 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: jArius
Date: 2004-10-20 06:43
I just upgraded to a nice wooden clarinet after getting sick of my old (and I do mean old) Bundy, and I love the new one. The only problem is that the blasted thing is so durn heavy that my thumb is always in pain when I finish practicing. First I just left the thumb rest the way it was out of the package (or case, whatever) but after I noticed that I was developing a permanent indentation in my thumb I realized that I needed some padding. I've had some bad experiences with those little rubber things that they make specifically for that purpose (they keep getting lost, and they're not that comfortable anyway) so I don't want to get one of those. Right now I have a short length of black vinyl tubing on my thumb rest, but anytime I'm playing for more than five minutes (which is always) my ENTIRE RIGHT ARM falls dead asleep and stays that way untill I'm done. (Maybe there's a major artery going through your thumb? I don't know.)
Is there anything that I haven't tried yet?
Jeremy Bruins
Proud member of the too-much-time-on-my-hands club.
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Author: bob49t
Date: 2004-10-20 07:03
Plenty mileage here on the search facility - for problems with thumbs, solutions etc
BobT
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Author: OpusII
Date: 2004-10-20 07:57
jArius,
First, go to see a doctor, you could have a Repetitive Strain Injury...(RSI for short). If this is the case....STOP playing, resting is the best solution. It will get worse, at the end you can't even hold a cup of water in you right hand!
For more info on RSI:
http://eeshop.unl.edu/music.html
Second. I also have problems with RSI, but am still in the first stage of the symptoms. I ordered a Ton Kooiman Maestro Thumb rest that is specially designed for this kind of problems.
http://www.tonkooiman.com
Eddy
Post Edited (2004-10-20 08:06)
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Author: Iacuras
Date: 2004-10-20 11:51
You could try using a neck strap to take some of the weight off of the thumb.
Steve
"If a pretty poster and a cute saying are all it takes to motivate you, you probably have a very easy job. The kind robots will be doing soon."
"If you can't learn to do something well, learn to enjoy doing it poorly."
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-10-20 12:19
Lots of good suggestions above (especially searching the archives, as this topic has come up many times).
You can also experiment with moving the entire thumb rest higher, as most are mounted too low. To get an idea what it may be like, before permanently tapping new screw holes, take off the thumb rest, remount it upside down using the same holes and put a piece of cushioning to protect your thumb from the downturned edges. If this feels more comfortable, have your tech permanently raise your thumb rest higher...GBK
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Author: mkybrain
Date: 2004-10-20 13:08
i've developed a pretty significant calice(sp?) on my thumb. it's not like a huge noticable growth, just looks like a small part of my thumb is a little bit swollen. when i compare my thumbs, there is a difference on my right thumb. I think that b/c of this calice my thumb doesn't bother me anymore.
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2004-10-20 13:35
Well, there's quite a bit of difference between the callous on your thumb and the kind of pain the original poster is describing.
Callous development is your own body's particular adaptation to its environment. I've been told that you shouldn't have to develop them (by oboe players), but that would imply a perfect fit to the horn. As it's something that most of us aren't going to bother that much about, the occasional thickening of some skin due to repeated contact isn't that bit of a deal.
(For the record, I have two on my right thumb. The one just to the rear of the first joint came from the soprano clarinet (with some help from the bass), and has been there for thirty odd years. The other, located on top of the second bone in the thumb, running along the first half of the length of it, and taking the form of a raised ridge of skin, comes from the way that my baritone sax thumb rest makes "contact". Apparently the bearing points are both at the clarinet pressure point and on top of the thumb.)
Most of us have callous developed on portions of our body where there is constant contact with the physical world. Bottoms of the feet, heels of the hands, elbows and sechlike. Not pleasant looking (or smooth like women are supposed to be all over), but not the end of the world.
As for the numbness and pain issues, these are very real, very serious, and potentially fully disabling. When you suspend the clarinet out on that post-like thumb, you are sending all sorts of stress (in engineering terms) up through the thumb and the attached muscles and tendons, into the lower arm and upper arm. Everyone has different reactions to this (I play bass clarinet off of my thumb all of the time, for as much as an hour at a time...all without the slightest bit of discomfort), but most will suffer to one degree or another.
Simple problems can include difficulties with the musculature and tendons. Ranging from simple "not strong enough to take the strain" through the much more serious inflammation problems, most of these can be resolved through exercise (to ensure that the thumb, hand and arm are collectively strong enough to do the work demanded of them), changes to equipment (thumb rest adjustments) and the like.
More serious problems can occur with the narrow channel through the hand called the carpal tunnel. If your stress to your hand causes inflammation in this area, you can actually kill off the portions of the nervous system passing through this "tight spot" in your body. Partial damage may result in "numbness" for a variable period of time, but serious swelling can literally "kill" the neural tissues, resulting in permanent damage.
