Tendonitis and Big Bass

[ksnapp]

Hi,

I'm a bass player from way back when, and i put it all away because of tendonitis. well years have passed and i have come to the conclusion that life with out playing sucks. so I'm thinking about gettin an EUB, since the upright neck seems more ergonomic than that of my EBG. Im also thinking EUB since less strength is required than a Double Bass.

Any body have any thoughts? Also any strength building suggestions while i save up my money?

All help is appreciated.

[bejoyous]

I was disabled in my arms (tendinitis was a symptom of it) and the root cause was arthritis in my neck. The arthritis stemmed my neck bone being out of alignment due to a fall I had when I was a kid.

I tried every possible therapy from conventional to kooky. The only thing that worked is what focused the root cause. I found the best chiropractor around.

It took a long time, but I've gone from barely being able to dress myself and faced financial ruin to playing in the principal spot of three different orchestras and raising a family in my own home.

So, have a chiropractor look at you.

[ksnapp]

wow, so you had good luck with a chiropracter. did you ever try acupuncture? If so how did that compare?

[JJBass30]

I have tendinitis and went to physical therapy for awhile for it. I was able to get rid of all the pain with streching.

[ksnapp]

i really appreciate the positive results ya'll have been sharing, thanks

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

I began to have some pain and tightness in my left hand a few weeks ago and last week I woke up with some tingling and numbness so I visited my chiropractor.
One hour I'm almost good as new. A vertebrae (atlas) in my neck is prone to misalignment which just messes everything up. This leads to tension, compensation etc and ultimately a pinched nerve.
A good chiropractor can save a career.

I experienced tendonitis in my left elbow for several months about five years ago, but it hasn't bothered me since. Personally, I'd recommend a good chiropractor and/or massage therapist and buy a double bass with a neck that feels good to you;not too thick or thin.

[Mofo-Kang]

I had tendonitis in my left elbow about a year ago, made it very difficult to play (EBG) more than a few minutes without pain. It lasted several months, and I tried several things to treat it--ice, anti-inflammatories, and a compression band/brace thing. None fixed the problem, though they helped a little. Finally, I mentioned it to one of the doctors at the hospital where I work (he's an anesthesiologist and treats patients for chronic pain out of his office--I'm a radiologic technologist). He gave me 4 shots of a steroid (not cortisone, but something similar) and local anesthetic. My arm was numb and damn near useless for about 8 hours (the local anesthetic did that), but the next day it was noticably improved, and within a couple of days the pain was completely gone, and has been ever since. I feel like a fool for going around in such discomfort for so long when the answer was right there.

I don't want to turn this into a bash on chiropractors, but I would be VERY careful about letting one do anything to my neck. Ask your doctor for a referral to an orthopedic/sports medicine doctor or pain management specialist (or your GP might be comfortable giving you a similar injection there in his office). I'd do it ASAP, too...there's just no reason to go through all that when a solution might be very quick and easy.

[StyleOverShow]

I went from EBG to EUB and practiced on it when I wasn't doing anything else. After a month of so my left elbow became painful to the point where I was noticing it every 20 minutes or so. It was my 'technique' and I had to lay off the EUB for a month or so. Got back up on the bad boy and, with some instruction this time, have been playing without the intense pain but it never really went away. I just thought that I was an old guy and that pain just comes along with trying to do anything fun. Haven't tried anything more exotic that Ibuprofen and ice.

-richard

[goodgig]

Tone suffering? Don't spend money on a new bridge, and strings! A simple adjusment to your soundpost might be the answer.

l have similar issues as Bejoyous. In my case tendonitis in my elbow and carpal tunnel in wrist, stem from arthritis in my neck. I was slated for surgery (knives, stiches and money) but chose "less agressive" chiropractic treatment. It is my understanding that a chiropractor has the same education as an MD, and then they further their training in chiropractic care. It has worked wonders for me.

[ksnapp]

i don't have my bass yet, but im trying to get into shape prior to buying it so i can hit the ground runnin. i read online about "friction massage" on the offending tendons. it felt really strange to do, i can't describe it. but i have greater range of motion than i've had in years. I always thought that the thing to do was to let it rest, which didn't help (i'd call 2 yrs of no playing a good long rest). so for the longest time i thought i was screwed, but apparently there are options my GPs way back when never bothered to tell me about.

