Is whistling ever a pain in your

tkelly · Post by **tkelly** » Mon Jan 27, 2003 12:03 am

thumb? I've been having pain in the joint at the bottom of my thumb nearest the wrist, and some pain in the joint above that. I thought it was being caused by working on the computer. But today -- having done nothing on the computer and no whistling -- I was doing fine. Then I got home and whistled for 1-2 hours and ouch!

I don't hold the whistle very tightly. It's my right thumb and I use the standard hand position -- right hand below left.

Has this happened to anyone else? Any ideas what to do about it?

Tery

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Mon Jan 27, 2003 12:28 am

That has a rather carpal tunnelish sound about it (though, that said, I get pain in those particular joints too, and they're actually related to my arthritis...which was misdiagnosed as carpal tunnel for many years). It may not be the whistling that's causing it, but rather that something about the way you hold your whistle "tweaks" an existing condition.

If it IS carpal tunnel, the first step would be rest and NSAIDs (not a bad first step in any case)...then, if it doesn't clear up, a visit to the doctor. Experimenting with slightly different hand positions may help too.

Redwolf

michael_coleman · Post by **michael_coleman** » Mon Jan 27, 2003 1:26 am

My thumb joints really hurt when I am playing my Kerry Low D. I get done playing for about 30 minutes or so and I can't bend me thumbs that easily. I don't think it's an arthritusthing, unless I'm starting to get it at 21 years of age. Wow.....thats scary!!! Someone suggestd earlier soaking your hands in warm water and using lotion. I found the whistle kept slipping out of my hand. I just realized that could have a very bad mental image. But anyway, I hope it goes away...please....

Zubivka · Post by **Zubivka** » Mon Jan 27, 2003 3:44 am

May I suggest you try one of these clip-on thumbrests, like Susato sells ? It's cheap, readily available.
Might ease your grip even further, or allow for a more natural wrist angle.

PS: now, to answer the question suggested by the topic, Confucius said : "To warm up a metal whistle, the wise man wears pants; the fool wears a kilt."

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Zubivka on 2003-01-27 04:49 ]</font>

lixnaw · Post by **lixnaw** » Mon Jan 27, 2003 4:46 am

try a proper warm-up and stretch before playing, they do that in every sport

Tyghress · Post by **Tyghress** » Mon Jan 27, 2003 6:09 am

Last year I went through some pretty awful pain. I thought it was the computer, but it was there throughtout vacation. I thought it was the horse, but a break from him gave no relief....

making a long story short, I was tested for arthritis. NSAIDS made a world of difference.

Flare ups are awful, but they're infrequent.

If it persists, see a doctor.

Bert · Post by **Bert** » Mon Jan 27, 2003 6:25 am

How long have you been playing? I started about 3 weeks ago and have the same pain in the thumb joint. I'm assuming it's because I'm using the thumbs and the muscles there in a new way. Once they become accustomed to it, I think it should go away...hopefully.

fluter_d · Post by **fluter_d** » Mon Jan 27, 2003 6:45 am

Hi!
I'm getting scared reading some of these posts... I play flute mostly, and have gotten what I think is tendonitis in my left wrist quite a few times in the last year. I think it's more likely to be triggered by computer keyboard over-use than by playing, but I'm wondering if anyone has any advice to deal with it - stretches or that kind of thing, rather than medication. I have to play a lot over the next few days, and it showed up over the weekend... My wrist movement is quite limited (will bend only to abou 45degrees max backward, and not quite to 90 forward), and thumb movement causes the muscles around my wrist to hurt - it's definitely wrist though, not thumb. Please help!
Deirdre
Btw, whistle playing isn't a problem... that hand shape doesn't hurt.

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Mon Jan 27, 2003 9:31 am

On 2003-01-27 02:26, michael_coleman wrote:
My thumb joints really hurt when I am playing my Kerry Low D. I get done playing for about 30 minutes or so and I can't bend me thumbs that easily. I don't think it's an arthritusthing, unless I'm starting to get it at 21 years of age. Wow.....thats scary!!! Someone suggestd earlier soaking your hands in warm water and using lotion. I found the whistle kept slipping out of my hand. I just realized that could have a very bad mental image. But anyway, I hope it goes away...please....