And, it gets worse than that. As with the human eye, where infection in one eye can cause "sympathetic" damage to the other eye (partially by processes not fully understood), inflammation in the carpal tunnel of one hand is occasionally accompanied by similar problems in the other, unaffected hand.
My agency (OSHA) has seen this in some cases, particularly in assembly jobs where the left hand holds a power tool at an odd angle. Even though the right hand doesn't do any of the "dangerous" motions, in a significant number of cases problems develop in both hands. Women seem to be more affected in this way than men, but there's no definitive understanding as to why.
Discomfort (a tired feeling) is something most likely akin to the hand and arm being not strong enough to bear the weight of the horn. Pain (of any type) and numbness (in particular) are reasons to see a orthopedic specialist toute suite.
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Author: LeWhite
Date: 2004-10-20 13:36
Sounds like the problem is not in your thumb at all. See someone trained in Alexander Technique.
In the meantime, try and reduce tension on the next, shoulder, and back.
__________________
Don't hate me because I play Leblanc! ![[down]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smiley23.gif) Buffet
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2004-10-20 14:12
Many years ago, I bought a piece of silicon (not rubber) tubing, about 2' long, from a surgical supply (a/k/a medical equipment) store. I've been cutting 3/4" pieces off it ever since, to slip over my thumb rests.
If the thumb rest is too low for the way your hand is shaped (as it often is), the easiest experiment is to take it off and turn it around, with the flange at the top. You'll definitely need a cushion on that, since the edges will be turned downward and cut into your thumb otherwise.
Buffet and Jupiter make adjustable thumb rests, which you might try. They're a lot cheaper than even the less expensive Kooiman. The Jupiter also has an eyelet that lets you use a saxophone neckstrap. BG makes an elastic neckstrap that has a flat leather strip with a slit in it that fits around a plain thumbrest.
Have you tried resting the bell on your knee?
If you get pain, and particularly if you get numbness, go right away to a physical therapist who specializes in the problems of musicians.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Dee
Date: 2004-10-20 14:52
If it is going numb or painful this quickly, check with a doctor as you may already be doing or have signficant damage.
If it is your arm going numb, it may be an incorrect hand position showing up because of the increased weight of the instrument. Many people hold the instrument incorrectly and don't know it. The hand position should be such that the thumb rest straddles the base of the thumbnail. i.e the middle of the thumbrest is on a line with the base of the thumbnail. This allows you to have a straight wrist yet still be able to curl the fingers around to the tone holes. If the thumbrest is closer to the hand, then the wrist has to be bent to get the fingers around to the tone holes. A bent wrist can lead to pinching of the nerves, inflammation, carpal tunnel and so on.
You may need to combine several solutions to get relief such as correcting hand position, adding cushion, moving thumbrest, and using a neckstrap.
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Author: glin
Date: 2004-10-20 16:13
jArius,
I'd second the visit to the doctor if you are feeling discomfort. I had a mitoid (or mucous) cyst that on my right hand thumb knuckle right where it hits the thumb rest. I suspect I got this somehow by some time of trauma via overpractice or overplaying, but who knows. I got it surgically removed in August after long deliberation.
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2004-10-20 18:04
Shoot the thumb rest you are using!!
The Kooiman is really the best if the problem is excruciating...
David Dow
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Author: Burt
Date: 2004-10-20 23:04
There are two different problems.
Calluses, blisters, etc. come from the surface of the thumbrest being hard and perhaps rough. The solution is a padded surface, and several alternatives have been suggested. I never had this problem.
Joint problems come from the thumbrest being in the wrong place. The suggestion that GBK made should solve that. I moved the thumbrests on my clarinets. Many saxophones and some clarinets have adjustable thumbrests.
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Author: VermontJM
Date: 2004-10-21 01:55
I just got the Kooiman and I swear that I am the only person in the world that currently doesn't like it. I am blaming this on the fact that I am just not used to it yet and that I still may not have it adjusted correctly. It is very slowly becoming a little more natural to use, but I am still feeling pain when I play.
Has anyone else had issues? Do you have any ideas? - I have tried all published troubleshooting ideas...
Thanks!
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Author: diz
Date: 2004-10-21 03:21
Let's look at this problem systematically
1) change from plastic to wood
2) pain because of the weight
3) adjustment period
4) end of problem (hopefully)
I've been through that one too ... believe me, you adjust pretty soon.
Without music, the world would be grey, very grey.
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Author: Bob A
Date: 2004-10-22 16:40
As you get older the problem solves it'self--Arthritis takes over and you play Bass Clarinet, seated, using a floor-peg.
Bob A
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