Tennis elbow - HELP!

[Bucktunes]

June was a very busy month for me. I was doing double gigs 3 or 4 nights a week, and only one day off a week. Each gig involved playing a grand piano and my synth. On double nights, I would be playing the piano for 5 or 6 hours a night.

 

It's been musical heaven, but after a few weeks of this I started getting some tennis elbow in my left arm. One of the gigs involves playing a Kawai grand, which has a fairly heavy action, and I assumed this accelerated the problem. But now I've noticed that even after a few hours on a lighter action piano, the ache still flares up.

 

Has anybody else had this problem? I've tried sitting up higher to change my elbow's angle, lightening up my touch, etc. The only time it really goes away is when I don't play for a couple days, but I rarely have that luxury. I'll be taking a vacation in a few weeks. Hopefully that will help, but does anyone know of a way to relieve this short of taking shots ( ) or not playing for a while? ( )

 

HELP!

 

Peace all,

Steve

[Postman]

You may have some inflamation in your elbow and in a worst case scenario that can lead to damage, even arthritis. Aggravating a joint that's already inflamed makes the problem worse. How do I know? I myself went to my doctor about pain I'm getting in my knuckles, and he told me definitely to get treatment if the pain continued. Perhaps your doctor would feel the same way. There are many treatments for it.

 

Playing through the tears is great for football, but not so much for music.

 

Good luck.

[Bucktunes]

Thanks, Postman. I actually had this problem last fall, but it went away for a while when my schedule eased. That's why I'm inclined to think it's just a matter of overuse, because my right arm feels fine. Now that my schedule's a little less hectic, I'm hoping the ache will fade again. Otherwise, I may have to stick with unweighted synth keys until it passes.

 

Is there some type of topical ointment (eg. Ben-Gay) that works well in the meantime?

 

Peace all,

Steve

[Reason]

I know what you're going through Bucktunes, I once got a finger on my right hand heavily bruised, I thought it was broken so I went to the hospital to get some Xrays, they didn't show anything so I just went gigging that night. It was like hell, but I had no choice (or I refused to take the right one ) Even now about 2 years later that finger still hurts and it's not as flexible as it used to be, plus I'm only 19 so I'll probably be going through the rest of my life with a finger I can't rely on for too much, or I'll have surgery on it when I can find the time for it. So you'd better get some advice from your doctor so it won't get worse in your elbow.

[Canadian]

If it hurts its usually for one of two reasons...

 

(A) you suddenly started playing alot more then you used to (i.e. binge playing)

(B) you are physically too tight (i.e. in wrists, arms, shoulders)

 

If it is hurting -- TAKE A BREAK...you don't want to cause permanent damage...

[Byrdman]

Originally posted by Postman:

Y I myself went to my doctor about pain I'm getting in my knuckles, and he told me definitely to get treatment if the pain continued. Perhaps your doctor would feel the same way. There are many treatments for it.

 

Good luck.

What can be done for pain in the knuckles? I have been getting some of this. It has not affected my playing but I worry about it doing so. I also had wrist pain but reducing my playing to a minimum for a couple of weeks fixed that, as well as helping the knuckles.

[joegerardi]

Bucktunes:

As an avid tennis junkie (2-3 matches a 2.5 hour lesson, and several hours of practicing serves every week) I can sympathize with you. Whilst I never get tennis elbow from tennis, I do feel the strain when I play keyboards for long periods. (Obviously exacerbated BY so much tennis.)

 

Go to the nearest tennis shop and ask for an Air Cast. They're about 15 bucks, and you wear it on the forearm about an inch forward of the elbow. It's basically an Ace Bandage with an air bladder that places pressure on the muscle, easing the strain on the tendons in the elbow. (Tennis elbow is micro tears in the tendons.) The pro at the shop will be happy to show you the proper placement, I'm sure.

 

I just got one for my ex girlfriend - who I speak to regularly, and am friends with - who developed TE at work, and she's amazed at how quickly it eased the pain. (Though, I'm still trying to figure out how an accountant gets tennis elbow at work??????)

 

PS: Ice it down after the gigs. Take a Glad Bag, fill it with ice, and use Saran Wrap to attach it to the elbow. It looks weird, I know, but not as weird as I looked with BOTH knees wrapped that way at a tennis match last May. That's what the Sports Medecine techs from the local hospital did for me after I had both my knees go after the first match.

[alcohol]

I know this sounds crazy!

 

I've had a problem with pain in my right arm extending to my fingers when I play for about 30 years. I essentially thought I could never play like I used to.

 

Recently someone showed me this exercise where you extend your arm forward, make a fist, put your other hand around the fist and pull your extended hand inward. I did a variation of this by doing pushups with my hands closed in a fist. I do both. Also, I do a lot of sit ups or stomach crunches. The situps seem to strengthen the back and upper neck, improving posture which can affect your playing. The consequence is that the pain I've been plagued with since I was twenty is now abating.

