Violin playing uses the wrist in a position of continuous, sometimes severe exertion. Such activity can obviously cause injury over time, and so violinist sometimes wear a violin wrist aid to protect their arm and assist their playing.
Repetitive strain injuries (RSI) are common among musicians. This applies to practically any instrument. An RSI is caused when the same movement is performed many times, over a prolonged period, not merely hours but weeks or months. The cumulative stress to the soft tissue (i. E. Muscles, tendons and ligaments) can result in a painful and incapacitating injury over time.
An RSI is insidious in its development. It does not exhibit symptoms until its acute onset. Sudden swollen appearance, pain and limited motion cannot be anticipated in advance, and the musician typically is not aware that the injury is developing. However, an injury that takes so long to arise also takes a long time to heal. This can suspend all musical practise and performance for a protracted period.
Concerning the wrist specifically, the potential for RSI is significant. In order to understand how the wrist gets injured, one needs to know its anatomy. Starting with the skeletal structure, there are the bones of the hand, the two long bones in the forearm, and the bones in the wrist that attached them to each other. These wrist bones are known as the carpals. The carpal area therefore comprises many small bones with irregular shapes that are packed together and joined to each other by ligaments. The forearm bones connect to them on one side, and the metacarpals, or bones of the palm, on the other.
This configuration enables the larger range of movement that the wrist has. But overuse can result in injury to the connecting ligaments of the carpals, such as where the hand is always used for the same motion for hours on end. The ligaments swell and cause pain, and the hand cannot move as widely as it used to.
The technique of violin playing places the violinist at a heightened risk of RSI in their wrist. A ligament cannot be stretched or alter its shape, like muscles and tendons can. Accumulated stress can therefore cause an injury to it. Ligaments have poor circulation, so they take a long time to heal or grow. This is also because their structure is extremely tough, much more so than other tissues. Tendinitis is the name of the condition that arises where a tendon is inflamed. This, too, is not rare among musicians, and not only those who specialize in the violin.
An injured musician cannot play to their usual ability. Their hand cannot move as it usually does, and the instrument's use is accompanied by pain.
The temptation to any serious musician is to "play through the pain" or to "keep on practising". However, the reality is that an RSI, once manifested, can be aggravated through further repetition of the same activity, and if it is not given time to recover, it can become more serious or even permanent. Injured musicians should seek medical attention immediately, and be prepared to take rest periods in their practise schedule.
Repetitive strain injuries (RSI) are common among musicians. This applies to practically any instrument. An RSI is caused when the same movement is performed many times, over a prolonged period, not merely hours but weeks or months. The cumulative stress to the soft tissue (i. E. Muscles, tendons and ligaments) can result in a painful and incapacitating injury over time.
An RSI is insidious in its development. It does not exhibit symptoms until its acute onset. Sudden swollen appearance, pain and limited motion cannot be anticipated in advance, and the musician typically is not aware that the injury is developing. However, an injury that takes so long to arise also takes a long time to heal. This can suspend all musical practise and performance for a protracted period.
Concerning the wrist specifically, the potential for RSI is significant. In order to understand how the wrist gets injured, one needs to know its anatomy. Starting with the skeletal structure, there are the bones of the hand, the two long bones in the forearm, and the bones in the wrist that attached them to each other. These wrist bones are known as the carpals. The carpal area therefore comprises many small bones with irregular shapes that are packed together and joined to each other by ligaments. The forearm bones connect to them on one side, and the metacarpals, or bones of the palm, on the other.
This configuration enables the larger range of movement that the wrist has. But overuse can result in injury to the connecting ligaments of the carpals, such as where the hand is always used for the same motion for hours on end. The ligaments swell and cause pain, and the hand cannot move as widely as it used to.
The technique of violin playing places the violinist at a heightened risk of RSI in their wrist. A ligament cannot be stretched or alter its shape, like muscles and tendons can. Accumulated stress can therefore cause an injury to it. Ligaments have poor circulation, so they take a long time to heal or grow. This is also because their structure is extremely tough, much more so than other tissues. Tendinitis is the name of the condition that arises where a tendon is inflamed. This, too, is not rare among musicians, and not only those who specialize in the violin.
An injured musician cannot play to their usual ability. Their hand cannot move as it usually does, and the instrument's use is accompanied by pain.
The temptation to any serious musician is to "play through the pain" or to "keep on practising". However, the reality is that an RSI, once manifested, can be aggravated through further repetition of the same activity, and if it is not given time to recover, it can become more serious or even permanent. Injured musicians should seek medical attention immediately, and be prepared to take rest periods in their practise schedule.
No comments:
Post a Comment