Dear all

I am currently working towards my Grade 4 violin - adult learner and have found recently that when I practice for long sessions (and I did a whole day workshop this weekend) that I get a terrible pain in my shoulder where I can't even raise my arm without it hurting, it goes after a day ot two.

I was wondering if anyone else has suffered this problem and if there is anything I can do to prevent it and will it go in time, when my shoulder is used to it???

Its so annoying as I want to get on and practice, but have to wait a few days for the pain to subside

Many thanks
Nadia

I have a similar problem, I injured my shoulder falling off a friends horse a few years ago and tore one of the ligaments in my shoulder and as a cellist its really annoying as I get shoulder pain very quickly which is really bad when I have 8 hrs of rehersal in one day for County orchestra etc. I think the only way to prevent the shoulder getting too sore is by doing lots of little bursts of practice with a break in between rather than having marathon practice sessions. I think it will go away though, I dont remember ever getting a sore shoulder before I injured it. hope this helps and that your shoulder gets better soon! Good luck for your exam too Cat

Thanks Cat

Hopefully in time my shoulder will get used to the position. I will try and shorten my practice sessions, I just can't help it, I get carried away and don't want to stop - love it too much. I'm actually not taking my Grade 4 practical until later in the year - so I should be really good by then!

Once again thanks
Nadia

Nadia have you had your shoulder checked out by a doctor? I think that's probably the first thing you should do. While not practising is certainly frustrating, if there's something wrong in your shoulder, playing on it might make it worse - you wouldn't want to be unable to play at all.

Dear meerkat

Yes I think you are probably right, I will make an appointment - the thought of not playing at all is awful.

Thanks v much

Nadia

I've had some shoulder bother this year. It's cleared up now, but it was pretty awful when it happened. I think I'd been over-practising (and yes, my teacher concurred with this!) You may have been doing the same.

I was told that I had to start to develop a habit of putting the violin down after each individual activity so that I could rest my shoulder. I also had to stretch and warm up before starting each session, so that my muscles were ready for the activity of holding the violin. This has helped a lot. And I've had to reduce the length of each practice session I do.

But most importantly, get the shoulder checked out by a doctor or physiotherapist. If you've done some damage, you need to get it treated before you play again, so that you don't make matters worse.

Hope it gets better soon.


Katyjay

Thanks Katyjay

I think the doctor is a good idea, I would hate to carry on and do some real damage. Did you go to the doctor with your shoulder pain?

I've had the pain before, when practising, say for 2-3 hours - but not every time I practice. But this weekend I did a one day workshop, and the pain was awful on Saturday night, I couldn't even get my arm into my coat, and its still sore today.

I think I've got a Strad magazine which had an article about warming-up etc. before practicing, I'll have a look.

Anyway, enough of my groaning, I shall call the surgey first thing - and I have to cancel my lesson for tomorrow

Oh well I shall get my head stuck into my theory books until I can practice again.

Many thanks
Nadia

I went to a physiotherapist who's helped me before.

As well as treating my shoulder she gave me lots of good advice - gentle exercises to do, massage for the shoulder that my husband had to do each morning, use a heated pad on the shoulder.

The key thing is never to ignore pain. Pain is there for a reason - to warn us when we're doing something that's going to cause damage.

Yes, you are right - thanks for your advice.

Nadia

ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE!! Helped me so much - today I have done over 4 hours already and I don't hurt at all. And it has all been sitting, which results in bad/uneven posture. Before I did AT, I ached all the time in my back. Also, I would advise against seeing a regular doctor. They will tell you to take medicine (anti-inflammatories probably) which is BAD, because you wont be able to tell whether your body wants you to stop or not. Physiotherapy is a better move, or seeing a specialist, or a doctor who plays a string instrument.

Bo, where do you find the time?

I've been suffering from shoulder pain in the past couple of days, partly because I know I didn't warm up properly. Make sure that you warm up properly with different stretches and such so that you properly warm up your muscles.

