Violin playing uses the wrist in a position of continuous, sometimes severe exertion. Such activity can obviously cause injury over time, and so violinist sometimes wear a violin wrist aid to protect their arm and assist their playing.
The term RSI stands for repetitive strain injury. RSIs are sometimes suffered by musicians, on potentially any instrument. Performing the same, sometimes strenuous, movement of the hand thousands of times through a period of days, weeks or months can give rise to an RSI. Soft tissue, such as tendons or ligaments (or even muscles), starts to swell and experience pain, and cannot move as easily at it used to.
An RSI is insidious in its development. It does not exhibit symptoms until its acute onset. Sudden swollen appearance, pain and limited motion cannot be anticipated in advance, and the musician typically is not aware that the injury is developing. However, an injury that takes so long to arise also takes a long time to heal. This can suspend all musical practise and performance for a protracted period.
The wrist is an obvious risk area for RSIs. If one examines the wrist's internal architecture, it is plain to see why. The two forearm bones join the wrist on one side, while the bones of the palm (the metacarpals) attach to it on the other. In the wrist itself, the carpal bones are assembled in a tight, interlocking formation, attached to each other by ligaments. These bones are irregular in shape.
The carpal arrangement makes the extensive rotational movement by the hand possible. But there is a problem associated with this where the hand is constantly used for a specific motion or activity. The ligaments between the carpals sometimes become swollen and painful, and this limits the movement of the hand.
It is not surprising that the continuously exerted position displayed by the violinist's wrist during playing of the instrument is a serious risk factor for RSI. A ligament cannot change its shape or length, unlike muscles or tendons. It is therefore prone to injury through repetitive strain. It also takes much longer than other tissue types to heal because, structurally, it is so dense and strong, and also because its circulation is so limited. Where a tendon is inflamed and hard, the condition is known as tendinitis, and this is also a common problem among musicians, not only on the violin.
An injured musician cannot play to their usual ability. Their hand cannot move as it usually does, and the instrument's use is accompanied by pain.
The attitude of some musicians is to play as usual, no matter the pain or the nature of the injury. This is not as sensible as it may seem, since an RSI gets progressively more serious if it is not allowed to rest and repair itself. In time, the damage or disability can become permanent. Performing the same, injuring activity despite the pain is not advisable. Musicians who are experiencing an RSI should, as a matter of course, see a physiotherapist or doctor, and also try to arrange extra rest opportunities in their playing timetable.
The term RSI stands for repetitive strain injury. RSIs are sometimes suffered by musicians, on potentially any instrument. Performing the same, sometimes strenuous, movement of the hand thousands of times through a period of days, weeks or months can give rise to an RSI. Soft tissue, such as tendons or ligaments (or even muscles), starts to swell and experience pain, and cannot move as easily at it used to.
An RSI is insidious in its development. It does not exhibit symptoms until its acute onset. Sudden swollen appearance, pain and limited motion cannot be anticipated in advance, and the musician typically is not aware that the injury is developing. However, an injury that takes so long to arise also takes a long time to heal. This can suspend all musical practise and performance for a protracted period.
The wrist is an obvious risk area for RSIs. If one examines the wrist's internal architecture, it is plain to see why. The two forearm bones join the wrist on one side, while the bones of the palm (the metacarpals) attach to it on the other. In the wrist itself, the carpal bones are assembled in a tight, interlocking formation, attached to each other by ligaments. These bones are irregular in shape.
The carpal arrangement makes the extensive rotational movement by the hand possible. But there is a problem associated with this where the hand is constantly used for a specific motion or activity. The ligaments between the carpals sometimes become swollen and painful, and this limits the movement of the hand.
It is not surprising that the continuously exerted position displayed by the violinist's wrist during playing of the instrument is a serious risk factor for RSI. A ligament cannot change its shape or length, unlike muscles or tendons. It is therefore prone to injury through repetitive strain. It also takes much longer than other tissue types to heal because, structurally, it is so dense and strong, and also because its circulation is so limited. Where a tendon is inflamed and hard, the condition is known as tendinitis, and this is also a common problem among musicians, not only on the violin.
An injured musician cannot play to their usual ability. Their hand cannot move as it usually does, and the instrument's use is accompanied by pain.
The attitude of some musicians is to play as usual, no matter the pain or the nature of the injury. This is not as sensible as it may seem, since an RSI gets progressively more serious if it is not allowed to rest and repair itself. In time, the damage or disability can become permanent. Performing the same, injuring activity despite the pain is not advisable. Musicians who are experiencing an RSI should, as a matter of course, see a physiotherapist or doctor, and also try to arrange extra rest opportunities in their playing timetable.
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