sax and muscle problems?

[Jazzophone]

I know there are a lot of people who have carpal tunnel syndrome as a result of extensive use of hand muscles in typing (specifically), or other such things. Can you get a similar condition from playing sax, flute, clarinet, etc (lots of keys and lots of finger movement)?

I've been noticing a lot of pain in a couple places in my right hand lately, and have NO idea why, I do both things a lot (sax and typing) but I don't see that I do either nearly enough to have that sort of problem! Plus, I'm only high school aged, so I don't know.

Any experiences, info? :shock:

[johnsax]

Jazzophone,

As a physician I can tell you, it is VERY important that you get this problem looked at soon. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find doctors knowledgeable about the types of problems associated with playing an instrument (or typing for that matter).

Carpal tunnel syndrome would be unusual for a sax player or a typist but there are many other types of medical conditions that could be responsible for your pain. The most damaging conditions fall under the category of repetitive motion syndromes and they can be VERY debilitating. It is extremely important to diagnose these problems EARLY so corrective action can be taken.

Your best bet is to see a type of doctor called a physiatrist (one who specializes in physical therapy and rehabilatation) and who has extensive experience with musicians. Again you'll probably need help from your parents to do the research it's going to take to find someone good. The sad truth is that most family practioners and internists (of which I am one) aren't very experienced with these disorders and often refer their patients to orthopedic surgeons who for a variety of reasons can be the WORST doctors to see for these problems.

Good luck and find a good specialist as soon as possible or your problems could become serious. Let us know what happens.

John

[Thomas]

for cryin out loud-will you guys stop whining. I've got socks older than most of the posters on this board,played all saxes and flutes over fifty years and been on the road the better part of forty. I have none of these MINOR little complaints you all need Advice about. You are either physically defective,doing something wrong, are way too into yourself or as I suspect had a mother that sat or sits under you. Now take my advice-sit back,smoke a bunch of cigarettes,drink alot of strong coffee and relax.A good doctor knows that generally-the body heals itself.

[Tenorsaxer]

As I walk around during the day, I twirl and excersize my wrists. I type a lot and am determined not to get carpal tunnel.

[alonwolman]

I just got my freshly overhauled 331x Buescher Aristocrat tenor in from the repair shop, plays with a big, beautiful sound, but my whole knuckle swelled up after playing it the first few days I had it. My finger hurt a lot. I took a break from it for a few days while it was back in the shop, I've had it for 2 days now and my finger is starting to hurt again. Never had this problem on a horn before.

Alon

[top_gun25]

at least your not HER...

http://carcino.gen.nz/images/image.php/1fc8f8a2/mastersuit.jpg

[freeman]

i dont know about u, jazzophone, but i've been doing a lot of typing as well. I regular keep dates with my PC :lol: , and i used to have some minor wrist pains after extended periods of typing, but that sorta went away when i switched to the (ahem! techy evangelistic mode on) dvorak keyboard layout - plus added a gel wrist rest for my wrists.

take a look at the following 2 links for more info on the dvorak and why it is a good layout..
- http://www.mwbrooks.com/dvorak/
- http://www.mit.edu:8001/people/jcb/Dvorak/

anyway, i've been typing away on my keyboard for years already, but never really noticed any pain until long after i had started my "keyboard career". Perhaps you play more games, and that's where the repetition comes from? :wink:

[devinmac2k08]

I can relate with you jazzophone, being high school aged and already having wrist problems. I think I first damaged it around 6th or 7th grade (im in 11th now) and never really experienced problems until my 9th grade year. it seems to come and go at random times. but just last week, i took two 4+ hour sessions and almost immediately, the noticable swelling came back. its shows up right in the upper middle of the wrist bones. i also type alot, but never for extended periods like my alto sax. maybe i need to start taking pain medications before practice, but im getting a wrist brace for now to keep my wrist totally straight, and im not sure how thatll effect my playing:cry: ...

[Jolle]

All you guys with wrist problems,

next to the valuable advice of seeing a doctor (NOT A SURGEON !!!) you can do some stuff yourself :

http://www.backandbodycare.com/home/wrist/wrist.htm

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003175.htm

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/handandwristpain/

And a nice link to one of the archived threads :
http://www.saxontheweb.net/vbulletin/archive/index.php/t-14013.html

greetzz

PS : why not a surgeon? Most of them make money by cutting people open. So when you go there, he will try to find a reason to cut you open. Especially for young people, that's a disaster : every operation leaves a scar, and scars give trouble when ageing : stiffness, (untreatable) pain, ... When absolutely necessary, a chiropractor or a physiatrist will tell you to see a surgeon.

[Jolle]

for cryin out loud-will you guys stop whining. I've got socks older than most of the posters on this board,played all saxes and flutes over fifty years and been on the road the better part of forty.
Very nice. I have more hair (and with the original color) than quite some of my old schoolmates. They should stop whining about loosing hair, not?

I have none of these MINOR little complaints you all need Advice about. You are either physically defective,doing something wrong, are way too into yourself or as I suspect had a mother that sat or sits under you. Now take my advice-sit back,smoke a bunch of cigarettes,drink alot of strong coffee and relax.A good doctor knows that generally-the body heals itself.
Everybody has his cross. Yours is anti-social behavior, visible as a complete lack of subtility. I plead guilty for that matter :D

Anyway, a good advice : keep smoking those cigarettes and talk to my granddad. He can tell you how nice it is to live with only one lung.

A good doctor knows that the body heals itself to a certain extent. A good doctor also knows that a body is like a car : the less care you take, the less far you drive.

greetzz

[whaler]

Yeah!! Pain medication before playing. All the greats did it. Jazzophone, you might want to check your posture, your neckstrap position, or maybe the position of the thumbhook on your sax. It could also be that you tighten up too much when you play. That can cause muscle problems.