 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: oldreedguy
Date: 2020-04-28 11:31
HI,
I tried playing again earlier this year but due to overuse and aging my left hand is just about shot for clarinet. I did play with LA winds briefly and enjoyed it but with all the other instruments I play-a lot of guitar especially...the left hand just doesn't work like a kid anymore...sax, especially tenor, is OK and so are keyboards...but my first love-the clarinet-seems dust...I'm just a studio guy now...aren't we all, due to Corona. My third finger is "trigger"...sometimes it locks in position completely and I have trouble doing chords on guitar...clarinet? Forget it. After a few minutes I scream in pain. So now I just leave my Buffet S1 in its case, picking it up for a few minutes now and then just for nostalgia...
Has anyone dealt with a left hand that just gave out? Any solutions? I was hoping for an injection or therapy but the VA (I'm permanently disabled and a former Navy boot camp clarinetist and qualified MU) clinics have shut down...
Thank you.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2020-04-28 12:36
Probably not much until things improve and medical offices begin to do in-office exams and procedures. The trigger-finger may respond well to a series (2 or 3) of steroid injections when you can get them. It depends on what specifically is wrong for the rest of the problem. Could be anything from arthritis to a pinched nerve in your elbow or even your neck. You'd need a better diagnosis than "shot" or "worn out."
FWIW, I've had trigger-thumb on both hands (at different times in my '60s - I'm now 73) and both were successfully cleared up with cortisone shots. I began to have mild but annoying arthritic pain in my left thumb and wrist last year that made specific movements hurt. Cortisone shots calmed that down as well. Sooner or later the wrist pain will need to be treated again - the arthritis isn't going to disappear - but meanwhile I'm pain-free where clarinet is concerned.
Once you can get it, you need medical diagnosis and treatment. I assume for the meantime you've tried over-the-counter NSAIDS, heat, ice, etc.?
Karl
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Author: oldreedguy
Date: 2020-04-28 18:36
Thanks, Karl. I'm taking gabapentin, tumeric and meloxican for pain...played a bit this morning...good old rest has done me some good...better movement in the left hand...embouchure is rusty as heck but I'm not playing with anyone at the moment...I have an open door to return to the Los Angeles Winds in the Fall but I'm not up to a 120 mile commute...and who knows if Corona is ever going to lift here...thanks again, Barney
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Author: Burt
Date: 2020-04-28 19:36
Take a look at what you can do to modify your clarinet. I have left pinky / ring finger problems, and have had the left pinky keys and ring finger hole modified.
Possibilities include what I have done, plus plateau keys, raised throat A and Ab keys, and reduced spring tension.
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Author: Bennett ★2017
Date: 2020-04-28 19:41
Consider a NSAID gel - generic diclofenic or brand name Voltaren. In the US, you'll need a prescription. Not nearly as good as a cortisone shot but worth trying. My hand doc prescribed it as an adjunct to a steroid shot (for trigger finger.)
FWIW, on my health plan, I pay $5 for a big tube.
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