Sax Player With Broken Jaw

[TromboneAl]

Greetings from an inhabitant of the Trombone Forum (http://www.trombone.org/forum/)!

I'm writing because the tenor player in my group, Jazz Passport (http://www.JazzPassport.org), was in a bike accident and broke his jaw. :cry: He also has a lot of scar tissue in his lower lip, and right now can't get his lower lip over his teeth. He's worried about whether he'll be able to play again, and whether it will affect his tone.

Have any of you had this experience, or know someone who did? Can you tell me:

1. How long did it take you to recover?

2. Was your tone different when recovered?

Thanks!!

[Bill Mecca]

There was a poster here Mutha Potamus who had a similar situation, though it was a tire iron and not a bike... he's playing again.... maybe he will see this and chime in. Haven;'t seen him around in a while.

tell your friend there is hope.

[Vader]

It really depends how badly it was broken. I mean, he doesn't need total reconstrutive surgery......does he? If it is a normal break, he should be fine. Even if the physical shape of his mouth changes, he should be able to play again. All it takes is the balls and willingness to spend the time practicing, relearning, and generally getting in "game shape" again. If his sound does in fact change, it should be a very minimal change, and in extreme cases it should be able to be corrected by a little bit of a set up change. It's only a broken bone, it's not like his throat exploded. For someone who has never hurt themselves, it could be tramatic, but take it from someone with a little perspective on this matter............he'll be fine.
Injuries are a part of life, and very few of them are career ending. He should just try to keep looking forwards, not dwell on it, and/or feel too much pity for himself. He won't get better unless he wants to get better.

[Doug Felden]

Hi, This reply is from Doug, the tenor player / cyclist who broke his jaw in a bike accident early June. I'm about to get my arch bars removed tomorrow, and that will put the past 6 weeks behind me. In addition to my jaw, I ALSO HAVE some serious scar tissue on upper and lower lips, and numbness of lips that is supposed to resolve. I hope to begin the road to recovery as soon as the hardware is removed, but right now I can hardly open my mouth enough to get my mouthpiece in. I will play again if at all possible, but it could take a while. I appreciate all your comments, and will keep you posted. My favorite Tenor players are Dexter, Lester, Gene Ammons. and Harold Land.

[Ronnie]

Sorry to hear about a friend of a comrade having an accident. I'm relatively new to this forum and I'm in the health care field. Sax playing is my outlet to relieve myself of the daily stressors at work - it is very refreshing. About your friend, you have to know the degree of the injury to the jawbone (lower mandible). How old is he? The younger, the better. They heal amazingly fast. If over 40, it will heal but a tad slower. The injury on the lip, what is the extent? If it involves muscles, he may encounter difficulties but if it is superficial, just an abrasion, bruise, or peeling of skin, don't worry too much, he'll be able to play again skin has layers and is very capable of creating a new skin, this works in the cellular level. I hope for your friend's speedy recovery.