Fingers!

[flutepicc06]

I'm not arguing that people stand different chances of developing pain if bad habits are formed, just that bad habits resulting in pain do not need to exist. No flutist should just brush off pain as "normal" because it's not....Lots of players do experience pain, but there is almost always a reason for it (most rooted in an error on the player's part). You're quite right that treatment cannot be "one-size-fits-all," but prevention remains much the same for all of us...Stretches, breaks during practice sessions, retaining a natural and relaxed stance and hold on the flute (which is where the biggest difference from person-to-person exists), etc. As I said above, for some reason flutists seem to have accepted that pain comes with the territory, which is just not the case if you're careful with what you're doing.

[mattyacht]

I'm no doctor, but the cramping in your hands may be due to a potassium difficiency. Eat bananas or beans regularly. Get someone to massage your hands and forearms after playing. I happen to be a massage therapist. Hand, arm, and shoulder massage has been known to heal carpel tunnel syndrome saving them from the knife.

Cheers,

Mattyacht

[kodalyflutist]

I have had an eye-opening experience in the past year. I was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands in June of 2006. It was not caused by improper positioning in my flute playing, but the symptoms were very apparent when I played my flute. It got so bad in that month that I coudn't play my flute for longer than a minute or two before the tingling and numbness became unbearable in both hands.

The primary cause: when I sleep, I flex my wrists and tuck them in under my chin. This position is very bad for the nerves in the wrists - there is constant pressure on them and I would often wake up with numb hands. After a visit to the doc, he suggested that I wear wrist braces at night, but also set up nerve testing for me to accurately determine whether it was carpal or something else, and the severity of the problem. The Neuro who conducted the test told me I had mild/mod. carpal in my left hand, and severe in my right hand. I sleep on my right side, BTW.

Now - regarding physical awareness. I had noticed a mild tingling in my right thumb for a few years prior to all this - but I had always attributed the problem to some sort of deficiency in my holding position. I searched for the "correct" right thumb placement, and never found it. Carpal diagnosis - boom! It was obvious why my right thumb had had the vague feeling of unbalance and slight discomfort. I just never thought to attribute it to the way I was sleeping until the doc pointed it out. Conclusion - playing the flute does not necessarily cause physical problems - but the discomfort symptoms flute playing causes may help in discovering a problem which has been created elsewhere.

SO - be sure you see your doc. B complex vitamins can help nerve problems. Wrist braces helped my left so much that I don't feel the need for surgery. But I did have my right hand operated on and the carpal is gone. I also continue to wear braces on both wrists every night when I sleep, because of my wrist-flexing habit. It is important to note that nerve damage will not go away if the pressure on the nerve is not addressed - when carpal is severe, surgery is fairly unavoidable. But your doc is your best resource - disclaimer - I'm not a doc!! I was able to play again only 3 days after surgery (although uncomfortable, the doc said it was not harmful, and to the contrary, would help my nerves regenerate and prevent stiffness). It took awhile to get back up to speed, but my right thumb thanks me every time I put the flute to my face.

Having said all that - do be sure that you are extremely physically aware as you play. IMHO, just like we all have learning styles, we have playing styles. There are intellectual/cognitive/verbal flutists, there are visual flutists, there are aurally focused flutists, and there are physical flutists. Most of us tend to gravitate to practicing where our learning style comfort zone is. I am more of a visual/aural flutist, and less of a physical flutist, and I am finding that as I age and feel the little aches and pains of getting older, I am discovering some of the physical positioning issues that I ignored when I was young and limber. I am enjoying the process of freeing up some muscles that I've held too tensely over the years. I also focus on this issue with my students - the less tension developed in youth, obviously the easier fluting will be as the body ages.

best, Ann

[fluteguy18]

Very good advice.

That was the trouble my flute professor had, so she wears wrist braces at night as well. I do it sometimes as well [although, I dont need to for the most part] as a preventative measure, because sometimes I do the same thing.

Then, and other times, if I know I am going to be on my computer a lot, I wear the wrist braces as well.