Another possible contributing factor to shoulder pain is strength (or lack
thereof). The shoulder joint depends in a big way on the muscles of the
rotator cuff to hold everything together. I had problems with shoulder pain
several years ago (computers again ...). The orthopedist eventually
determined that the root cause was the simple fact that years of sitting at
a computer for many hours a day and getting most of my exercise on a bicycle
had left my shoulder muscles too weak to properly support the joint. A few
months carefully working with weights to strengthen those muscles largely
eliminated the problem. Not necessarily the solution to every shoulder
problem, but it's something that you should consider.
Guy
>From: Eric Liefeld <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: "Stephen Arndt" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>CC: <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu>
>Subject: [LUTE] Body pain (was Re: lute straps)
>Date: Wed, 3 May 2006 20:09:24 -0600
>
>Dear Stephen,
>
>I was going to reply privately, but I'll broadcast here in the
>hope this can help others. I too suffer from a variety of pain
>issues in the neck and back, in my case likely caused by
>playing the violin for many years from childhood (in the
>modern school), and exacerbated by computer use. I have
>had frequent severe migraines for at least 35 years. I too
>have been through the gamut of treatments you list (plus
>a few) and I eventually resorted to just taking lots of pain
>medications... not an altogether healthy thing.
>
>In a rather desperate search for help about nine months
>ago I stumbled across a wonderful and well-written book
>("The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook") that has literally
>saved my life. You can find it at http://www.trigerpointbook.com,
>and even get a discount when ordering through their site.
>I think its also widely available at the local Barnes and Noble.
>
>The author, Clair Davies, is a former piano tuner, and he
>has some insights into musician's injuries and issues. He
>basically takes you through every muscle in the body and
>teaches you how to work on them yourself with a few simple
>tools. This may sound strange at first, but I have been
>able to bring about *much* more improvement in my pain
>situation by working on myself than with any other method.
>
>Unlike lots of "treatments" that require a belief system of sorts,
>trigger points are very tangible, easy to find, and based on
>published medical literature. Trigger points are basically
>small contractions in muscle that tend to refer pain in predictable
>patterns that are described and illustrated in the book. Once
>you can understand, isolate, and work on the muscles that
>are causing your pain, I have no doubt that you can resolve
>it quickly. In my own case, I am almost completely off the
>pain meds and I can once again move like a human.
>
>I have also found this book particularly helpful with the
>typical repetitive strain issues encountered when playing
>instruments.
>
>Feel free to contact me off-line if you want more information.
>
>Best,
>
>Eric
>
>ps - The knife was in my *left* shoulder blade...
>
>On May 3, 2006, at 7:08 PM, Stephen Arndt wrote:
>
> > Dear Lute List,
> >
> > A long-time reader though infrequent contributor to this list, I
> > was on the
> > verge of posting a related topic when Katherine initiated the
> > thread on lute
> > straps, a thread that I have followed with great interest.
> >
> > Primarily from using a computer keyboard and mouse, I had developed
> > under my
> > right shoulder blade a "knot" that felt like a knife stabbing me in
> > the
> > back. The problem seemed to be exacerbated by reaching around the
> > lute,
> > which is a rather deep-bodied instrument. From my shoulder the pain
> > seemed
> > to radiate all the way down my arm, inflaming the ulnar nerve and
> > my wrist,
> > and numbing the ring and little finger of my right hand.
> >
> > I made several adjustments to my computer equipment (raising the
> > monitor,
> > switching the mouse to my left hand, etc.) and underwent chiropractic
> > treatment, acupuncture, massage, and medication therapy (muscle
> > relaxers and
> > pain pills). Yet, the problem was still so bad that I worried that
> > I would
> > have to give up the lute.
> >
> > Originally, I held the lute more or less in the classical guitar
> > style,
> > i.e., on my left thigh and using a footstool. Once my physical
> > problems
> > developed, I tried using a strap in the "traditional" manner, i.e.,
> > tying it
> > to the first peg, wrapping it around my shoulder, and tucking it in
> > under my
> > right thigh, on which I now rested the body of the lute. Doing so
> > helped but
> > did not really solve the problem. In desperation I drove to the
> > nearest
> > "luthier" (a maker of violins, violas, and cellos, but not of
> > lutes), who
> > was two and a half hours away, and had him put two strap buttons on my
> > instrument, since I was afraid of doing so myself and cracking my
> > instrument. I have since used both a regular, guitar-style strap,
> > attached
> > to the first peg and the clasp button, and the "slider-strap" recently
> > mentioned on this list and attached to the clasp button and another
> > button
> > just below the neck. Doing so seems to have improved my tone since
> > I am able
> > to hold the lute higher, so that my forearm is more closely
> > parallel to the
> > strings, and has also alleviated the pain somewhat. At this point,
> > however,
> > I am merely managing the pain but have not been relieved of it.
> >
> > I would like to ask whether any other members of the lute list have
> > experienced similar physical problems and, if so, how they solved
> > them. I
> > would be very appreciative of any help anyone could give me.
> >
> > Thank you in advance,
> >
> > Stephen Arndt
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Katherine Davies" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > To: <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu>
> > Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 10:08 AM
> > Subject: [LUTE] Re: lute straps
> >
> >
> >> There are lots of renaissance pictures of people
> >> playing lutes while standing up without any sign of a
> >> strap. Does anyone do this? Any ideas on how - or if -
> >> it could be done?
> >>
> >> I'm not having a go at strap-users; I'm just a bit
> >> puzzled - I have enough trouble keeping the thing in
> >> place when I'm sitting down.
> >>
> >> thanks,
> >> Katherine Davies
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> To get on or off this list see list information at
> >> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
> >
> >
> >
>
>---------------
>Eric Liefeld
>(505) 526-1230
>[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
>
>
