Some of you may not know that in addition to running the Madison Jazz website and playing the saxophone I am a physician for University Health Services on the UW campus. I see many students in the clinic with repetitive stress injuries: students with carpal tunnel syndrome related to mouse and keyboard use, dancers and marching band members with lower extremity injuries, and musicians with various upper extremity injuries. Carpal tunnel and related overuse injuries are a musician’s worst nightmare. Here are some thoughts on prevention and management of Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSI).
One of the things that many musicians with RSI have in common is poor body tone. They are not physically fit. I frequently tell musicians that they need to think of themselves as athletes. The body movements may be much finer but playing an instrument relies on muscular coordination and endurance, endurance for the movements involved in playing the instrument and for the stabilizing muscles required to maintain the correct position and posture.
I realize that it may be hard to fit in a workout if your day includes 4 hours of practice in addition to school or work, but you will feel and think better and be less prone to overuse injuries. A minimum of 20 minutes of aerobic and 20 minutes of resistance training 3-4 times weekly will work wonders. Add in a proper diet and you are primed for good health and injury prevention.
RSI is also more likely if your posture is poor or your muscles are tense. It is very important to stay relaxed when playing and take frequent breaks to stretch out opposing muscle groups. For example, playing the saxophone causes the shoulders to round forward. On breaks I clasp my hands behind me, pull my shoulders back and push my chest out. This activates opposing muscles, releases tension, and helps restore normal posture.
