Having written this out for someone earlier, I figured it’d be sensible to share my experience with others. About five years ago, I got tendonitis. Tendonitis is a repetitive strain injury (RSI). It is caused by excessive repetitive use of the same muscles over and over, leading to damage to the tendons. Tendonitis means inflamed tendons (‘-itis” = inflamed). Tendons connect muscle to bone, not to be confused with ligaments, which connect muscles to each other.

There are two types of tendonitis, called chronic tendonitis and acute tendonitis. Acute tendonitis comes from a sudden blow or injury, and usually doesn’t take very long to heal. Chronic tendonitis is an injury caused gradually by repeated strain on the tendon, and usually takes a very long time to heal. RSI is very common among musicians, including chronic tendonitis. Here is an outline of how I got it and how I recovered. For anyone who has it, remember that you can actually recover, even though there are times that it feels like it’ll never go away! Here is a list of all the steps I took daily over several months in order to recover.

Cause of injury:

  • heaps of written homework from school teachers (Junior Cert.)
  • practicing piano in a cold room, hands always cold
  • switching from an old piano to a much newer one with heavier keys, and practicing just as much as before
  • not warming up before practice

Onset & symptoms:

  • right hand gradually stiffening throughout the day at school
  • tried to play piano that evening, fingers couldn’t move
  • hand almost closed into a fist
  • struggled to do everyday things, e.g. writing, holding things, typing, opening doors
  • had to transfer all activity to left hand, including writing
  • left hand also developed tendonitis shortly after
  • felt pain in various parts of the hands and forearms, including elbows
  • could not play music for more than a few seconds before hands would stop moving

Treatment & recovery:

  • went to GP, diagnosed tendonitis and prescribed ibuprofen (ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory, tendonitis is inflammation of the tendons)
    • relieved pain and helped with mobility but was only a temporary solution
    • can be hazardous to digestive system, could only take it every second week
  • rest
    • did literally nothing with right arm for a full day, then only very light tasks with lots of rest between
    • did same thing with left arm when symptoms started
    • avoided piano completely until mobility had improved significantly
  • hot and cold baths
    • filled two basins with water, one as hot as tolerable, one cold
    • placed arms up to elbows into hot water for 30 seconds, then transferred to cold water for 30 seconds repeated 3 times, twice daily
    • hot water increased blood flow, aiding the breakdown of scar tissue around the injuries
    • cold water slowed down blood flow, reducing inflammation
  • tennis ball massage
    • rolled the tennis ball gently in small circles around the sore parts of my arms
    • very effective pain relief and helped with mobility
  • physiotherapy
    • registered professional, massaged arms from shoulder down, finding lumps of scar tissue and breaking them down
    • aided and observed healing process
  • gentle stretches
    • did stretching exercises from shoulders down
    • was vital to stretch slowly and gently
    • 3 times daily and before practice (when I was able to start playing again)
  • gentle dumbell exercises
    • bought beginner’s dumbells
    • followed accompanying instructions for basic exercises
    • used to regain muscle strength and mobility
    • was essential to start with few exercises, increasing gradually over several weeks
  • Alexander Technique
    • technique devised by F.M. Alexander, teaching the student to move freely without straining the body
    • aided healing
    • prevented further injury
  • gradual re-introduction of normal activity
    • started with simple activities, i.g. lifting/holding objects
    • remained closely observant, ceasing activity at any sign of pain or strain
    • gradually added more complex activities over several months, leaving writing and music until last
    • after 8 months was beginning to write and play music again
    • kept practice sessions short and continued to divide general activities incl. writing between both hands until both arms felt normal
    • had piano moved to a warmer room

This is the page where I found the shoulder stretches and arm baths and some of the other tips. I cannot recommend it highly enough:

http://www.handfootcare.com/hands_musicians.htm

I had no Alexander Technique teacher at the time, but I went to Ebay and bought a little handbook explaining the basics. I’m now attending weekly lessons and it is proving tremendously helpful in all aspects of my life.

If you’re currently recovering from an RSI, it’s important to remain patient even though it’s very difficult to do so. Good luck and don’t give up!