Since I have crutches, it's the perfect excuse to hide in the music house and practice when I should be in English/French/RS

dear all,
I can't offer more practical solutions than all of you already have. I just want to say that I suffer not only shoulder pain, my lower jaw sores as well and sometimes headache after few hrs practice which killed me for the rest of the day. I'm going to see the doctor next week.
however one simple practical solution that I can share, I'm not sure if anyone suffers this side effect, my skin arounds my neck does not like the violin so it develops rashes which other people suspect I have disease. the practical solution is a small cloth over the chin rest and below. it will cause you a bit of nuisance when you play but if you love violin than you will never mind the little things.
wayne

I've only just seen this one - and I don't know if Nadia is still around.

My frozen shoulder started exactly like that. I haven't been able to play since September. Nadia, if you haven't stopped playing, you'll have to until this is sorted out - or goodness knows how long you'll be out of action.

Liz

It could have as much to do with the way you play as how often you play. I'm getting out of the habit of the moment of applying to much force to the violin. It put unnecessary pressure on my shoulder and caused my left arm to become ridged, so vibrato became quite difficult.

To solve it, I found it useful to experiment with the size of my shoulder rest. To put my violin on my shoulder with my right arm and then swing my left arm into position. The problem has almost completely gone now

True, that. I often find myself "clamping" my violin, to solve it, during practice I will stop every 5 minutes for the first 40 minutes and shake everything out, or stand in front of a mirror and when I see myself clamping, force myself to continue playing but life my head slightly while keeping my left shoulder especially relaxed.

Wayne, thanks for that idea, how would you put a cloth around the shoulder rest etc? I get a red mark on my neck and your idea might stop it happening...

I agree.

Just wondering what is the Alexander technique? I have never heard of it before...

bo,
simple, a rectangular cloth, 2 corners clamped by the shoulder rest clamps and 2 top corners flip over the chin rest. hope can heal your red marks.
wayne

There are plenty of websites out there about it. Basically, it teaches you to relax. But it does so in a way which will benefit your body especially when you are playing an instrument. You un-learn habits which are harmful, such as the way many people walk or sit, and then get taught how this should be applied to playing. I learnt a huge amount about independance between limbs/parts of limbs/everything really. That has helped me greatly, because I can focus in on one part of, say, bowing technique, and completely forget about the rest of my arm, and I no longer find anything physically challenging in the same way as before. It also helped me with stamina I think, not sure how. Probably because being in a better posture means your muscles don't tire as quickly.
But the most important thing it highlighted (right from lesson 1) was that I need to be aware of my body while playing, and in everyday life - turns out I think about my shoulders instead of knees when I'm walking, and when I'm playing, my bottom half sometimes completely locks up!
If you can find a good AT teacher (ask around), I suggest you just go for a lesson, and see how much it helps

Thanks Wayne, will try it today!

Ah the lovely pains that come along with our instrument.

I'm sorry to hear about your discomfort...but you're not alone. (If that makes you feel any better. )

I, myself, am a cellist who suffers from shoulder, wrist and palm pain. But, I can't give you anymore useful advice that hasn't been posted already. I'd take all of their advice.

Hope you get better soon!

I would also recommend Alexander Technique. It will show you how you are holding yourself, and your instrument incorrectly and hence causing the pain. A great help not just for musicians but also in everyday life.

Anti-inflamatories deal with any inflammation, ie the root of the pain, so unless you have an ulcer I wouldn't worry too much about using them if they are prescribed by a doctor.

AS for complementary approaches, Osteopathy should sort out any malignment in the neck, but Alexander technique will deal with the problem Long-term.

My GP is very open minded about complementary medicine, and even suggested it.

In my experinence (based on not being a violinist but having shoulder pain) NHS Physiotherapy will not help. Yoi are better off following the complementary route.

One thing to remember about Alexander Technique, though, is that results are not instant - indeed, you really need to get rid of the idea of striving for results as part of the AT process. So you will probably need several sessions. I think when I had AT lessons they were about 25 GBP a time so it's not cheap. You also need to incorporate AT principles into your daily life, not just your playing. It's worth it, though!

I get it almost everytime I practice or play. I have a feeling there might be something wrong with the height of my shoulder rest. It's at the max height already, yet when I use just my right hand to place my violin on my shoulder and relax my left hand, there's still a slight space in between. Then when I lift my left hand up, there's like a strain after awhile. Any suggestions?