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Inflamed Tendons

10K views 17 replies 11 participants last post by  Reid123 
#1 ·
So a couple days ago I started to have severe pain in the knuckle of the middle finger of my right hand. I then noticed that there was a bump in the joint so I went to the doctor who said that i have an inflamed tendon from repetitive motion (like going from C to C#) and said that I should put my finger in a splint and not play for three weeks. Has this ever happened to anybody else?
 
#2 ·
Is this on the 10M in your profile? It may be that you are holding to much weight with the right hand, with the thumb and the middle finger.

On my Conn Cavalier New Wonder I have rigged a cord from the ring to a lower keyguard that acts as if the ring on the sax is lower. It transfers some weight to the left hand thumb, so both hands feel like they have equal weight while playing. It takes alot of weight off the right hand while balancing the sax for a standing position.

I also use a Gemini harness. This also balances the sax better and puts weight onto the shoulders. For days that my lower back bothers me I have a ball about 5 inches across that I have partially deflated so the sax bow rests into it and the ball rests against my thigh. It rolls with the sax and the thigh takes some of the weight as well.

The hands take minimal weight and they are happy with that. They mostly take the weight to pivit the sax
 
#9 ·
I had an inflamed tendon in my leg about a year ago. I took naproxen twice a day for a couple of weeks and abstained from hiking/running etc for that time and it cleared up. Then I slowly resumed my usual activities and it hasn't come back, knock on wood. Did the doc suggest you take Mortin or Alleve or something like that? Those drugs are not just painkillers, they're anti-inflammatory agents (though not everyone should take them, but if your doc says it's ok, they do help).
 
#10 ·
I experienced something very similar last year. In both my hands the tendons running from the finger to the wrist became inflamed, to the point where i could not type on the computer without experiencing pain! I immediatly stopped playing and rested for a few days before consulting a physio.

It turns out the problem was actually in my back, muscles not functioning correctly causing strain on the fore-arms and hands. After just a few visits to the physio (which included dry-needling, massage and pilates exercises - all relating to the back) the pain disappeared and i've not had the problem return.

This sort of injury can be quite severe if not taken care of immediatly. if you experience any sort of pain in your hands etc stop playing! if it still hurts the following morning, you may have done damage. Never play through pain, listen to your body :)
 
#13 ·
tendonitis two summers ago :(...right in the middle of a summer school musical to boot....i went ahead and played the show anyways :twisted:
 
#14 ·
I went to an orthopedist/sports specialist last Tuesday because I haven't been able to run without pain in my knee for quite awhile. The X-Rays and his examination showed no structural damage. He believes it's just tendonitis and while the inflammation had gone down, it never went completely away and consequently would flare up whenever I tried to run.

While I was there, I asked him about trouble I had just begun having with my left hand. I felt like my motion was limited. I feel it mainly in my pinky and ring finger but because the muscles are all connected, it affects the rest of my hand too. Anyway, he said it was tendonitis too. I think it was the flute that made the tendons inflamed from straining my pinky and keeping it too rigid.

He put me on an anti-inflammatory called Naprelan which is a high dose of time released Naproxen.

He told me NOT to stop playing all together. Just to stop at the first sign of pain. Likewise, he wants me to start running again after being on the drug for a week and a half, again stopping at the first sign of pain. I guess that goes along with some of what Matt Otto said in some of his videos. You don't want to avoid using the muscles but you don't want to overdo it either.
 
#15 ·
I went to an orthopedist/sports specialist last Tuesday because I haven't been able to run without pain in my knee for quite awhile.

While I was there, I asked him about trouble I had just begun having with my left hand. I felt like my motion was limited. I feel it mainly in my pinky and ring finger but because the muscles are all connected, it affects the rest of my hand too. Anyway, he said it was tendonitis too. I think it was the flute that made the tendons inflamed from straining my pinky and keeping it too rigid.
I'd be strongly suspicious that your left hand problem may be due to ulnar neuropathy, not tendonitis. Of course, I've not seen you, and the physician has. Ever get numbness/tingling in these fingers? Ever have your symptoms get worse when holding the telephone to your ear with your left hand? You may want to consider this possibility.
 
#18 ·
I got serious tendonitis from playing too much and running through scale motions even when not playing. I would grip so hard I even snapped off the Eb key with my pinky once. I decided to learn to relax, which helped. The main hing I did was tai chi to help build my muscles lengthwise. Often I think you can solve these problems by having the strength to handle the repetition. Everybody is different though.
 
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