Does anyone else from time to time experience any problems (hand joint pains)after extended play with soprano D whistles like the Sindt or Cillian improved? I guess I have some joint pain after years of martial arts, rowing, and playing, that seems exacerbated by holding the narrower bore whistles.
Philo
Well, on the days when the arthritis is bad, holding almost any instrument can be painful.
I have found the best advice is to remain as loose as possible, to merely hold and never grip, to stay absolutely relaxed.
And the bigger the whistle, the more critical this is.
Also learning to stay very loose has wonderful benefits on the speed of your playing and the accuracy of your fingering.
Best,
–James
http://www.flutesite.com
I had a lot of hand and wrist pain when I first started playing the flute, and my teacher referred me to this site for some good exercises.
http://www.mindspring.com/~shin-on/handcare.html
Carol
Yes indeed. I find the standard bore Susato D much more comfortable (fingerwise) than the narrower bore whistles. With me the problem is exacerbated by a touch of arthritis in a couple of finger joints, which gets worse as winter sets in. (Fortunately I don’t experience any negative side effects from aspirin, which is an amazingly effective non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug.)
I too suffer from post martial arts syndrome. After 9 years of full contact Taekwondo compatition. Just about the only things that work properly on this old body anymore are my hands. But my finger joints do stiffen up when I play for long periods. I have this stuff called Joint Gel that realy helps alot. And I take breaks just to stretch my fingers.
Tom
Stretching is vital, indeed! Don’t crack your knuckles. If you’ve developed that habit, quit it! If you’re allergic to aspirin, try plain old powdered ginger. About 1 heaping tablespoon in orange juice of milk, just before bed, will help. It’s a terrific anti-inflammatory, and it will also give you some of the most colourful, highly detailed good dreams you’ve ever experienced! 
Just don’t overdo it!
Beyond that, plain glucosamine sulfate helps, as does the pain reliever “PK-5”. And, being around machinists who use their hands constantly, I’ve also heard that (believe it or not!) WD-40 sprayed on the fingers and rubbed in, eliminates the joint problems completely. That one, I do not recommend - just there as anecdotal info, no medical research behind it, AFAIK.
Once again (and this particularly addresses you Martial Artists!) do not crack your knuckles!
Cheers,
Quetzalcoatl
How do you stretch your fingers without cracking your knuckles, if you are the type of person who can crack them easily?
“try plain old powdered ginger. About 1 heaping tablespoon in orange juice of milk, just before bed, will help. It’s a terrific anti-inflammatory, and it will also give you some of the most colourful, highly detailed good dreams you’ve ever experienced! Just don’t overdo it!”
Make sure that you use ginger in that recipe and NOT nutmeg, or your dreams may be a bit stranger than you were looking for. 
-bretton
\
“A jug of wine, A leg of lamb,
And thou! Beside me,
Whistling in the darkness.”
[ This Message was edited by: Bretton on 2002-12-08 15:14 ]
Thanks everyone. You can always count on this Board for helpful, funny feedback on what you asked about and then some!
Philo