 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Gandalfe
Date: 2004-11-08 00:42
My wife has tendonitis in her right thumb and is wondering if there is a thumb brace of some sort that will help with the pain.
I recommended a special thumb rest but she says that a cushioned or other solution doesn't address the problem. She wants something that she would wear on her hand to support the thumb joint.
Does anyone have any ideas?
Jim and Suzy
Pacifica Big Band
Seattle, Washington
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Author: clarinetdaddy
Date: 2004-11-08 01:07
What I have found to really work good is the " Koolman" Thumb rest. At least I think that is the name. I cannot find the paperwork on it. It takes three screws to install. Maybe the name is "Ton Koolman"
Miles
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Author: clarinetdaddy
Date: 2004-11-08 01:11
Hello, its me again. I checked out the thumb rest in a catalog and the name of the rest is "The Kooiman" Hope this helps!
Miles
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Author: MTitus
Date: 2004-11-08 03:21
I use a Neotech neckstrap and I have no problems with thumb pains. It's also nice when your playing a left hand note and you need to turn pages, you can do so with the neckstrap on and such.
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Author: rc_clarinetlady
Date: 2004-11-08 05:58
I too suffered from the pain of tendonitis in my right thumb. I used the neotech strap and really had to reduce my practice time until it cleared up. It took about 2 weeks to feel better. I still have to be careful not to irritate it. I practice about 1-3 hours a day now instead of 4-5 and stop when it hurts. I used to just play through the pain but that made it much worse.
Our principal in our orchestra uses a Ton Kooiman Maestro model thumb rest. It looks like something out of Robocop but it really works well. I tried it and if it hadn't been so expensive I would have purchased one.
Different types of cushioning were suggested to me on this BBoard but that wasn't the problem. It's the weight of the clarinet that is causing the problem for me. I did have a suggestion from someone to turn my thumb rest around, and pad it well to help put my hand in a better position. I did this on both my A and Bb and it really does help with the positioning of the thumb and hand.
You asked specifically about a thumb brace and I did use one of those too. It was actually a brace I had given to me by my orthopedic surgeon when I sprained my wrist about 6 years ago. It's a leather type brace that fits over the thumb and up the inside part of the wrist. It had velcro staps to hold it in place and immobilized it very well. I wore it all the time for a few weeks. Maybe if she could get to an orthopedic doc then she could get one of these braces.
I had to have surgery on my right thumb about 5 years ago to reduce an inflamed, swollen bony area at the base of it. That doctor said it had become inflamed from excessive usage (my guess is years of clarinet playing) so tell her to be very careful about how she treats this. Surgery wasn't fun!
Rebecca
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Author: OpusII
Date: 2004-11-08 07:27
Try the Kooiman Maestro, it's indeed expensive.....but I think that the well being of the body is more important then the money....
http://www.tonkooiman.com
Just give it a try, I did and can’t play without it anymore!
I’ve no connection with the Kooiman company, I’m only a happy customer.
Post Edited (2004-11-08 07:28)
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2004-11-08 13:48
Well said, RC CL, I was hoping the "turn-around" would be at least mentioned as either a test, or the continuing solution, that it is for me ! Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: CPW
Date: 2004-11-08 15:17
How difficult is it to install the TK thumbamajiggie?
If you have a Beefer do you have to install the whole apparatus to move it to an Ayfer?
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Author: Ray
Date: 2004-11-08 15:50
I second (third) the use of a neck strap, especially the Neotech. You will find that your playing will improve once you trust the neck strap to support the clarinet and allow your right hand to relax. You can finger faster and your legato will be smoother when your hands are not tense. It is easier to keep your RH fingers properly curved (instead of the straight, flat fingers I see on so many players) when you can relax that hand. It is much easier to relax when you are not counting on your hands to keep your horn off the floor.
Additionally, I have seen some top level players who support the clarinet on a knee. Some players, especially females, find it comfortable to cross their ankles with their feet moved away from their chairs, placing the bell between their knees.
You may find any of these solutions to be an inconvenience or just too nontraditional in appearance for you to adopt in the long term. Please consider them in the short term while you heal. You may find that you will like them for the long term.
Before you spring for the Kooiman thumb rest, investigate how your instrument will fit in its case once that big thumb rest is installed.
Best regards,
Ray
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2004-11-08 16:30
Having "stolen" a few T R's from some in my "stable" for kid's horn emergencies, I went to my friendly repairers, the McGuires in Tulsa Sat to replace, and recieved a lesson in matching new ones to older sop. cls. Their screw holes, outside to outside is easier to measure than CL's, and this can vary from about 6 to 12 mms [the 12 being that of my only Adj, on a fairly recent Selmer Omega [FWIW]]. So making meas's is suggested. If D I Y is desired, dont lose the screws, do it over white paper, I use a very small screwdriver thru one hole for orientation, patience is also required. I found that shops also have oversize screws, for the too-large holes. Nuff for now !! Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: CPW
Date: 2004-11-08 16:54
Answer to my question above from the website:
<<With every Maestro thumb rest, two mounting slides are supplied. This makes it possible to use one thumb rest on more than one instrument>>
If this is true, then couldnt the mechanism detach to allow for storage of the horn in an ordinary case?
