Klarinet Archive - Posting 000257.txt from 1996/09

From: Neil Leupold <nleupold@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Wrists, etc.
Date: Sat, 14 Sep 1996 23:36:53 -0400

On Wed, 4 Sep 1996, Roger Shilcock wrote, [in reference to wrist problems]:

> Doesn't anyone have any idea how to
> *prevent* them, though?

Well, yes, of course. And you spark an interesting tangential line of
thought by asking that question. But first, your question. Wrist braces
and neckstraps are not only for those who suffer from wrist pain, but
also for those who wish to prevent it. I bumped into a new grad student
at SMU yesterday who uses a neckstrap purely for preventive purposes. It
came to light in my conversation with Ricardo Morales yesterday that
although he once did have tendonitis and used a brace & neckstrap to
alleviate the pain, he now uses these devices purely for preventive
reasons, for he no longer suffers from the ailment.

Other methods of prevention? My suspicion is that most cases of wrist pain
and subsequent dysfunction (i.e.; tendonitis, carpal tunnel, other RSI) are
a result of undue physical tension. The *cause* of that tension is what
must be addressed and isolated. Fatigue of the muscles in the arms results in
the tendons picking up the slack to support the weight of the instrument,
which results in inflammation (somebody feel free to step in if I'm
propagating any fallacies here). The inflammation will trigger a response
from the body and result in this uniquely identifiable phenomenon called...
pain. Thus, one method of prevention involves paying attention to your body
and ensuring that the manner in which you play does not create any of the
undue tension which might result in premature fatigue and inflammation. In
my case, my body wasn't prepared for the sudden increase in practice time.
The muscles in my arms, neck, and torso were not allowed to develop
comfortability with the additional effort expected of them.

Does the Green Line clarinet pose an additional threat with its greater
weight? Common sense would say "yes", but it has never taken a heavier
clarinet in the past to cause wrist and arm problems. As my previous
paragraph implies, it's the tension and fatigue which are most likely at
the root of these problems, and some people are simply more predisposed
to experience these problems than others (body type, muscular strength,
etc.). The grad student I bumped into yesterday plays a regular all-
grenadilla R-13 and realized one afternoon when *not* using her neckstrap
just how heavy the instrument really was. She was so surprised at the
degree of stress she was putting on her right arm that she vowed to
continue using the strap, even though she had never experienced problems
without it. The Leblanc Opus and Concerto clarinets are acknowledged to
be noticably heavier than the comparable Buffet models, and there are, in
all likelihood, players on those instruments who are having no problems
whatsoever (and use no aids to prevent problems), whereas others of their
counterpart players on R-13's are going through the hell that I am,
looking for therapy and aids and such because of one RSI or another. I
play on R-13 Prestige instruments.

The tangent to which I referred at the beginning of this rambling
dissertation pertains to side effects of the preventive devices
themselves. Have there been any cases noted by members of this list (or
friends, associates, acquaintances, etc.) where the use of a preventive
device (brace, neckstrap, etc.) or method (icing, acupuncture, massage,
chiropractic care, etc.) has resulted in a new set of negative side effects?
It seems very important to know whether or not one might be putting
him/herself at risk by engaging in the use of preventive methods when
there exists no current abnormality or fatigue. To cite this grad student
I bumped into yesterday, she had not ever experienced any problems with
her wrists or arms prior to using a neckstrap. Having used a neckstrap
continuously for an extended period of time, she now feels that she can
not play the clarinet without one because it feels so heavy to her. It
could be that the strap had the effect of allowing her arm muscles (which
were once normally strong enough and stable enough to support the
instrument just fine) to weaken, thus subjecting her to risk for injury
if she should ever have to play without a strap in the future.
Additional thoughts, counter-arguments, and/or authoritative commentary in
this regard will hopefully follow...

Neil