That "Burning" Left Upper Arm

[LoungeLover]

Hello Forum! I''m new here and a new
adult flute student who''s taken 1 private lesson thus far. I''ve never
played flute in my life until now, as I love the sound of this instrument. My
goal is to continue with my private lessons along with practicing on my own.
However, my lessons will not be weekly like I had planned...It''ll be more
like monthly. I''m having a problem with my left upper arm burning after about
3 min of holding my flute to practice, and this happens every time. Sometimes
I''m sitting, other times I''m standing. When I began practicing prior to my
initial class, I had a bit of cramping in both hands (moreso my left) that my
teacher helped me with. Now that the cramped hand issues have seemed to
disappear, my left upper arm is burning to no end, thus limiting the amount of
time I practice of course. Any suggestions on how to resolve this? Thanks in
advance!

[woof]

[quote] ---------------- On 6/21/2004
11:31:04 PM I'm having a problem with my left upper arm burning after about 3
min of holding my flute to practice, and this happens every time. Sometimes I'm
sitting, other times I'm standing. Now that the cramped hand issues have seemed
to disappear, my left upper arm is burning to no end, thus limiting the amount
of time I practice of course. Any suggestions on how to resolve this?
---------------- [/quote] It is surprising how much effort it takes to hold your
arms up for extended periods of time in "playing" position. When I first started
my shoulders got sore (partially from a previous injury) but they improved with
time. When my shoulders would get very sore I would relax them for a few minutes
then practice again until they started to hurt etc. Eventually (weeks)the
soreness disappeared. Of course there are anti-inflamatories like Ibuprofen,
naprosyn (Aleve), vioxx which would help reduce the inflamation and promote
healing. Your doctor or teacher may also be able to suggest some stretching
exercises that may help to relax the muscle that are getting overly tight. Good
luck.

[SaraBeth]

[quote] ---------------- On 6/21/2004
11:31:04 PM Hello Forum! I'm new here and a new adult flute student who's
taken 1 private lesson thus far. I've never played flute in my life until now,
as I love the sound of this instrument. My goal is to continue with my private
lessons along with practicing on my own. However, my lessons will not be weekly
like I had planned...It'll be more like monthly. I'm having a problem with my
left upper arm burning after about 3 min of holding my flute to practice, and
this happens every time. Sometimes I'm sitting, other times I'm standing. When
I began practicing prior to my initial class, I had a bit of cramping in both
hands (moreso my left) that my teacher helped me with. Now that the cramped hand
issues have seemed to disappear, my left upper arm is burning to no end, thus
limiting the amount of time I practice of course. Any suggestions on how to
resolve this? Thanks in advance! ---------------- This used to happen to me when
i first started playing flute. My fingers used to cramp up and i used to get
pain in my shoulders and upper arms. It hurts but the way i got it to stop was
to practice more times for less periods of time (does that make sense?).
Practicing 7 days a week for 30 minutes each day is better than only practicing
one time a week for 3 and a half hours. I hope this helps.

[Ereshkigal]

I think it happens to every begginner.
I'm intermediate and still get sore muscles specially in my nech and shoulder.
I think it's because of the stress. Try realxing. Try playing and when you get
the burning feeling take a rest and relax, and take on later after you've
relaxed. It should help you feel better! GOOD LUCK!

[LoungeLover]

Thank you so much everyone for your
support & encouragement! I'm glad to know that this is not something that's
only happening to me. At the same time, sorry to hear this is a part of
learning. [;)] LL

[boomerang]

I think my adult students tend to have
more achey body parts than the kids do...I think one reason is obvious, our
muscles aren't quite as flexiable and forgiving as theirs and also I think, as
adults, we think about what we are trying to achieve more, therefore, tightening
up muscles. My first question to you, as would be to any student I have with
pain..."Have you ever injured that arm?" Those who have had broken bones in
their body, can sometimes experience more pain than those of us who have not.
Now the next question would be...where do you feel the exact pinpoint of tension
in your body...it's amazing how one little part of your body can cause tension
throughout a limb...it could be your fingers, leading to tension up your
arm...are you lifting that left shoulder in order to help balance the flute on
your chin? Also, make sure you are not trying to hold the flute too high. Get in
a mirror with your teacher, tell the teacher where the pain is and see if you
two can pinpoint the initial cause..I agree that you may be using brand new
muscles and they are burning, but I'm not into "no pain, no gain", chances are
there is tension in one area and it is causing the entire arm to burn...good
luck.