Against the windmills of my mind
The jousting pole splinters
Post Edited (2004-11-08 17:05)
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2004-11-08 17:14
The student version of that thumbrest does detach and fits in the case no problem (of course you need to try it for yourself as there is a plastic bar which is flat that comes out of the thumb rest holes. It is pretty thin so should fit pretty easily into a standard case.
The student version costs only about $25-30 and lots of mail order houses carry it.
One of my students uses it as she is small and has a big hole bundy plastic clarinet. It gives really good support.
Rest with tendonitis is really, really critical as it just won't heal without resting the tendon.
And progress is often measured in months not days.
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Author: Rick Williams
Date: 2004-11-08 19:49
What I found that helped was to ace wrap the thumb and lower part of the hand and wrist in a way that supports the thumb and allows you to hold the clarinet without taking all the weight on the thumb joint.
It may sound cumbersom but it really isn't and doesn't interfere with playing at all. If you are interested I can send you a series of photos on how to do the wrap.
Also, when I was having this problem I played around with making a hand brace out of low temperature moldable plastic. The idea was to build a shelf or trough for the thumb to sit in and let the weight be taken by the hand ranther than the thumb joint. I actually built one and it did work but the wrapping was so much easier and more comfortable I didn't do any more prototypes. However, that said, a physical therapist could most likely handle making one.
Best
Rick
Best
Rick
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Author: bob49t
Date: 2004-11-08 20:18
CPW,
If you don't do a lot of orchestral playing one Kooiman t/r and two plates will be ok. However, playing mostly orchestral works, you'll find that transferring m/p AND thumbrest is impossible if a quick change is necessary.
I've elected for two Kooiman rests - yes, expensive but what a difference and if you've paid a few thou for a good pair of sticks, another £200 for comfort and ease in playing is nothing in the end of the day.
The plate that supports the Maestro is flat against the clarinet, running along its long axis. It is therefore less bulky in the case than the standard t/r. You just have to have receptacles in your double case for the t/r themselves and most cases have enough room.
Bob T
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Author: Gandalfe
Date: 2004-11-08 20:22
What thoughtful and interesting solutions. As my wife is a nurse, she has been thinking about making a support for her thumb. I'm recommending that she go to the ortho doc as it would be covered by the insurance provided by the company I work for.
In the mean time, I let her try the NeoTech clarinet neck strap that I luv for my soprano sax and it worked without modifying the thumb rest. Now I have to buy her one to get mine back. ;o)
Jim and Suzy
Pacifica Big Band
Seattle, Washington
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Author: CPW
Date: 2004-11-08 21:42
Bob49t: Thanks for info
Are the maestro ones easy to remove off and on for storing?
Any chance of metal fatigue.
Cost is high so want to be assured that quality is good.
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Author: bob49t
Date: 2004-11-08 22:11
CPW,
Very easy to remove - stays on aided by friction grip provided by "sprung ball". you mount the T/R by sliding on from the lower end of the clar until it stops against the adjustable part of the mounted plate.
Not sure if the Kooiman site shows all that.
Metal fatigue - same as any standard t/r - negligible.
Quality is first class engineering, with adjustments in 3D to suit all thumb/hand sizes and shapes. Adjustment by allen key. They have even got a little adjustment in a circumferential way !
(BTW not retained by Kooiman)
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2004-11-09 20:34
Let me say a good word for the Selmer adj. T R. I inherited one on my Sel Omega, raised it some, better for me, now have raised it to its max [even better for my "pinch"]. It seems well designed and "engineered", very solid, it takes a screwdriver to adjust, so no quick change. The Omega passed its playing test with a Buffet-loving pro repairer, so I'm happy. I measured its U J diameters, 14.83 mm top, 14.75 mm, so slightly conical/poly cyl, sure plays well, somewhat "dark" with a glass mp and inverted Rov lig. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Andrewcn
Date: 2004-11-10 23:54
Once you have tendonitis or similar problem you need a support that takes as much of the weight of the instrument as possible, otherwise you could have huge problems - I know! Thumb supports only spread the weight, neck straps only take some of the weight - you still have to hold the instrument out. Have a look at the Pan support, it is a really elegant solution to the problem. (do a google search and you'll find it)
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Author: rc_clarinetlady
Date: 2004-11-11 06:19
Just a quick update on that wrist/thumb immobilizer I wore. I got mine from the orthodpedic office but I saw a really good one today in a medical supply shop here in our town. It was called a thumb spica splint and looked really good for what we suffer from. It straps on just like mine does and I think it would go a long ways to help her heal. Immobilizing that area is going to help her the most in the beginning by letting it rest.
Good luck to her. I hope she feels better soon. Like I said......surgery just isn't fun. Things tend to change after a surgery and sometimes not like you'd like them to. Mine was good but you never know. Just calm it down for right now and evaluate it after the pain subsides.
Rebecca
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Author: DTH
Date: 2004-11-12 01:38
I had problems just like you but my personal solution which worked well for me was to rest my thumb, then before starting to play I made a small modification to the clarinet by reversing the thumb rest and putting over the thumb rest a thick piece of rubber tubing. This gave me a more natural hand position for my right hand and thumb and the thick rubber tubing really helped to alleviate any pain from returning to my right thumb. Again, it worked for me and cost me only a few cents for the tubing. Good luck!
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