Apparently My Tendons Have a Limit—Advice‽

[The Laughing Imp]

This year I've been pushing my dexterity & speed forward but have run into a problem: tendonitis.

I had a problem with a slow left ring finger. It always lags behind—sometimes missing the beat entirely—so I devised a variety of exercises to get that guy up to speed with the others. Now my left forearms tendons ache. It never occurred to me that I had tendonitis in my arms…

Eons & eons ago when I was in high school I ran into tendonitis with my right foot. Had to drop out of track. Four years later the pain forced me to drop out of swimming as well. I still have short tendon problems, especially behind my right knee, but I press on. I thought I could escape it because I don't play my pennywhistle with my feet. Guess I was mistaken.

This has been going on for a few months. I give my arm a rest, let it heal, start to play again, then am forced to take a long break. Before I pay for expensive therapy, maybe somebody out there has heard of this happening to others and knows of a stretch or two that might alleviate the problem?

[jim stone]

I would be very careful about this. There are two conditions.
Tendinitis and tendinosis. You might search on these. Lots of people,
including doctors, don't know the difference.

It takes tendons a very long time to heal. Suggest you go
to an expert, e.g. an orthopaedic hand specialist.
Do take this seriously, not that you are in deep trouble,
but that you do need to address this sensibly.
Also to find out what's actually going on.

Meanwhile suggest you cut back seriously on playing time
or stop.

[brewerpaul]

Imp-- we're not supposed to answer questions of a medical nature here.
As far as speeding up your ring finger, I'd just suggest starting playing a tune you like very slowly and gradually build it up to speed. This may take a long time, but it will come with time.
FWIW-- my ring fingers are the worst too. I think it has to do with the way with the tendons and intrinsic hand muscles work.

[MTGuru]

I'm an ignoramus about tendonitis (though I have short knee tendons, too!).

But your problem sounds to me like a combination of too tight a grip (death grip) and trying to raise that finger too high.

First, make sure you're playing with your fingers flat across the holes, not curved and pointing down onto the holes. Seal the holes with the fleshy pads of your fingers or the area between the pads and the knuckle. This flat-fingered position is more efficient, and really helps your hand and arm to relax.

Experiment with your thumb position up and down on the tube. And your thumb position should be flat also.

Relax the hand! The friction of the whistle resting on your thumbs should be enough to hold it in place, with additional support from your bottom pinkie when needed. Don't be afraid of dropping it.

Check your finger movement as you play. That T3 finger doesn't need to rise up more than 1/2" to 1" off the hole. Forcing it higher will induce unnecessary strain in the arm. Also check your top hand "dangling" pinkie position. Keep it relaxed, and maybe slightly curled. The pinkie should move naturally along with the T3 finger, since the two are "connected". Trying to force the T3 finger up and down without allowing the pinkie to follow is another source of strain.

As a rule, if playing causes you pain or strain, you're probably doing something wrong, at least for your physiology. So try something different, as above. But if you think you have an underlying condition, by all means have it checked out.

Good luck!

[Brigitte]

I have seen Colin finger tapping all the last years to help speeding them up usually in some strange cran or roll taping kind of rhytms... he still does it, not as much as he used to but I guess like with drummers or with type writing you always need to train to get to speed and to keep it...

Brigitte

[The Laughing Imp]

Thanks for the replies.

I wasn't asking for medical advice, per se. I was just assuming that you experts might know of a stretch or two I didn't know about. Obviously, I'm trying to avoid therapy, but I'm not ruling it out if I run out of options.

I'm already taking breaks. It would be stupid to injure myself by forcing myself. Tendons aren't muscles. No Pain, No Gain does not apply. :/ I wonder, too, if excessive computer use and poor typing posture is contributing to the stress in my left tendons.

At any rate, it was all good advice and much appreciated. I'll examine to see if I have a death grip going on. My pad positions aren't a problem, but maybe I'm clutching too tightly with that thumb. Worth a look tomorrow. I could only play for 25 minutes today. I wish I could play for 25 hours.

[The Laughing Imp]

Was just talking with my wife about this. I've had this problem for months but haven't talked about it much. Just assumed I was doing something wrong, but the sessions are getting shorter and further between hence my question here.