[jifka3]

i have found that steel core strings will cause my tendonitus to act up. Both myself and my bass teacher agree that steel strings are harded on your hands. At his suggestion I went to Eudoxas for a while, buy they became costly. For the last 5 years, i've been playing the Velvet string with good results.
I also start my students with an emphasis on good body mechanics, ie. not slouching while on a stool and really focusing on not choking the neck with your thumb (LH). It is possible to play bass without your thumb on the back of the neck. It takes lots of practice and a good rockstop. But if you pull the strings down with your bisecpt mucsle and not your thumb muscle, you'll find that it forces you to keep your wrist straight. It is probabaly best to start trying this while seated on a stool, but you can use your left knee as a pivot point on the back of the bass, on your tippy toes.

[Don Higdon]

I maintain that your tendonitis is the consequence of unconscious, habitual misuse of yourself, not the particular instrument you choose to play.
I'll say it another way: I have never had a student with a complaint of pain who was not unconsciously misusing himself.
Alexander teachers allow you to keep what the chiro, therapist, doctor, etc. give you, i.e., relief from pain. If you don't correct the misuse, the expression of it (the pain symptom) will return in one form or another. The people who give you bona fide relief from a symptom are not trained to do what an Alexander teacher does. They are responding to a symptom; the AT teacher teaches you the thinking skills that prevent it.

[goodgig]

Don- How many lessons with an Alexander teacher would it typically take for someone to correct thier misuse? Are you uniquely qualified to help bass players or would another (local) teacher be able to understand our bass issues? Thanks - Gary

[philip sirois]

a chiropractor in no way has the same training as an md.
Not even close. Two years of basic science and fours years chiropractic school including clinical. They don't even need a bachelors degree to start.

An MD has four years of undergraduate school, fours years of med school, and then 3 or four years residency. thats 12 years to to chiro's 6. That ain't the same.

Hey if they help you that's fine. I'm with don on the idea of getting to the real root of the problem.

[Don Higdon]

Originally Posted by philip sirois

a chiropractor in no way has the same training as an md.
Not even close. Two years of basic science and fours years chiropractic school including clinical. They don't even need a bachelors degree to start.

I don't see where or why this is an issue. No claims have been made, no judgements rendered.

[ctxbass]

Originally Posted by Don Higdon

I don't see where or why this is an issue. No claims have been made, no judgements rendered.

See the end of post nine.

[Don Higdon]

Originally Posted by ctxbass

See the end of post nine.

Yup, I missed it. Sorry.
Sir Wah's correction is warranted.

[svenbass]

Originally Posted by goodgig

Don- How many lessons with an Alexander teacher would it typically take for someone to correct thier misuse? Are you uniquely qualified to help bass players or would another (local) teacher be able to understand our bass issues? Thanks - Gary

I took a dozen lessons many years ago with Barbara Connable - co-author of 'How to Learn the Alexander Technique - A Manual for Students' Between her help, and periodic re-reading of the book I have maintained a good understanding of the AT.

Also I believe it is not crucial that the teacher be a musician, or bassist, as it is a larger philosophy that is emphasized and combined with specific instruction to the movements you encounter while playing the bass.

This is not to suggest that I couldn't use a visit to a trained teacher, but I did get a lot of bang for my buck.

This is my experience though and I am by no means an expert! Perhaps Don Higdon could chime in?

[Don Higdon]

Dong

Originally Posted by goodgig

Don- How many lessons with an Alexander teacher would it typically take for someone to correct thier misuse?

A rule of thumb is that about 30 lessons are necessary for approximate self-sufficiency.

Are you uniquely qualified to help bass players

No.

or would another (local) teacher be able to understand our bass issues? Thanks - Gary

The teacher does not need to “understand your bass issues”. He/she understands human behavior at the most fundamental level, irrespective of whatever activity is going on. The greater problem is that a bass teacher does not know that you may be in an unhealthy pattern of unconscious tension even while your form is apparently correct.
All students get the same lesson, regardless of the problem, and regardless of whether they’re a bassist, a tree surgeon, a bank teller, a dentist, etc. AT teaching is not condition-specific. AT is not a thing that is done, it is a way of doing any/every human activity. It is brain work. It’s about what goes on in your brain (how you respond) when a stimulus is received.
Any teacher certified by my teaching society (AmSAT) would be competent to deal with the problem. My first teacher, who inspired me to become a teacher, had never had a bassist as a student before me. In retrospect, I’m glad. After they’ve been with the work, most of my students report improvements in activities I didn’t even know they did.

[goodgig]

Philip, not sure where I got this. Perhaps the chiro I use also has the medical background? What do I know? Thanks for the correction.

Don, as a result of this post I have contacted a local Alexander teacher. I might go ahead and check it out.
Meanwhile, I'll continue with the "pound of cure" Thanks.

Gary