is sometimes the next working day). That allows 11 weeks for the fact that 20% of my clinic patients have been referred to the wrong clinic (plastics, orthopaedics, paediatrics, diabetes, cardiology and hepatology patients have all pitched up in my clinic in the last few weeks alone) so may have to be referred on to the appropriate specialty (add another 3 weeks), some may need investigations, after which they will need to be reviewed (add maybe 6 weeks) and add in a week or two holiday (for patient or surgeon) and you can see that we have very little leeway on some patients to get them in under the 18 week deadline.

If your definitive treatment is physiotherapy, the 18 week limit is from the date your referral letter arrived at the hospital to the date your physiotherapy starts: Hence my conclusion that if you haven't heard by now you never will.

Frustrating though all this is for hospital staff, the consequence for patients is that the "stupidly long waiting list" is now a lot less stupid and a lot less long.

Ah.. this sounds like what happened to my wrist a few weeks ago. I've never been in any pain from playing the piano and am 100% confident that's not what caused it, but I have been on the computer a lot...

Hope you feel better soon Crazycow. I used some pernaton gel that seemed to help, but hopefully you get to see someone about it soon xx

Ditto for viola - I'm certain it isn't the cause but I'm certainly feeling the effect...

W

Hi,

Just to add some info to this thread .... it might be useful to someone.

I've started to get pain in the back of my left hand and wrist. I doesn't happen when I play and is very mild, but is always there - more just uncomfortable than painful. The right hand is fine. I've noticed that when I play I often raise my fingers above the line made by the back of my hand and I'm pretty sure this is the cause. I think this is probably due to an elbow injury I have that changes the angle of my hand.

I've been playing 1-2 hours of piano per day with this terrible hand position, and have always typed with raised fingers too. It's a miracle I haven't had any pain before now.

Luckily I think I've caught it before the pain got too bad and did some permanent damage. I've gone back to brief, slow, careful practice constantly watching that my left hand stays in the correct position. If it doesn't clear up completely soon I will take a break altogether. I've changed the way I type at work too. So far so good.

Good luck Crazy Cow and to anyone else with this scary condition.
I can't even imagine having to stop playing altogether ...

Dave.

Absolutely! A computer mouse is lethal and is more likely to be the cause of Repetitive Strain Injury/Tendonitis! Look for an ergonomic mouse e.g similiar to the 'handshake' style here. shockingly expensive but believe me worth every penny. http://www.posturite.co.uk/PosturiteSite/product/1401102.htm

I suspect I might be overdoing it a bit in my excitement at getting a piano. I don't think it's tendonitis - more likely RSI. At home I use a Mac laptop with a fingerpad instead of a mouse and if I spend too long on it, my arm starts to get a bit uncomfortable. I think the piano's having the same effect Does anyone know if a beginner should build up time on the piano and if so, how much it's sensible to start off with, and how quickly you can build up the time?

When did this come in? I had to wait 9 months last year for physio (refered Feb saw Physio in November) and in November there was a sign at the Physio dept saying 'please do not miss your appointment as it causes delays for other patients and that the waiting times for new patients were now 32 weeks'

Crazy Cow - do you have a teacher? if so do get them to look at your posture, I think that iamdjoc was right as the angle of the wrists is very important.

I've been using the computer alot, but also been lifting heavy bags while on holiday, and I've developed the same problem. I'm iceing (because it's a new injury), taking ibuprofen and using a bandage. It's very frustrating.

I hope things improve for you soon!

Oops, sorry haven't looked at this thread for ages!! Sadly I have to get referred to private too apparently and being as though I'm registered at uni I have to wait until I go back to get a referral (don't even ask it's got rather daft now!!!)..although our health centre there is very good and have a resident physio so I'm hoping they'll be able to sort it out fairly quickly! currently playing with a splint which has made a massive difference so I'm able to practice for decent amounts of time now , although I'm not looking forwards to my teacher learning of this new development as she doesn't like me playing with fingerless gloves so not sure it will go down too well :s
Robodoc, thanks for the information about the nhs...I'd given up on that referral along with my old doctors surgery back home
Smd, I do have a teacher at uni, she is amazing and has already sorted out my posture when I first moved up there, I did the injury by building up practice too quickly and then playing over 2 hours a day through pain for a few weeks...one lesson I have learnt too late sadly
thanks everyone for all the replies
xxx