I have been pushing my rolls to be up at 120bpm and the left ring finger has been a Johnny-come-lately, but when I took lessons with Bill Ochs last year I played more and harder. Tendons cry Uncle quickly when there are problems (I know from experience with my legs & feet). If short tendons alone were the issue I would have been in pain last year.

There is something different, though, this year and my wife helped me think of it. I've been determined to master my Howard Low D this year. It's quite a reach for my slender hands. I strain and stretch to cover those pads (MTGuru's comments on pad placements weren't applicable to my High D playing, but *were* very applicable to the low D). Maybe I've pulled a tendon or damaged myself somehow by excessive playing of the Low D coupled with repetitive & aggressive roll practice.

It's important to have a better idea of what might be wrong before seeking medical attention, so I appreciate your thoughts on this. It is looking more and more like I'm just in denial about needing therapy. It was always possible I was just being boneheaded about something or other.

Does this new information paint a better picture for you?

[MTGuru]

Again, as Paul says, we want to stay away from medical advice here. If you have an existing problem that requires medical attention and/or diagnosis, that's between you and your medical professional.

On low whistle, you could try a strap or thumb support. Again, the idea is to free the fingers from their support function, and allow them to relax and move freely. I prefer my thumb strap solution

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=56767

but others have had good luck with saxophone neck straps or improvised right thumb rests.

[tin-titan]

I have a Sausato thumbrest on my Howard Low D. I am still a newbie. My fingers are weak. The thumbrest really works well.

[The Laughing Imp]

Again, as Paul says, we want to stay away from medical advice here. If you have an existing problem that requires medical attention and/or diagnosis, that's between you and your medical professional.

Has the Chiff & Fipple been sued for malpractice‽ I wasn't asking for a medical diagnosis—just ideas because this was a new experience for me. I hate to think what kind of idiot do you think I am! Maybe I don't visit here enough; I didn't realize this was a taboo subject. I was just looking for feedback from others who might have run into this before.

I originally said:

Before I pay for expensive therapy, maybe somebody out there has heard of this happening to others and knows of a stretch or two that might alleviate the problem?

Thanks to the feedback I received (especially yours), I have a better idea of what has happened…and a better idea of how to tackle it. When the doctors ask me why I boiled my arm in cork grease and stuck my arm full of thumbtacks, I'll be sure to give the Chiff & Fipple due credit!

P.S. Thanks for the thumbstrap idea. It's better than getting rid of the Howard. I'll give it a go after I give my fingers a long rest.

[Howie]

I say, find a good chiropractor. That is what I did. He showed me how to more or less solve the problem with my elbow. My wife received similar help from him for her wrists and hands. Our family doctor didn't offer any help at all.

Howie

[MTGuru]

Maybe I don't visit here enough; I didn't realize this was a taboo subject. I was just looking for feedback from others who might have run into this before.

Yes, please read the "No Medical Posts" announcement in the Announcements forum:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=57661

This is a long-standing rule here. And since this thread deals with a possible medical condition, I'm just trying to steer it away from being locked on you. Cheers!

[crookedtune]

Another thought: rotate to other instruments. Several years ago, I moved away from fiddle due to tendonitis in the shoulder. That's when I took up flute and whistle in earnest. If you play guitar or other instruments, you may want to focus your interest there while the tendons heal. As stated, it's a potentially serious situation, and you need to exercise great caution!

[The Laughing Imp]

Another thought: rotate to other instruments. Several years ago, I moved away from fiddle due to tendonitis in the shoulder. That's when I took up flute and whistle in earnest. If you play guitar or other instruments, you may want to focus your interest there while the tendons heal. As stated, it's a potentially serious situation, and you need to exercise great caution!

Yep, pretty much what I've implemented immediately. I know (now) that medical advice topics are taboo (and I was really not looking for medical advice but stretches), but the overall alarm people have had from my descriptions has let me know I'm not just making things up in my head. I'm glad I asked. It's serious and I better respond accordingly.

I have an ocarina to while away my time. Chromatic harp, too. I'll keep busy, though I deeply regret giving up the whistle for the time being. I love playing it and I really feel I was getting somewhere with it.

[MTGuru]

I deeply regret giving up the whistle for the time being. I love playing it and I really feel I was getting somewhere with it.

Can you manage high whistle without strain or pain? If so, why not forge ahead, if it doesn't interfere with any treatment. For most technical issues, whistle is whistle, high or low.