hi there
this may sound irrelevant, but i was just wondering whether sports such as rock climbing, martial arts etc would cause damage to the fingers that would damage your violin playing. i also seem to have picked up the habit of cracking my finger joints (along with a million others) - does anyone know how that would affect violin playing?
benson
Full Version: Possible Finger-damaging?
I believe the finger cracking thing is all about cavitation, which in non-geek terms is the collapse of air bubbles in the joint fluid. What constitutes having joints which can do this I have no idea, but I can't imagine keep cracking them is going to be wise in the long-term.
Sports. Hmmmm, tough one, but I know that when I was a music college my teacher frowned on the fact that I did lots of horse riding. He said that anything which forced you to grip and keep hands or fingers clenched for periods of time actually caused the muscles to remain partially contracted even after you relaxed. A bit like women who wear high heels all of the time. The calf muscles start to become contracted, so if they suddenly wear flat shoes or trainers the muscles actually become painful because they aren't used to being stretched out.
I guess the biggest risk with martial arts is the risk of breaking bones. A misjudged move or contact, even if unintentional, could leave you with a broken arm, wrist, or fingers. The trouble with broken bones is that they don't always mend exactly as they were before the break. A lot depends on what sort of break or fracture you get and the success of healing without any risk of the joint or limb being left partially immobile as a result.
Sports. Hmmmm, tough one, but I know that when I was a music college my teacher frowned on the fact that I did lots of horse riding. He said that anything which forced you to grip and keep hands or fingers clenched for periods of time actually caused the muscles to remain partially contracted even after you relaxed. A bit like women who wear high heels all of the time. The calf muscles start to become contracted, so if they suddenly wear flat shoes or trainers the muscles actually become painful because they aren't used to being stretched out.
I guess the biggest risk with martial arts is the risk of breaking bones. A misjudged move or contact, even if unintentional, could leave you with a broken arm, wrist, or fingers. The trouble with broken bones is that they don't always mend exactly as they were before the break. A lot depends on what sort of break or fracture you get and the success of healing without any risk of the joint or limb being left partially immobile as a result.
Hi, I've recently started playing the violin (5 months to date) have practiced the Martial arts (Tae Kwon-Do over 30 years) & also do a lot of abseiling/rock climbling
(Army) also for the past 30 years - I've no problems what so ever, apart from maybe a slight discomfort in my left hand (strings) but I would put that down to not using muscles that I've not used for a long time or at all!
I've a Ph D in physical education (Im a sports coach) but I would not recommend that you keep cracking your fingers - it will cause damage to your joints in the long run or even short term depending on how often you crack them.
I wish you the very best and good luck
Paul Liversidge
(Army) also for the past 30 years - I've no problems what so ever, apart from maybe a slight discomfort in my left hand (strings) but I would put that down to not using muscles that I've not used for a long time or at all!
I've a Ph D in physical education (Im a sports coach) but I would not recommend that you keep cracking your fingers - it will cause damage to your joints in the long run or even short term depending on how often you crack them.
I wish you the very best and good luck
Paul Liversidge
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