Tendonitis-What's the skinny?

[johnjohn320]

I'm a pianist, and have managed to hurt myself practicing (once again-this isn't the first time). The muscles between my index finger and thumb on my right hand (and running down along the underside of the thumb) are sore and "stretched" feeling. Last time I solved the problem by just staying away from piano and computer for a few days.

However, today i was describing the problem to a friend of mine. After pin-pointing the areas of discomfort, etc, she shook her head and said "that doesn't sound good-I'm not a doctor but it sounds like tendonitis."

At first this really had me frightened-I hear the stories of pianists (or other musicians for that matter) hurting their wrists or hands somehow, then having to have surgery and hurting their careers. Example: an orchestra director I worked with on occassion was apparently a fabulous pianist in high school/college, then hurt her right wrist and forearm somehow, and had to have surgery to correct it. Since then, she can still play well, but a lot of her ability was lost and will most likely never return. She can no longer play a lot of the difficult pieces she played when she was younger. I had horrid thoughts of this happening to me.

But then, I get home, and my mother tells me that tendonitis is actually just an inflammation of the tendons, and it will just correct itself (not a long-term or permanate problem).

Now, I trust my mom and as of yet have had no one say to the contrary of her statement, but she has (though I love her dearly) been known to make up facts as she goes along with some things.

So, can someone give me an explanation of tendonitis? How should I treat it (I've already taken Ibueprofen), how long, etc.

Thanks fellas.

 

[yobarman]

i'm sorry but reading your threads just makes me wanna listen to ben folds ....

 

[Azraele]

Hit Google, I'm sure there's lots of info there for you.

The second place I'd try is a doctor.

Link to get you started.

 

[Aceman]

Lay off using that arm/hand for anything. More worrisome is carpal tunnel. Tendonitis usually will go away one most people. Some will get "longterm" tendonitis, as explained to me by my podiatrist. It's not long term, but I get tendonitis more frequently in my feet and hands and it lingers a bit longer. There are no real surgeries for it. (They did however sever several tendons in my feet and toes to relieve some problems in my feet.)

 

[tcsenter]

The hand is a bit more complex because there are so many important structures in such a small footprint. Tendonitis, tenosynovitis, palmar fasciitis, nerve compression/impingements, tendon capture, the hand and forearm is an entire surgical specialty unto itself.

The problem with tendonitis is that its a crap-shoot as far as healing goes. I had tendonitis in my shoulder after a strain and it kept me up at night writhing in pain. It took 5 months to heal. Re-injury is common. Degenerative changes (atrophy) can occur in the tendon, tendon sheath, and muscle due to chronic inflammation, atrophy of the tendon increases risk of rupture.

The ONLY thing to do is to stop using the thumb and index finger and heavily favor the affected hand, meaning try to use it as little as possible for up to several weeks to give the tendon an opportunity to heal. A splint of some sort immobilizing the hand may be indicated. After a period of immobilization convalescence, you slowly exercise the affected area, beginning with simple range of motion exercises and progressing ever-so-slowly to strength exercises. This can take months of hand therapy.

I suggest you see your doctor and let him diagnose the problem and take care of the acute injury, then ask him to refer you to a physical therapist who is certified in hand therapy. Hand therapists can work wonders but only if you follow their advice to the letter.

(They did however sever several tendons in my feet and toes to relieve some problems in my feet.)

Well I doubt they 'severed' the tendons, more likely they performed an elongating procedure. There are a couple techniques, which I won't go into, but they don't usually sever a tendon unless they intend to put it back together in some way.