Steve hi,

Funny I only mentioned this thread to Paul last week, I plan to have something a dedicated thread for warm-up exercises sometime in the next week or so. I have to stress though it's not a substitute for medical advice. You should never play through pain if you're experiencing discomfort, hard as it may be, take a break from playing and see you GP.

True enough the ergonomics of playing Bodhrán aren't very helpful posture and grip and playing time all are factors to consider. How your Bodhrán sits when you are playing it is one area that you could examine. A lot of times when teaching I notice that people tilt the drum away from their sticking hand not only does this make triplets sound weaker but makes the wrist have to twist further placing more of a strain on the sinews. I too had problems moving to the deeper shell drum but this was mainly with the skin-hand not the Tipper-hand. Pay attention to your grip too are you holding the tipper too tight? You might try using a rubber band to help you ease of the amount of pressure you need to apply in securing the tipper in your playing hand.

When I tried to change my grip I had great problems which led me to looking into the entire idea of warm-up. I play a mix of Top-end & Kerry and it may be that variation which helps me not pick up any major problems (touch wood). Anything done ad-nausea will undoubtedly cause problems at some point. My advice, stop playing for a week or so if possible avoid using your playing hand, be aware of anything you do which causes the pain. Some Ibuprofen may help, and talk to your Dr. When you start playing again take it slowly being mindful of any slight twinges and reduce the playing time.

Age could be a factor alright, given the length of time you've been playing it may just be one of those phases our bodies go through of saying "I need rest". Has the pain come on all of a sudden or has it been a gradual build-up, is it dull, sharp or throbbing pain? Have you tried over the counter anti-inflammatorys? If so have they had any effect? Most of all have you seen a medical professional.

You are right, my info on CTS is that bending of the wrist puts more pressure on the tunnel area, I think this is only a problem though if the area is already inflamed and painful, it is therefore best avoided and the use of a splint may be necessary. But lets not dwell on that it is after a rare enough condition and I think one easily avoided if we take care of ourselves and be aware of pain and discomfort and acting quickly to alleviate the problem.

One easy aid is to take in as much water on a daily basis this helps keep sinews lubricated and flexible making it easier to glide over one another.

Most of the exercises I will be putting up are ones I've picked up along the way from various players. Some may work better than others and care is needed when attempting any new regime of exercise.

Mike

Hi Mike/everyone
OK, I'm going to seem to be going off thread, so before y'all start shouting at me....we need someone who's handy with a screwdriver to fix our video clips. I now know that Paul is on to it (thank you Paul) and I checked with Gadget (also known as 'Sir') to see if it was only me and it isn't. Point is these are a real help in learning, not to mention inspirational, and I miss them.
And I really wanted to refer to them (here comes the link!) to illustrate a couple of points. I may be wrong (again)but it seems to me that our technique can have a very direct bearing on whether we suffer with the 'pains' or not. With me, being no spring chicken, I put it down to the 'day job', but, like you Mike, I also tend towards a mix of top 'n Kerry.And then there's the videos.Two of my favourite downloads are Martin O'Neill and Lucy Randall accompanying Brendan Power. Quite apart from their expertise, they are very different. Which great player could be more at risk pain wise? Don't get me wrong, I'm not wishing harm to anyone, but they do illustrate what I'm trying to say. I watch Lucy and I get the impression she could just play for a week without a break, and no harm. I have tried time and again to work out how Lucy holds the Tipper, and all I can detect is a hint of a kit drummer's technique (which in Lucy's case would be no surprise!) But, it comes across as effortless. If I could I would convert to her technique on the spot and then I'd cheerfully 'keep it lit' well into the nineties.........well it's just a thought.
Mike has mentioned bent wrists, and come to think of it I don't notice these so much these days with the emphasis on top end, and associate these more with pure Kerry technique, but I may be wrong. Whatever, if I was having to teach I'd want to focus on this aspect, if only I could define it !