I'm afraid you can get arthritis at any age. Mine made its appearance at age 23, but I've known young children with RA.

Redwolf

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Mon Jan 27, 2003 9:32 am

On 2003-01-27 07:45, fluter_d wrote:
Hi!
I'm getting scared reading some of these posts... I play flute mostly, and have gotten what I think is tendonitis in my left wrist quite a few times in the last year. I think it's more likely to be triggered by computer keyboard over-use than by playing, but I'm wondering if anyone has any advice to deal with it - stretches or that kind of thing, rather than medication. I have to play a lot over the next few days, and it showed up over the weekend... My wrist movement is quite limited (will bend only to abou 45degrees max backward, and not quite to 90 forward), and thumb movement causes the muscles around my wrist to hurt - it's definitely wrist though, not thumb. Please help!
Deirdre
Btw, whistle playing isn't a problem... that hand shape doesn't hurt.

Rest, warmth, NSAIDs...that's all I can think of. If you can, take a break from keyboarding...if not, see if you can get a wrist brace from your doctor, which will at least help keep the tendon from further damage. Get out the Ibuprofen bottle and start using it asap.

Redwolf

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Mon Jan 27, 2003 9:35 am

What is NSAIDS? I occasionally get very slight tendonitis—nothing like what's being reported here—but it would be nice to have a fix for it.

FJohnSharp · Post by **FJohnSharp** » Mon Jan 27, 2003 9:40 am

I'm not a whacko, New Ager or anything-- in fact I come from a traditional medicine family -- but never underestimate the ability of accupuncture to solve some of these problems. I had some elbow pain once and I had a couple of treatments and it went away -- after not having gone away for several months before that. In fact I have some tendonitis in my finger that won't go away and I'm planning on going back.

The needles only hurt a little.

jim stone · Post by **jim stone** » Mon Jan 27, 2003 9:59 am

The human body wasn't made to
play instruments, apparently,
though the human soul was
created with a great desire to do
so. Sooner or later things start
to go wrong for quite
a few people.

I'm switching to voice activated
computer software, Dragon Naturally
Speaking, because it's plain that
if I type all day and play whistles
and flutes all night, somethings
gotta give.

Tart Cherry Juice concentrate,
available over the internet
and sometimes in stores, seems
to help damp inflamation.
As it's good for you, tastes
very good, and has other benefits,
supposedly, well, why not?

I'm sleeping with an arm brace
at night; also a wrist brace,
sometimes.

There is a wealth of info on
repetitive motion syndrome
and how to deal with it,
on the web. Some of it is
meant for musicians, and it's
worth reading.

It's conceivable that you
have arthritis at 21, but
the prospect is remote.

Don't panic or despair, but
do start thinking and researching.
Physical therapists and physicians
seem to know not so much
about these things. It's your
body, and you have to go through
a lot of info and begin to find
what works for you.

If you're a serious musician,
you need to protect yourself
in advance and deal with various
problems as they arise, cause,
unless you're lucky, this sort
of thing goes with the territory. Best

Aodhan · Post by **Aodhan** » Mon Jan 27, 2003 10:04 am

On 2003-01-27 10:35, Wombat wrote:
What is NSAIDS? I occasionally get very slight tendonitis—nothing like what's being reported here—but it would be nice to have a fix for it.

An NSAID is a Non-Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drug. It's pretty much a generic term for pain relievers such as Tylenol, Motrin, Aspirin, et. al. They relieve pain and inflammation (swelling), and are not based on a steroid. (Most steroidal based are prescription only)

Aodhan

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Mon Jan 27, 2003 10:09 am

On 2003-01-27 11:04, Aodhan wrote:
On 2003-01-27 10:35, Wombat wrote:
What is NSAIDS? I occasionally get very slight tendonitis—nothing like what's being reported here—but it would be nice to have a fix for it.
An NSAID is a Non-Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drug. It's pretty much a generic term for pain relievers such as Tylenol, Motrin, Aspirin, et. al. They relieve pain and inflammation (swelling), and are not based on a steroid. (Most steroidal based are prescription only)

Aodhan

Thanks Aodhan. I was under the impression that a drug needed to be a bit more heavy duty than asprin to count. We'd just call that an analgesic.