Dear Eric, Stephen, and the rest of us 'under pain',
This is a most important topic!
It's easy to sum it up:
1. Pain is related with muscular tension and a bad posture.
2. It's easier to adopt a bad posture than to adopt a good one, for
whatever reason.
3. The differences between a bad and a good posture are usually very
small, nearly invisible: a rotation here, a smaller inclination there...
Only a pro can detect them.
4. Once adopted (that 'learning' happens very quickly), it becomes a
second nature, and the pain grows and becomes chronic.
5. 'Delearning' it means becoming aware, and substituting it for the
right one. A therapist is a must in this (cf. point 3).
6. All this sounds logic, but strangely it is something_very
difficult_to understand by oneself. And quite many doctors (the first
instance we will look at in search of help) only give medicaments as a
response to this problem...
In my case the Feldenkreis technique worked very well. Luckily I stomped
with the right therapist...
Saludos,
Manolo Laguillo
Thank you for the book reference, Stephen!
Eric Liefeld wrote:
>Dear Stephen,
>
>I was going to reply privately, but I'll broadcast here in the
>hope this can help others. I too suffer from a variety of pain
>issues in the neck and back, in my case likely caused by
>playing the violin for many years from childhood (in the
>modern school), and exacerbated by computer use. I have
>had frequent severe migraines for at least 35 years. I too
>have been through the gamut of treatments you list (plus
>a few) and I eventually resorted to just taking lots of pain
>medications... not an altogether healthy thing.
>
>In a rather desperate search for help about nine months
>ago I stumbled across a wonderful and well-written book
>("The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook") that has literally
>saved my life. You can find it at http://www.trigerpointbook.com,
>and even get a discount when ordering through their site.
>I think its also widely available at the local Barnes and Noble.
>
>The author, Clair Davies, is a former piano tuner, and he
>has some insights into musician's injuries and issues. He
>basically takes you through every muscle in the body and
>teaches you how to work on them yourself with a few simple
>tools. This may sound strange at first, but I have been
>able to bring about *much* more improvement in my pain
>situation by working on myself than with any other method.
>
>Unlike lots of "treatments" that require a belief system of sorts,
>trigger points are very tangible, easy to find, and based on
>published medical literature. Trigger points are basically
>small contractions in muscle that tend to refer pain in predictable
>patterns that are described and illustrated in the book. Once
>you can understand, isolate, and work on the muscles that
>are causing your pain, I have no doubt that you can resolve
>it quickly. In my own case, I am almost completely off the
>pain meds and I can once again move like a human.
>
>I have also found this book particularly helpful with the
>typical repetitive strain issues encountered when playing
>instruments.
>
>Feel free to contact me off-line if you want more information.
>
>Best,
>
>Eric
>
>ps - The knife was in my *left* shoulder blade...
>
>On May 3, 2006, at 7:08 PM, Stephen Arndt wrote:
>
>
>
>>Dear Lute List,
>>
>>A long-time reader though infrequent contributor to this list, I
>>was on the
>>verge of posting a related topic when Katherine initiated the
>>thread on lute
>>straps, a thread that I have followed with great interest.
>>
>>Primarily from using a computer keyboard and mouse, I had developed
>>under my
>>right shoulder blade a "knot" that felt like a knife stabbing me in
>>the
>>back. The problem seemed to be exacerbated by reaching around the
>>lute,
>>which is a rather deep-bodied instrument. From my shoulder the pain
>>seemed
>>to radiate all the way down my arm, inflaming the ulnar nerve and
>>my wrist,
>>and numbing the ring and little finger of my right hand.
>>
>>I made several adjustments to my computer equipment (raising the
>>monitor,
>>switching the mouse to my left hand, etc.) and underwent chiropractic
>>treatment, acupuncture, massage, and medication therapy (muscle
>>relaxers and
>>pain pills). Yet, the problem was still so bad that I worried that
>>I would
>>have to give up the lute.
>>
>>Originally, I held the lute more or less in the classical guitar
>>style,
>>i.e., on my left thigh and using a footstool. Once my physical
>>problems
>>developed, I tried using a strap in the "traditional" manner, i.e.,
>>tying it
>>to the first peg, wrapping it around my shoulder, and tucking it in
>>under my
>>right thigh, on which I now rested the body of the lute. Doing so
>>helped but
>>did not really solve the problem. In desperation I drove to the
>>nearest
>>"luthier" (a maker of violins, violas, and cellos, but not of
>>lutes), who
>>was two and a half hours away, and had him put two strap buttons on my
>>instrument, since I was afraid of doing so myself and cracking my
>>instrument. I have since used both a regular, guitar-style strap,
>>attached
>>to the first peg and the clasp button, and the "slider-strap" recently
>>mentioned on this list and attached to the clasp button and another
>>button
>>just below the neck. Doing so seems to have improved my tone since
>>I am able
>>to hold the lute higher, so that my forearm is more closely
>>parallel to the
>>strings, and has also alleviated the pain somewhat. At this point,
>>however,
>>I am merely managing the pain but have not been relieved of it.
>>
>>I would like to ask whether any other members of the lute list have
>>experienced similar physical problems and, if so, how they solved
>>them. I
>>would be very appreciative of any help anyone could give me.
>>
>>Thank you in advance,
>>
>>Stephen Arndt
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: "Katherine Davies" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>To: <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu>
>>Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 10:08 AM
>>Subject: [LUTE] Re: lute straps
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>There are lots of renaissance pictures of people
>>>playing lutes while standing up without any sign of a
>>>strap. Does anyone do this? Any ideas on how - or if -
>>>it could be done?
>>>
>>>I'm not having a go at strap-users; I'm just a bit
>>>puzzled - I have enough trouble keeping the thing in
>>>place when I'm sitting down.
>>>
>>>thanks,
>>>Katherine Davies
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>To get on or off this list see list information at
>>>http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>---------------
>Eric Liefeld
>(505) 526-1230
>[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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