# Anyone here have wrist tendinitis?



## Romantic Geek

Hey,

Has anyone here have/had wrist tendinitis? I've got a pretty bad case. I've been meaning to go to the doc's, but I fear they're just going to tell me rest and to stop playing piano. Unfortunately, this summer, I took almost 3 months off of playing the piano (or doing a lot of wrist stressful activities (i.e. writing/typing)) but it only has gotten worse.

What are your methods of coping with such a pain in the *** injury? I've been wearing a brace sometimes, when it feels especially bad, but also been popping a lot of Advil too. It's really limited my piano playing time to less than half hour chunks.


----------



## TWhite

Have you had it checked by a hand specialist to see if it's tendinitus, or possibly Carpal Tunnel syndrome? Since they both occur in the same area, they can get often confused with each other. 

If it's Carpal Tunnel syndrome, a simple out-patient surgery can cure it. I know, I speak from experience. Carpal Tunnel almost destroyed my accompanying career some 20 or so years ago, but after a minor surgery to release the sheath on the Carpal nerve, I was back playing in about 3 months and have had no recurrences of it at all. 

I'd definitely check with an orthopedic doctor to ascertain whether its your tendon, or perhaps the underlying Carpal nerve. 3 months off of playing, writing or typing should have cleared Tendinitis up by now. It realy sounds more like Carpal Tunnel to me. 

Get yourself checked and keep us posted, okay? 

Tom


----------



## Tschaikowsky

I'm sorry you're having to deal with this affliction. Many, many years ago, I had wrist tendonitis as well, and I too had to wear a brace, at that time the doctor prescribed Naprosin (not sure they do that so much anymore because it's difficult on the stomach), and complete rest from the piano for at least a month. I became anxious to resume playing again, did so too soon, then set my recovery even further back. During the longer recovery period, I was only allowed to "mimic" playing with the left hand but could play with the right. By "mimic" I mean I went through the motions of playing with the left hand without depressing the keys. When it was better, I could resume playing normally again.

I do agree with TWhite, you should see a hand specialist if it's continuing to worsen. You mention you type a lot. Due to severe rheumatoid arthritis, I use a program called Dragon NaturallySpeaking which is terrific, and if you have either tendonitis or carpal tunnel, this program would save a lot of typing. You basically speak into a headset, it types for you.


----------



## Meaghan

You should really find a doctor who specializes in musicians' injuries. It's a growing field of specialization (sort of like sports medicine, though much smaller) and one of these doctors would have a better understanding of your specific concerns than a regular doctor. I forget who said that musicians are "athletes of the small muscles" (Leon Fleischer?) but it's really true and it seems like the medical community is starting to pay a lot more attention to musician-specific problems.


----------



## tdc

I am a guitarist and years ago I had a similar problem, when I went to the doctor he suggested 'advil'. Thinking that was silly I started researching naturopathic healing online, starting with this site - curezone.com 

Did a lot of research, did a lot changes to my diet, started supplementing my diet with extra minerals and phytoplankton and it seemed to work. I average 3-6 hrs of guitar a day at this point (I teach guitar lessons and do a lot of playing in my job), and my hands are pretty much fine. Somedays I still get a little sore, but nothing too serious. Im 31 years old.

I am a firm believer a good diet mixed with some fasting and exercise (particularily walking, tai chi, yoga type stuff) mixed with positive intention and prayer can heal most anything.


----------

