My injury...

[BassAgent]

I've had an agonizing pain in my right middle finger for the last year and a half. It wasn't hurting all the time, but only when I was playing bass, piano or upright. I thought it was because I was at that time playing a lot of loud bass in my ska band and lots of upright. I quit playing for about 4 weeks to see if it worked.
It didn't. When I started playing again the pain came back just as heavily as before. Me being stupid and a pro musician kept playing because it's my education and profession. I just hád to play.

Last Monday the pain entered a new stage: it didn't stop. I was in pain all the time and couldn't play. I had enough and decided to call the hospital in The Hague, where they have a special department for musicians and dancers.

There the doctor told me I have a "reduced independence" in my fingers, what means it's hard for me to bend fingers one at a time without moving other fingers as well, plus I had indeed hurt my finger with playing too much.

Diagnosis: tendinitis in my middle finger. Treatment: no studying, just very calm rehearsals and gigs (so I can still play a little) and a brace around my middle finger when I'm not playing. All that for the next 2 months. I hope it will be better then, and otherwise another treatment will be tried.

[ggunn]

Originally Posted by BassAgent

I've had an agonizing pain in my right middle finger for the last year and a half. It wasn't hurting all the time, but only when I was playing bass, piano or upright. I thought it was because I was at that time playing a lot of loud bass in my ska band and lots of upright. I quit playing for about 4 weeks to see if it worked.
It didn't. When I started playing again the pain came back just as heavily as before. Me being stupid and a pro musician kept playing because it's my education and profession. I just hád to play.

Last Monday the pain entered a new stage: it didn't stop. I was in pain all the time and couldn't play. I had enough and decided to call the hospital in The Hague, where they have a special department for musicians and dancers.

There the doctor told me I have a "reduced independence" in my fingers, what means it's hard for me to bend fingers one at a time without moving other fingers as well, plus I had indeed hurt my finger with playing too much.

Diagnosis: tendinitis in my middle finger. Treatment: no studying, just very calm rehearsals and gigs (so I can still play a little) and a brace around my middle finger when I'm not playing. All that for the next 2 months. I hope it will be better then, and otherwise another treatment will be tried.

That's a bummer. Tendonitis can take a very long time to heal, and continuing to do what caused it to happen will stall the recovery process. I had a case of tennis elbow (elbow tendonitis - which you don't have to play tennis to get) that took me nearly a year to get free of. What has happened to you is why many of us advise not to play through pain.

[BassAgent]

That's what I also say to my students but if you're playing a gig you simply can't say "okay guys, I'm gonna quit now because I'm in pain".

The doctor said it had to be better in 2 months. If that isn't the case I might get a local injection of minor surgery.