Advice for Tendonitis and Arthritis

bdengler · #1 02-02-2006, 03:50 PM

I would appreciate if any of you could share your experience of how you may have addressed tendonitis and/or arthritis in you left hand and kept playing the double bass. I was diagnosed with stretched ligaments and tendonitis in my left index finger knuckle, and pretty advanced arthritis in my left thumb. I feel pain on my left index finger knuckle when I play; frankly, the thumb doesn't bother me. My doctor told me it's a "life style choice" on whether I want to keep playing, and whether I'm willing or able to compensate for these discomforts. So, I'm thinking about making some compromises so that I can continue to play the bass. Here's my solution:

1.I am looking at some smaller basses, 5/8 size, with 39 inch string lengths to place less stress on the hand. Some of these basses have nice large bodies and sound pretty good.

2. I am going to place light guage/light tension strings on this bass, probably Corelli 370's or Eudoxas.

3. I am going to spread out my practices into smaller increments throughout the day to avoid fatigue.

4. I will be doing hand exercises recommended by my doctor.

What do you folks think of this strategy? Originally I had thought of switching to cello, but at 53, I'm a mere amateur, and I'm probably too old to start cello and "too old to quit" the bass.

Many thanks,

Brian

ctxbass · #2 02-02-2006, 04:18 PM

I'm 52 and have been dealing with tendonitis in my left index finger for about eight years. I had a hand surgeon tell me to find another profession. At that point, I saw an occupational therapist who specializes in hands. She was able to assess my situation and advise me. I was able to keep playing and my situation continues to improve (less trouble).

The exercises help to strengthen the affected tendons.
Hand and finger stretches before the gig, ice on breaks if necessary, and ice after the gig. Ibuprofen helps if you really need it, but it's best to lay off that stuff if you can.

Best of luck to you.

hdiddy · #3 02-02-2006, 05:25 PM

I think we need a sticky for this subject, which has come up over and over. Just search the past threads for CTS, RSI, Tendonitis. Lots of good answers.

bdengler · #4 02-02-2006, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hdiddy

I think we need a sticky for this subject, which has come up over and over. Just search the past threads for CTS, RSI, Tendonitis. Lots of good answers.

I tried to search and I wasn't successful. Probably operator error.

I'm not sure if the other postings included arthritic conditions as well.

Brian

Dr Rod · #5 02-03-2006, 06:49 PM

I dealt with tendinitis/carpal tunnel etc...for seven years. I did every type of therapy, warm up, excercise routine, strech, you name it. All these things kept my problem under control, they helped me get through school and gig around. Recently I got tired of it all and told a surgeon to just go ahead and operate, I paid for the operation because I was not in a crisis at that point. Insurance companies will only pay if you can't hold a cup anymore. Anyway...I love it, I wish I had done it earlier, I can finally practice like a normal human, my hand is strong and fast.

Doctors were mostly misleading, unsure, and not very knowledgeable. I researched my symptoms on the internet and conducted interrogation sessions when I went to the doctor, and many of them had very little clue. They ordered nerve conduction tests, electromiographies etc...they were all inconclusive, yet, I had carpal tunnel symdrome....it appears that normal people have a greater tolerance to these things, in other words: what is a significant problem for us musicians might be a minor problem for a normal person, and therefore not operation-worthy.

I am not saying that you should go and get operated right away, but be critical, inform yourself, and don't overrule operations completely.

kraid · #6 02-03-2006, 08:21 PM

What exactly went on when they operated on you, Dr Rod?

ii7-V7 · #7 02-18-2006, 06:47 PM

While I wasn't playing Double Bass...when I used to play alot of long shows I found that staying hydrated had a huge impact on the chronic tendonitis that I was experiencing. I also went to a lighter guage of string.

Chad

bejoyous · #8 02-18-2006, 11:23 PM

I had various repetitive stress injuries in my hands. Got so bad I could barely eat, brush my teeeth and so on. Turns out the tendonitis, etc. was a symptom of squeezed nerves due to a vertebre misalignment in my neck.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you see a good chiropractor to work on your spine.

Basically, when you spine or neck is out of alignment, the nerves which pass between the vertebre from the spinal column to the muscles are squeezed. The normal maintenance things your body is supposed to do doesn't happen because of the misalignment and the tendonitis is a symptom of this.

I tried everything from those listed in one of the above replies to physical therapy to trigger point manipulation to stretching the muscles/tendons to accupunture/pressure and so on. CHIROPRACTIC is the only one that worked because it worked on the CAUSE rather than the SYMPTOM.

