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Injury prevention for musicians

Posted in Play: April 2013

Recently I read the book of Janet Horvath  –“Playing less hurt” which I found very good and useful. Take a look at her advice for injury prevention:

1. Warm-up
Warmed muscles are more efficient, strong and resilient.

2.  Don`t jump into playing a full schedule after a vacation, illness or injury
Take time to get back into shape. It`s better to play short periods more often throughout the day, rather than long ones.

3. Don`t say “yes” to everything
Be realistic about how many chamber groups you can be in or how many performances you can do.

4.  Sit with good posture
Keep your shoulders down and your back straight. Keep your weight forward and on your feet. Don`t cross your legs when you play or curl your feet around the chair. Your head should be upright, in a neutral position.

5. Take breaks
Ten minutes per hour minimum is a good guide.  It is helpful to let your arms down for a few seconds after a difficult passage. After tremolo, fortissimo or long stretches of sustained playing, move your thumbs in circles or stretch them out gently to release any tension.

6. Practice away from the instrument
This is especially helpful for memorization and performance anxiety. Listen to the music and look to the scores or piano parts of your repertoire. It`s just as important to practice mental preparation as it is to achieve physical mastery of your music.

7. Don`t play on an instrument that is out of adjustment
Make sure your instrument responds easily.

8. Do some exercises
Activities like yoga, stretching, swimming, massage are all very helpful in reducing stress or tension from our body.

9. Don`t practice mindlessly
Have a realistic plan, alternate your repertoire and don`t play through pieces all the time.

10. Take one day off a week

 

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