 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Arlee
Date: 2009-06-28 19:07
A friend recently told me she thinks her daughter - almost a teenager - might be showing some indication of carpal tunnel syndrome. Daughter plays piano, violin and clarinet - usually about three hours a day.
I have no personal experience with carpal tunnel but told her I'd ask around. I'm starting here at the Clarinet Board although I've never associated C/T with clarinet playing - or, with violin or piano for that matter.
I also had never thought of carpal tunnel being a young folks problem until now. Any info is, as always, greatly appreciated.
- arlee -
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Author: GBK
Date: 2009-06-28 19:13
Have a doctor do a nerve conduction test.
That will tell you everything you need to know.
...GBK
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Author: USFBassClarinet
Date: 2009-06-28 19:34
It's quite common in the left hand of violinists. I have played violin longer than clarinet so I know a little. It comes from improper hand position when they don't hold their arm straight at the wrist and instead bend it down or wrest the violin on their wrist. It could also be if she is new to the instrument and plays for long periods of time.
but I will second GBK and say see a doctor.
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2009-06-28 20:42
Absolutely it can happen. Typical early diagnosis from your Doctor includes pressing on the wrist to see if it easily falls asleep.
Have her start with her GP and then a hand specialist. There are stretching exercises that she can get from an orthopedist/hand therapist that can help aleviate the symptoms.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: jnc8
Date: 2009-06-28 20:51
Another distinct possibility is tendinitis. After rigorous practice sessions for weeks on end and a full weekend of recording difficult repertoire with my college ensemble, I developed a case of tendinitis due to overuse/intensity. It went away after my doctor gave me some exercises to do to re-train my arm/wrist/hand etc. I would still say to see a doctor; they can tell you which one it is and how to treat it. You might Google some exercises for tendinitis in the meantime to see if they improve the condition.
Good luck.
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Author: Avie
Date: 2009-06-28 22:28
The doctor sometimes will order a nerve conductivity test to be sure it is CT especially if it constitutes a minor operation. If necessary, It has been said that the CT operation, is minor and 98% sucessfull. The doctor can only guess what caused it.
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2009-06-29 00:38
But, still, clarinet playing is hard on the right hand. Regardless of the youngster's diagnosis, I recommend playing with a neck strap.
BG Elastic or BG Rigid.
(I'm not compensated by BG.)Avie wrote:
> The doctor sometimes will order a nerve conductivity test to
> be sure it is CT especially if it constitutes a minor
> operation. If necessary, It has been said that the CT
> operation, is minor and 98% sucessfull. The doctor can only
> guess what caused it.
>
Bob Phillips
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Author: baursak
Date: 2009-06-30 18:30
You don't need any neck staps if you use Ton Kooiman thumb rest! www.tonkooiman.com
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Author: Brenda ★2017
Date: 2010-07-26 01:41
I just had the surgery on July 15 and will have the stitches removed in a couple days. It was diagnosed by the EMG test - but only after getting to the point of the whole arm getting numb at night and taking over 1/2 hour to get it to wake it up. (And no, it wasn't from lying on it!) In my case it's caused by over 24 years of working on the computer and calculator in the accounting office. So now the right hand no longer gets numb, YAY!
It was very frustrating to play clarinet because the hands would get numb so quickly, and then I couldn't feel the keys anymore until I shook out my arm. Not so great during performances.
So we'll see how the recovery goes... my husband insists not to return to the office until the doctor says it's OK, minimum of two weeks, till the stitches come out, and maybe three weeks for the follow-up appt. with the surgeon. I'll have to see when I can pick up the clarinet again. Everyone tells me to let the wound heal really well before using it as before.
Then we do this all over again in October with the left hand.
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Author: dansil
Date: 2010-07-26 02:52
Carpal tunnel syndrome in a child is usually an overuse nerve entrapment syndrome. I always advise my patients, of all ages, that the best treatment for an overuse injury is "underuse". With all her various instruments and youthful enthusiasm this young person has probably been working her hands for too long and perhaps too vigorously for her young tendons and joints to gradually adapt.
My concern would be that if she persists she will develop chronic pain which is very hard to deal with.