 

It's my idea that some of these arm pains are caused not only by overwork but also from supporting muscles not being strong enough; and that pushups and situps help strengthen those supporting muscles.

 

I've tried everything with mixed success, chiropracty, acupunture, etc.. These exercises have worked best for me.

[Bucktunes]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I'll definitely try them out.

 

Canadian - You're right about it flaring up when I'm suddenly playing more than usual, or playing a heavier keyboard. It could also be posture and improper muscle tension, too. I've been trying to pay attention to that lately. And I do relax my arm whenever I get a chance.

 

Joe - I'll definitely get one of those air casts, it sounds like a winner. Dumb question; Do you wear it while playing or in the off time?

 

Alcohol - I just tried the fist/pull trick, and it seems to help. I rarely exercise my arms outside of playing, so you're probably right about the supporting muscles. For my shape, I could use a few sit-ups and push-ups, anyway!

 

Ultimate - Sorry to hear about your knuckle. That sounds painful.

 

Thanx again guys!

 

Peace all,

Steve

[kybdwackr]

had tennis elbo quite severly...had been playing quite a bit, and got to where it hurt to brush my teeth.I swear i still brushed em tho...honest..You may not want to rule out accupunture for this...it really helped me. She was trained in china and was really good apparently. Stretching fingers..wrists etc before a gig apparently helps with the pain reoccuring...hope this helps

[joegerardi]

Originally posted by Bucktunes:

Joe - I'll definitely get one of those air casts, it sounds like a winner. Dumb question; Do you wear it while playing or in the off time?

Whenever you feel the need, and sometimes as a preventative. My coach wears his all the time, playing or not. If you know you're going to be playing (keyboards, that is) heavily, I'd suggest wearing it before. It really doesn't interfere with anything at all.

[alcohol]

The ice treatment also works. When I really need to have the pain go away, though it is much less bothersome now, I've done the following on the advice from a Red Sox trainer.

 

Fill the kitchen sink with ice water. Lots of ice, so it's really cold. Insert your arm into the water over the elbow. Leave in ice water for twenty minutes. I find this very painful!

Whatever pain I've had in my arm or hand will be gone for several days. From what I understand, the ice is causing intense distress to your arm and your body reacts by sending endorphins or whatever to relieve the situation. This technique will relieve symptoms but not the cause.

[Postman]

Originally posted by Byrdman:

What can be done for pain in the knuckles? I have been getting some of this. It has not affected my playing but I worry about it doing so. I also had wrist pain but reducing my playing to a minimum for a couple of weeks fixed that, as well as helping the knuckles.

I think the first thing to do is get a diagnosis, right? For me it involved my doctor manipulating the affected joints, kind of like what you see team trainers do to football players who have hurt their knees, you know? It turned out that I didn't have pain from compression (which is what I guessed) but from side to side movement. That helped me understand what was doing it.

 

[Curious? When I'm playing a chord with my right hand with a black key on the bottom -- say a C7 voiced Bb-E-C -- I curl my index and third fingers under because there's not enough room at the back of the keys. I also tend to roll my wrist towards the thumb causing the sideways pressure. Not only does this cause knuckle pain, but it causes my finger nails to crack. Does anybody else have the same problem?]

 

So, at least I have an idea of how to fix it by changing my technique. Other than that, he advised that I lay off the instrument for a while (to let the inflamation subside) or if that's not possible, to consider drugs. Anti-inflamatories go from the mild, like aspirin, to the strong, like Prednisone. Mind you, I don't like taking powerful prescription drugs any more than the next guy, but sometimes they're heaven sent.

 

Bottom line from my doctor: don't ignore persistent pain. Repetitive motion injuries can lead to significant problems now or later in life.

[Rick K.]

I thought I was the only one! I have one of those tennis elbow things. It looks kinda funny, but definately helped. I did use Ibuprophen as well. I typically found the problem occured when I start playing after a couple of days off. After 3-4 days of gigs I'm in great form and the pain subsides. However, I have been doing the same pre gig stretching exercises the drummer does utilizing his sticks. It's been the most helpful. I haven't had to wear the elbow pad, but I still carry it in my gig bag just in case.

 

Good luck!

 

Rick

[Pat Azzarello]

You should check out an author names Pete Egoscue. He's got a couple of books, and they've been very helpful for me (check your library as well). Everytime I end up with a nagging pain or strain somewhere, I refer back to his book (or any of the exercises I learned from his books) and it gives me some relief.

 

I had horrible problems with my hands going numb, etc., and now I just do a couple of exercises for a couple of days and I find relief (though I should do them every day).