But Hey Guys! I know of a supreme fiddle player hereabouts who went through much the same, for quite a while.
If we only play once a week or so, we may reasonably expect a problem. How much time do we each spend playing in any one week? Me, I aim for about an hour of practice a day, in 2 half hour spells or so.Followed by a 3 hour session at the weekend. Less than that and I get withdrawal symptoms, not nice to live with, and then I tend to kick the cat.
There are many other examples of player style I could have chosen. Paul Phillips comes to mind of course, and we all enjoy watching Kip,(when we can).A more or less straight wrist seems to run through all of these, not mention our own Paul.

Really looking forward to your insights Mike, forewarned is forearmed !
Keep safe everyone
John

Thanks Mike, interesting stuff to think about. I'm pretty good with the posture, angle of the drum and such, teaching may help me here because I'm reminding my students about it. I"m actually not experiencing alot of pain, more stiffness and unresponsiveness, I have difficulty playing what I think. Think John might have made a good point for me, I'm probably not playing enough. I did have a good bit of practice the other night and felt better for it, not sore the next day. I have started a new warm up routine consisting of stretching both hands, and massaging the arms, as mentioned here by someone, I'm sorry I don't remember who, and it seems to be helping. I liked the water comment too, god knows I don't drink enough of it and probably too much coffee, and beer. Looking forward to the exercises.
Steve

Hi guys,

I just want to say at this point I’m no authority on RSI’s or Carpel Tunnel. I do think it important we take as many as we can measures to protect ourselves and get the maximum from our playing time be it practice or session.

Quote, Steve wrote;
“I'm probably not playing enough. I did have a good bit of practice the other night and felt better for it, not sore the next day.”

I’m the same I don’t play very often it could be once every 2 weeks in the off time and then it’s a four hour session! I’ve been lucky not to have any problems since my last bought of pain just over two years ago.

I definitely think not playing often enough is an issue but in my experience its short term as the muscles get used to playing again. This is something I’d say we all suffer with at some time or another. And is remedied by little and often so that when it comes to a lengthy session the arms/wrists are sufficiently practiced not to tire too quickly or become sore. Glad to see your new warm-up routine is helping you Steve.

Yep water, water every where even in my Joe! Unfortunately beer & coffee are diuretics & only serve to dehydrate even more. I was guilty of not taking on enough water daily and as a singer too this wasn’t good for me. I try to remember to drink more but I’m not always successful.

Quote, John wrote;

“I may be wrong (again)but it seems to me that our technique can have a very direct bearing on whether we suffer with the 'pains' or not”

Yep I can see where you’re going with this John, adding to it that we all seem to find a particular way of playing that fits our physique be it how we hold the Tipper etc. Experience of playing other instruments may help too they are motor skills and once learnt the body seems to know how it should fit. Some players have very economical movement and get the same results as others who may put their entire shoulder etc into a groove. Whether this has a baring on longevity of pain-free playing I don’t know.
As I said earlier from holding the tipper to how we use the skin hand we all find ways that work for us that should include being pain free.

These days I tend to get more pain from the non-playing hand as I work with tones particularly the forearm and the pin of the shoulder. Once I’ve established that it causes discomfort I try to find ways of producing the tones I want so as not to cause pain. But also I’ve noticed that the discomfort eases once the muscles become used to the knew positions that are being asked of them.
Bending of the wrist comes back to my point about gripping the tipper to tight and it’s going cause problems. When bending the wrist it should be comfortable and as with anything else never forced. True the straight arm is seen more with top end playing but that brings about its own set of issues where RSI’s are concerned and is where my own issues began (changing grip).

I think there are hazards to both and that a warm up and also a warm down routine can help avoid these. But mindfulness whilst playing is important, be aware of grip and posture and if you’re in pain stop playing. Now that people are looking forward to these exercises I promised I’d better get that long finger out of my butt and get on with it!!

Forearmed, quite literally John! (;

Mike