 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Amy Tindall
Date: 2004-05-04 00:00
(I'm just a little freshman in Highschool, so I'm clueless : ))
Lately, when I have been practicing, at about 45 minutes in I get this pain on the inner part of my wrist and on the top of my arm, just past my wrist. If I continue to play my middle finger and thumb get a tingling sensation. I'm playing Solo de Concours by Rabaud, none of the passages really get my fingers tense, so I don't think thats the reason. I'm no doctor or surgeon but I have a pretty good feeling this isn't a good thing. I would just like to know if I should get it checked out, or... if i'm crazy. Thanks.
AET
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: mw
Date: 2004-05-04 00:22
The best thing that can ever happen is to go to a Dr. and be told "oh, don't fret it's nothing really...".
SO --- get it checked out.
best,
mw
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: claclaws
Date: 2004-05-04 01:45
Really, mw?
Well.. I thought the first answer would be 'that's common when playing the clarinet'...I have exactly the same condition as Amy after playing about 45 minutes as well, though I'm at a much lower level practising. Never seen the Rabaud piece.
In my case, right thumb aches most. I had thought a visit to a Chinese medical doctor would not hurt, but didn't make it.
Lucy Lee Jang
Post Edited (2004-05-04 03:18)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Tara
Date: 2004-05-04 02:02
I used to have the same problem, only I DID notice tension in my right hand, and I felt that my technique was not as smooth and relaxed as it could be. I tried a neckstrap and never looked back! For me it made a big difference. It really did away with the stress to my hand and allowed me to have a more curved and relxed finger position. I'm sure not everyone agrees, but you might try one if you haven't already. I use the BG with the stretchy cord.
Tara
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2004-05-04 02:31
I think the point is to eliminate the worst with a professional opinion.
If you treat musical performance as athletics, then rest is an important part of preparation for big events...
"Playing through the pain" is one of the surest ways to have a short career
in any venue. Put down the horn, use common sense and leave the playing aside for awhile (easy to say, difficult to do).
******
The playing position required by standard thumbrest left me unable to play for nearly three months, early in my study. I couldn't even hold a pencil for the first six weeks. I follow a regime of stretching recommended by a buddy that wrestles Japanese style (aikido) and moved the thumbrest up.
Did I mention that I left the insturment alone for three months?
It's one of those "Pay a little now, or pay alot later" problems.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Robyn
Date: 2004-05-04 03:44
Whether you see a doctor or not, I second the neckstrap suggestion. I started using one in high school, but didn't use it full time because I thought it looked silly. Then, a couple years into college, I was playing in band one day and got that tingling sensation in my fingertips that you mentioned. Scared the heck out of me and I've been using the neckstrap ever since.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: ned
Date: 2004-05-04 05:26
"I follow a regime of stretching recommended by a buddy that wrestles Japanese style (aikido) and moved the thumbrest up."
This is useful to know about - more information if you please, regarding the stretching and the movement of thumbrest.
Interestingly enough, I have been practicing with my thumb above the thumb rest as it decreases the pain quite considerably and I thought I might give it a try on stage as I didn't want to move the thumb rest and leave a hole in its place.
Then there's the question of the optimum positioning of the TR on a clarinet and it seems to me that manufacturers give little thought to this aspect of design, judging by the number of posts I see on this board. Can you imagine a car without a moveable seat?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: OpusII
Date: 2004-05-04 06:42
I think that Synonymous Botch is right on this one, take a break for a couple of months. The symptoms that you explain to us are most likely by a bad positioning of the hand and it looks like you have a case of RSI, so you really should go to a doctor. (I did stop for two months to eliminate this problem)
Exercise your wrist/arms to get them stronger and stretching will decrease your problems, but stop for a few months and the problems will be gone. Then carefully start playing again and remember to exercise/stretch!
About the Solo de Conours by Rabaud, a great piece to play for a audience I played it on a few concerts and it’s still in my head after 4 years
Eddy
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Rick Williams
Date: 2004-05-04 11:24
Amy:
Go see a doctor…now. The tingling in your fingers is from nerve involvement and that is something you really do not want to continue aggravating.
Until then, stop playing ice your wrist and hand for around 25 minutes, wrap it and keep it elevated. Do that whenever it hurts.
If your HS has a "certified" sports trainer, which they should, you might get a few suggestions from him or her until you can get into a doc!
Seriously Amy, don't mess around with this it can lead to long term injuries.
RW
Best
Rick
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Liquorice
Date: 2004-05-04 12:40
I had pain and tingling in my hand, arm and shoulder. I had X-rays and discovered that I had pressure on some nerrves because of a problem in my neck! I didn't have to stop playing, but did find that some excercises and stretching helped. Alexander technique has done a lot to sort out my postural problems, which caused this whole thing in the first place.
I would agree with the suggestions above to see a doctor.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Wayne Thompson
Date: 2004-05-04 14:05
Rick William's comment is particularly good. See a Dr. and sports trainer. Go to the internet and talk to your teacher. You do indeed describe classic symtoms of carpal tunnel syndrome or something related. It's not unusual. I think a lot of people suffer through the first stages of this, and of course some have very bad results after a while. Your goal is to have good use of your hands and arms for 70 or 80 more years. But as people have suggested, there are lots of ways to reduce the effect. Learn all about them.
I'm sitting here thinking about this. You're a 'little freshman in high school'. I'm middle aged and understand now some of the ways our body wears out with time. And I see my old mother at the end of her life fighting to keep her body barely functioning. Allow me to moralize..... Enjoy your practicing, but do sports, too. Learn to dance a bunch of different ways. Learn the Alexander technique, do theater and Tai Chi. Keep your mind and body balanced and stretched and exercized to keep them operating best for a long, long time.
Thanks, Amy, and all, for listening. I guess I got up on the philosophical side of the bed.
WT
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Betty
Date: 2004-05-04 15:26
NECK STRAP!! Get one now. Dont hesitate. I dont use the BG brand because it is too bulky. There is a nice one out that is Neoprene, looks just like a sax strap (I think it might be one) but has a leather thingy that goes around the thumbpiece to hold it on. (This has proven to be invaluable to me during marching season - long parades) I, too, suffer from the 'wrist/hand/thumb pain but after numerous xrays and tests for carpal tunnel and nerve pinching, they found nothing and figure it is the weight of my clarinet resting on my thumb causing strain in the muscle. I am an adult player and felt a bit 'awkward' at first using a neckstrap, but after seeing the support it gives, some of the other players decided to get one too!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: coasten1
Date: 2004-05-04 15:48
I agree with seeing your Dr. as a precaution and then get some dumbells and start doing wrist and arm exercises to strengthen the muscles. Stronger arms makes a huge difference when holding the clarinet for a longer period of time.
Also, you may want to see if there is other types of thumb rests or pads you can slip over the existing thumbrest. I have one that slips over and is about twice the width of the existing thumbrest. There is more surface area to rest on the thumb making it more comfortable.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Dee
Date: 2004-05-08 21:39
I would also strongly recommend a neck strap. However, in addition have a very knowledgeable clarinet teacher check your hand position. If it is incorrect, it puts too much bend in the wrists, particularly the right wrist. The thumb rest should straddle the base of the thumb nail. Otherwise you must bend the wrist to get the fingers around to the top. In reality, the wrist needs to be relatively straight. For awhile this may feel insecure, but you will get used to it and the neck strap will help.
Way too many people, as beginners, get in the very bad habit of putting the thumb rest on the knuckle joint or even the base of the thumb. If they do not correct this, it can lead to the very problems you describe as they increase their playing time.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
