By Laurie Niles: Let's face it, playing the violin is a very physical activity, and when you are injured, that can affect your playing.
If a broken arm or wrist forces you to wear a cast on your arm, obviously this will hinder your ability to play. But other injuries can cause problems as well, such as a neck injury from a car accident or a back injury.
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Image by Violinist.com.
The instrument itself can actually cause injuries, such as tendonitis, nerve compression, repetitive strain, and more.
I actually had repetitive strain problems for a while when I was in my 20s -- from writing too much! As left-handed newspaper reporter who played in the symphony at night, I was greatly overdoing it. I wound up laying off of both playing and writing for several weeks and making adjustments to both my playing and writing habits: stretches for before playing, and special implements for writing: an easier-action keyboard and a big plastic spongy thing to put around the pen I used to take notes.
How about you? Have you ever had, or currently have, an injury that affects your playing? Please mark your answer and then describe in the comments.
Thank you to Ella Yu for this week's vote idea. I invite you to e-mail me with your ideas!You might also like:
Image by Violinist.com.