OT: Piano Elbow

[cphollis]

Thought I'd share a recent experience that ended up well.

 

For the last two months or so, I've had annoying pain in both elbows when I move them. Sometimes light, other times very distracting and sharply painful. I spoke to my doctor, and he said I had tennis elbow, which I thought strange as I don't play tennis

 

He said it was over-use of the tendons, and that -- in time -- it should get better. Like wait a few months. Take anti-inflammatory pills in the meantime. Well, it didn't get better. He then offered to refer me to an orthopedic surgeon. No thanks.

 

I then hit the internet, and found a video of a doctor explain that some forms of tennis elbow were caused by carpal tunnel-type activities, e.g. playing a piano with gusto. He actually called it "piano elbow". Who knew? Now that he mentioned it, the condition did flare up after rehearsals or a gig.

 

The cure was devilishly simple: strengthen the tendons and muscles opposite the ones you use to play piano. Playing a weighted keybed involves muscles and tendons on the bottom of your forearm. Just exercise the tendons and muscles on the top of your forearm, and you should see big improvement.

 

Off to amazon.com I go to get an assortment of inexpensive rubber-band-like finger stretchers in different weights. They look like brass knuckles, only silicone rubber.

 

I've spent the last few days using them a few times, five minutes at a time. The results (so far!) have been nothing short of remarkable: 95% of the pain is gone, full motion restored. At this rate I should be 100% in a few days. Praise be!

 

Glad I didn't go see that orthopedic surgeon. Hope this helps a brother piano player at some point!

[Jazz+]

I am very familiar with this topic, having had to manage tenosynovitis in both wrists since 1970 when I was a 3rd grader. It runs in the family. Can you link to exercises that help with wrist tendons? The problem is inflammation of the inner lining of the tendon sheathes (the lubricating sheathes) resulting from friction and not caused by a lack of muscle or misuse. I have managed with rest, by knowing when not to overplay, anti-inflammatories, avoiding bad wrist angles, ice, and playing light "fly away" keys actions such as on the great Mason and Hamlin and Bechstein grands.

[cphollis]

I can't speak to wrist tendons, just my tennis elbow

 

I went looking for the video, and realized I had found it embedded in my Amazon searches for finger exercises. This is an example of the product.. So it's hard to provide you a link. I did cruise all the relevant youtube videos, saw lots of exercises but not this one.

 

The exercise is pretty simple: put each finger through its little hole, slide it down a bit, then open your fingers as wide as you can repeatedly. Do this until you start to feel a bit of muscle fatigue, then switch hands. Go back and forth until you get bored, repeat in a few hours.

 

Worked really well for my situation.

[Jazz+]

I'll try it, thanks! It looks good, I have not seen those finger bands before.

[David Emm]

I'm glad to hear that you came out in good shape. Unnerving as heck, isn't it? I can relate, as I had my round with lateral epicondylitis, commonly known as "tennis elbow". My playing suffered for it and it led me to abandon weighted keys. I still miss digging in, but it was the right move. What I thought I'd lost in balls-to-wall piano playing powers stuck around more than expected. The muscle memory from playing a couple of nice baby grands persists. In my decrepitude, I love plastic controllers more all the time!

[Jazz+]

I chickened out on that rubber band exerciser, I know that sort exercise tends to make my wrist tenosynovitis worse.

 

"Tenosynovitis is the inflammation of the fluid-filled sheath (called the synovium) that surrounds a tendon, typically leading to joint pain, swelling, and stiffness.

[Tom Williams]

Man, I gotta get that -- the remedy I mean. I've been brawling with the tennis elbow for months, and it's clearly linked to my keyboard playing.

 

Thank you in the extreme for sharing that.

[Mjazz]

For this exact problem, piano elbow, I started doing a physical therapy exercise called the Tyler Twist Protocol. It worked great, eliminating the pain, and I've continued to do it daily over the years. It stretches out the top of the forearm.

 

The exercise is demonstrated in the video on this page. Here are links to PDFs of the underlying research article and the exercise protocol. It requires a simple rubber twist bar, which can be had on Amazon for about 13 bucks. (There are different color versions with different degrees of resistance. I've always used the red.) Alternative products would probably also work.