I've gone from being on welfare barely able to lift food to my mouth to playing in a professional orchestra, provide for my family and take care of my house because of chiropractic so don't get uninformed opinions from your "friends" and go to the best chiropractor you can find.

Treat this decision like it's a matter of death for you and your grandkids - because it is!

hdiddy · #9 02-19-2006, 02:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bdengler

I tried to search and I wasn't successful. Probably operator error.

I'm not sure if the other postings included arthritic conditions as well.

Brian

Sorry, I have'nt checked on this thread in a while. Try this thread- Hand stretchings

Check out the book that Mark Rubin recommends. It's worked out great for me.

Kam · #10 02-19-2006, 03:21 AM

I'm just coming back now from about 2 months of barely playing because of a repetetive stress injury. Check out Janet Horvath's book Playing Less Hurt. She's the assistant principal cellist with the MN Orchestra. It's a great book and has tons of references. She also sells this WOW device that words great as a warm up!

http://www.playinglesshurt.com/

Don Higdon · #11 02-19-2006, 03:56 PM

To the degree that the condition is a consequence of how you use yourself, you are better off stopping the cause rather than constantly treating the effect, especially a treatment as invasive as surgery. Surgery will do absolutely nothing to eliminate the cause. I teach the Alexander Technique. By restoring my students to homeostasis, my students have healed themselves of various debilitating conditions. There is nothing lost in taking AT lessons. I am my own laboratory. I have skeletal birth defects which bothered me all my life until I became an AT student. AT does not change the defect; it teaches me to respond to it in a healthier manner. It eliminated chiropractic from my life. It also enabled me to discontinue taking asthma medication. That's most of the reason I went back to school to be certified as an AT teacher.
FWIW.

kraid · #12 02-19-2006, 04:02 PM

Don, I've been very interested in the Alexander Technique for some time now. From what I've heard though, you really need a teacher and it's not something you can teach for yourself so I haven't tried taking any books out on the subject or trying to get any videos. Hopefully whatever school I attend next year will have group classes. Would you say that studying it has improved your bass technique at all or has just made your less prone to injuries?

Don Higdon · #13 02-19-2006, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kraid

. From what I've heard though, you really need a teacher and it's not something you can teach for yourself so I haven't tried taking any books out on the subject or trying to get any videos.

Reading is left brain learning. AT is experiential (right brain) learning. You cannot learn AT by reading about it. Having said that, Body Learning by Michael Gelb is a decent overview for a layman. Just remember, the thing you'll be using for judgement is the thing that has to be fixed.

Quote:

Hopefully whatever school I attend next year will have group classes.

AT cannot be learned in a group. It's one-to-one with a teacher

Quote:

Would you say that studying it has improved your bass technique at all or has just made your less prone to injuries?

Both, and more, beyond my wildest dreams.

kraid · #14 02-19-2006, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don Higdon

Reading is left brain learning. AT is experiential (right brain) learning. You cannot learn AT by reading about it. Having said that, Body Learning by Michael Gelb is a decent overview for a layman. Just remember, the thing you'll be using for judgement is the thing that has to be fixed.

AT cannot be learned in a group. It's one-to-one with a teacher

Both, and more, beyond my wildest dreams.

Oh, thanks for the info. I always see flyers at MSM for different things like AT and I guess I assumed that they were group classes. I think I'll be looking into it more in a few months.

prelims222 · #15 02-19-2006, 10:50 PM

This is interesting:

Quote:

Reading is left brain learning. AT is experiential (right brain) learning. You cannot learn AT by reading about it. Having said that, Body Learning by Michael Gelb is a decent overview for a layman. Just remember, the thing you'll be using for judgement is the thing that has to be fixed.

Uncletoad · #16 02-20-2006, 08:20 PM

I wrote this in a parallel thread. Thought it may be useful.

Quote:

For those that care I had a Carpal tunnel nerve conductivity test in 2002 wherein the testing physician said my numbers were so bad that I needed surgery immediately or I was going to loose the use of my hands. I did not do surgery but stepped up my Alexander work and did Acupuncture and Osteopathic Manipulations. I was retested last month by the same physician who noted no change in my numbers. She was convinced that I was not going to have the use of my hands by this point in time and was shocked that the numbers hadn't changed. She was at a loss to explain here numbers as I didn't take a pill or have my hands cut. She suggested surgery was not going to be useful at this point. She stopped short of saying Alexander or any of the other things I did had any value. She said I was a "freak of nature".

Right.

Alexander works.