[noseflute]

Hi there! I agree that it could be
referred pain from your shoulder or another part of your arm. In other words, it
could be that you're holding your left shoulder too high when playing, or
perhaps holding your arm too close in to your body. Try moving your elbow out
away from your body a little more so the larger muscles of the shoulder take the
weight more. I'd also recommend yoga stretches to help circulate blood through
these areas, and to give your muscles some relief!

[Sneeble]

I think it'll mostly takes time to
adjust. Your muscles will eventually get used to the position. Try to relax when
you play. Sit (or stand) up straight, but don't feel like you have to keep a
military stance. If the flute tips a bit, it's still ok. And when you're not
playing, even if it's just for a lengthy rest, relax your arm. Congrats on
picking the flute. Lots of luck. Sneeble! splork splork splork splork splork
splork [:bigsmile:] [:bigsmile:] [:bigsmile:] [:bigsmile:] [:bigsmile:]
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[Gigihr]

Hello there!

If after some time you find that your pain is not subsiding, perhaps a more unconventional adaptation is in order. There exists a beautiful upright headjoint made for the flute by Sanford Drelinger. Flutist Alexa Still has used it to its fullest potential and, upon hearing the demo CD she made for Drelinger, I'm hard-pressed to tell the difference between the sound of it and a conventional transverse flute headjoint. Take a look at the website www.drelinger.com and see if the "UpRite" looks like a possibility for you. I tried one of these at the Mid-Atlantic Flute Fair this year and was really surprised at how easy it was to turn my flute into a VERTICAL instrument that took all the pressure off of my arms and particularly my left shoulder. I was really impressed!

[woof]

Hello there!

Flutist Alexa Still has used it to its fullest potential and, upon hearing the demo CD she made for Drelinger, I'm hard-pressed to tell the difference between the sound of it and a conventional transverse flute headjoint. Take a look at the website www.drelinger.com and see if the "UpRite" looks like a possibility for you. I tried one of these at the Mid-Atlantic Flute Fair this year and was really surprised at how easy it was to turn my flute into a VERTICAL instrument that took all the pressure off of my arms and particularly my left shoulder. I was really impressed!

Those are neat headjoints to say the least. Have you tried any of the other Drelinger headjoints? They look pretty good but how well do they play I wonder?

[Gigihr]

I can't say I've tried any of the others, but I do believe the Drelinger products are all quite good.

Because you said you are very new to the flute I would suggest giving it some more time (after all, didn't you say you've only had one lesson?), before deciding your arms can't take it. I bet you'll eventually adjust just fine! At the same time, it's nice to know there is an alternative adaptive device out there.

I hope you get as many years of joy from learning and playing the flute as I have had!

[lhampton]

ahhhh I get that too! right after marching because the flute HAS to be parallel and I used to get the cramping in my left hand while playing C when I first began. you'll get used to it and eventually it will go away. Just keep practicing and it'll make your muscles stronger! so don't let this minor problem discourage you because it's normal and a great side effect of it is a firm shoulder! have fun!
Leanne

[heizel2626]

this starting happening to me surprisingly enough when i started marching band band, they made our flute angles straight and level with the ground your arms should start to get used to it after lots of practice but maybe if you dont think about it as much when your playing that will help too

[Claiken]

wow, i thot i was the only 1... i have been practising more recently to play in the kiwanis festival... and i noticed a few days ago this killer sore feeling in the back of my left shoulder, & a bit in my neck. its kind of strange tho, ive never hurt b4 even a little bit