My advice would be to have frequent rests in her practicing rather than stopping it altogether and to visit an Alexander method therapist to see if her posture with any or all of her instruments could be improved. If all this fails then a nerve conduction study could be useful to confirm the problem.
Carpal tunnel syndrome in a child is unlikely to be treated surgically in my experience.
Cheers, Danny Silver
a family doctor in Castlemaine, rural Victoria, Australia for the past 30+ years, also a plucked string musician (mandolin, classical guitar) for far too long before discovering the clarinet - what a missed opportunity!
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Author: wendyp1000
Date: 2010-07-29 16:22
Some of you may think me daft, but it worked for me.
My hands were falling asleep all the time. While sleeping, while playing clarinet, while holding the phone to my ear... I am a web developer, on the computer 7-10 hours each day ... trying to play in a band and an orchestra and my hands kept falling asleep! I'd shake it out for about 20 seconds and could play for another few minutes. I went to see a neurologist. Sleep with hand braces he said -- step one. He thought I was sleeping on my wrists strangely. If that doesn't work, we do physical therapy and eventually surgery!
That freaked me out. I have been reading for some time about aspartame poisoning and its symptoms because I am (was) a diet coke-aholic. I gave up all aspartame drinks about 6 months ago and my symptoms have ALL BUT SUBSIDED. I have often tested this theory - go to fast food, get a diet soda. Within a few hours, numbness creeps into my fingers! The correlation is scary.
In addition to seeing a neurologist, taking breaks during her practicing sessions, ask yourself how much aspartame is in your friends' daughters diet.
In addition, yoga hand,wrist and arm stretches helped tremendously!
Good luck,
Wendy, amateur clarinetist, playing off and on for 30+ years
Bachelors in Music History
Post Edited (2010-07-29 16:23)
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Author: Brenda ★2017
Date: 2010-07-30 01:00
Thanks Wendy, there's a lot to learn about the relationship of how our bodies perform and seemingly harmless substances. I've learned over the years that what's harmless to one is harmful to another, even some very common food allegies or sensitivities. My friend and I are completely opposite as far as what we tolerate or not.
It's not a bad idea to try eliminating one thing or another for a couple weeks and see what happens. Sometimes we get nothing, and other times we're stunned with the benefits.
Now that my stitches are out I have to figure out how to get over the still-tender wound/scar at the bottom of my hand... although now I can open my hand wide now, and it no longer gets numb.
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Author: Brenda ★2017
Date: 2010-08-21 01:30
Now that recovery is well under way I can only say this: I can't wait for the carpal tunnel release operation to be done on the left hand. The numbness waking me up at night.
After about 2 1/2 weeks I was able to play the clarinet with no problems at all. Since none of the wrist was opened, only about 1 1/4 inch incision in the lower palm, there's no problem holding the instrument or moving my fingers at all! The biggest problem is a weak embouchure. A few days of practicing should cure that. (Oh, using a stapler at work was a killer for a couple weeks!)
Rehab consists of hand-strengthening exercise with a squishy ball, and both hand and arm extensions and stretches. Also the surgeon told me to massage the area of the incision 10 times a day to work down the scar tissue from underneath. I'm taking that in stride because it's preferable to the numbness in the hand all the time, and my left hand reminds me constantly of what the right one used to feel like.
One more performance coming up before the left hand is done. Can't wait!
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Author: W&MClarinetist
Date: 2010-08-23 01:03
I am a college student who suffers from wrist problem while playing. I have been diagnosed by one doctor with carpal tunnel, but I have also had a doctor diagnose my problem as a pinched Ulnar nerve, because the pain that begins in my wrist usually travels up my arm the longer I play. The problem seems to stem from playing piano and clarinet for a number of years, plus a lot of time spent on a computer during college.
To help subside the pain while I play, I not only use a neckstrap (BG) but I also wear a wrist brace that has metal in it to keep the wrist sturdy. I also tend to wear a smaller, softer wrist brace without metal when I'm doing other activities that use that wrist (typically in class, on the computer, etc.). The combination seems to work most of the time and if all else fails, I take an Advil after a particularly strenuous day.
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