The violin places the wrist at sustained pressure, and this can result in wrist injury. This is why some violinists use a violin wrist aid in an attempt to prevent these injuries and make their playing easier.
The term RSI stands for repetitive strain injury. RSIs are sometimes suffered by musicians, on potentially any instrument. Performing the same, sometimes strenuous, movement of the hand thousands of times through a period of days, weeks or months can give rise to an RSI. Soft tissue, such as tendons or ligaments (or even muscles), starts to swell and experience pain, and cannot move as easily at it used to.
However, an RSI is difficult to determine before its acute stage. There are no symptoms before it becomes serious. The sudden manifestation of pain, swelling or hardening and reduced movement do not have prior warning and the musician is not going to realize that they are causing the injury. Once it has reached the acute stage, it takes a long time for an RSI to recover. Practise and performance then become much more difficult or even impossible.
The wrist is especially susceptible to RSI. Explaining this statement requires a brief description of the wrist's internal structure. The hand's palm is formed by bones known as the metacarpals. These are joined on one end to the carpals, or bones of the wrist, which are in turn connected to the two long forearm bones. The carpals are small, block-like bones that are massed together and connected securely by inflexible ligaments.
This configuration enables the larger range of movement that the wrist has. But overuse can result in injury to the connecting ligaments of the carpals, such as where the hand is always used for the same motion for hours on end. The ligaments swell and cause pain, and the hand cannot move as widely as it used to.
It is not surprising that the continuously exerted position displayed by the violinist's wrist during playing of the instrument is a serious risk factor for RSI. A ligament cannot change its shape or length, unlike muscles or tendons. It is therefore prone to injury through repetitive strain. It also takes much longer than other tissue types to heal because, structurally, it is so dense and strong, and also because its circulation is so limited. Where a tendon is inflamed and hard, the condition is known as tendinitis, and this is also a common problem among musicians, not only on the violin.
Once injured, the violinist is unable to play without pain. They also have limited motion in the affected hand and wrist. Their playing not only becomes painful, but they are also unable to perform to the same standard.
The attitude of some musicians is to play as usual, no matter the pain or the nature of the injury. This is not as sensible as it may seem, since an RSI gets progressively more serious if it is not allowed to rest and repair itself. In time, the damage or disability can become permanent. Performing the same, injuring activity despite the pain is not advisable. Musicians who are experiencing an RSI should, as a matter of course, see a physiotherapist or doctor, and also try to arrange extra rest opportunities in their playing timetable.
The term RSI stands for repetitive strain injury. RSIs are sometimes suffered by musicians, on potentially any instrument. Performing the same, sometimes strenuous, movement of the hand thousands of times through a period of days, weeks or months can give rise to an RSI. Soft tissue, such as tendons or ligaments (or even muscles), starts to swell and experience pain, and cannot move as easily at it used to.
However, an RSI is difficult to determine before its acute stage. There are no symptoms before it becomes serious. The sudden manifestation of pain, swelling or hardening and reduced movement do not have prior warning and the musician is not going to realize that they are causing the injury. Once it has reached the acute stage, it takes a long time for an RSI to recover. Practise and performance then become much more difficult or even impossible.
The wrist is especially susceptible to RSI. Explaining this statement requires a brief description of the wrist's internal structure. The hand's palm is formed by bones known as the metacarpals. These are joined on one end to the carpals, or bones of the wrist, which are in turn connected to the two long forearm bones. The carpals are small, block-like bones that are massed together and connected securely by inflexible ligaments.
This configuration enables the larger range of movement that the wrist has. But overuse can result in injury to the connecting ligaments of the carpals, such as where the hand is always used for the same motion for hours on end. The ligaments swell and cause pain, and the hand cannot move as widely as it used to.
It is not surprising that the continuously exerted position displayed by the violinist's wrist during playing of the instrument is a serious risk factor for RSI. A ligament cannot change its shape or length, unlike muscles or tendons. It is therefore prone to injury through repetitive strain. It also takes much longer than other tissue types to heal because, structurally, it is so dense and strong, and also because its circulation is so limited. Where a tendon is inflamed and hard, the condition is known as tendinitis, and this is also a common problem among musicians, not only on the violin.
Once injured, the violinist is unable to play without pain. They also have limited motion in the affected hand and wrist. Their playing not only becomes painful, but they are also unable to perform to the same standard.
The attitude of some musicians is to play as usual, no matter the pain or the nature of the injury. This is not as sensible as it may seem, since an RSI gets progressively more serious if it is not allowed to rest and repair itself. In time, the damage or disability can become permanent. Performing the same, injuring activity despite the pain is not advisable. Musicians who are experiencing an RSI should, as a matter of course, see a physiotherapist or doctor, and also try to arrange extra rest opportunities in their playing timetable.
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