 

I don't have any stake in this, by the way. It's just something that worked - extremely well - for me. I first heard about it from a New York Times article 10+ years ago. Press articles about it are linked on that page with the video.

[brenner13]

To paraphrase a quote, 'If I had known I was to live this long, I"d have taken much better care of myself.'

 

I"ve had considerable pain in the elbows, off-and-on for well over a decade. They both will pop loudly when extending while flexing the biceps. Wrists crackle pretty good too with those circular stretches. I have no medical or physical therapy knowledge and absolutely no actual workout routine, but when the pain gets real bad, I found that just a few simple push-ups in the mornings will definitely help after just a couple of days. I"m really out of shape and quite wide in the middle, so only able to do 6 or 7 at a time. I know it is in my best interest to make it a daily routine but as the arm pain subsides, so dilutes my incentive to continue the practice.

 

Anyhoo, there"s my two bits.

[Biggles]

I am very familiar with this topic, having had to manage tenosynovitis in both wrists since 1970 when I was a 3rd grader. It runs in the family. Can you link to exercises that help with wrist tendons? The problem is inflammation of the inner lining of the tendon sheathes (the lubricating sheathes) resulting from friction and not caused by a lack of muscle or misuse. I have managed with rest, by knowing when not to overplay, anti-inflammatories, avoiding bad wrist angles, ice, and playing light "fly away" keys actions such as on the great Mason and Hamlin and Bechstein grands.

 

I too had a very similar problem with my right wrist.

 

Using my hand exerciser exacerbated the problem.

 

Anti inflammatory drugs did not cure the problem,

 

In the end I had to have a guided injection under ultrasound.

 

Seek medical advice if you suffer any injuries

[Joe Muscara]

Thought I'd share a recent experience that ended up well.

 

For the last two months or so, I've had annoying pain in both elbows when I move them. Sometimes light, other times very distracting and sharply painful. I spoke to my doctor, and he said I had tennis elbow, which I thought strange as I don't play tennis

 

He said it was over-use of the tendons, and that -- in time -- it should get better. Like wait a few months. Take anti-inflammatory pills in the meantime. Well, it didn't get better. He then offered to refer me to an orthopedic surgeon. No thanks.

 

I then hit the internet, and found a video of a doctor explain that some forms of tennis elbow were caused by carpal tunnel-type activities, e.g. playing a piano with gusto. He actually called it "piano elbow". Who knew? Now that he mentioned it, the condition did flare up after rehearsals or a gig.

 

The cure was devilishly simple: strengthen the tendons and muscles opposite the ones you use to play piano. Playing a weighted keybed involves muscles and tendons on the bottom of your forearm. Just exercise the tendons and muscles on the top of your forearm, and you should see big improvement.

 

Off to amazon.com I go to get an assortment of inexpensive rubber-band-like finger stretchers in different weights. They look like brass knuckles, only silicone rubber.

 

I've spent the last few days using them a few times, five minutes at a time. The results (so far!) have been nothing short of remarkable: 95% of the pain is gone, full motion restored. At this rate I should be 100% in a few days. Praise be!

 

Glad I didn't go see that orthopedic surgeon. Hope this helps a brother piano player at some point!

BTW, how in the remotest way is this OT to a keyboard forum?

[Michael W]

I was having horrible pain in my right forearm last year, as well as my left thumb.

 

I went to an orthopedic doctor who diagnosed me with tennis elbow in my right arm and arthritis in my thumb.

 

He gave me cortisone shots in both places, which fixed me up perfectly. Amazing stuff.

 

Six months later I re-aggravated my forearm opening a jar of salsa. The doc gave my elbow another shot and the pain disappeared again.

 

I've also been told that I have carpal tunnel and need surgery for that. It's so fun growing old.

 

I suffer from a variety of neurological disorders, for which I have had several surgeries, including brain surgery a few years ago. My doctors are at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota - it's a short hike from Chicago, and I trust those doctors with my life.