Earlier in the year, Absolute PhysioCare published an article about the benefits of physical therapy for musicians of all types. After receiving a positive response from readers (who are musicians) we became highly motivated to do follow-up articles on behalf of the individual types of musicians. In today’s feature we focus on professional guitarists. They (you) assume a full body workout upon each and every performance. In some cases, these performances are outright aggressive and can be more taxing on the mind, body, and soul than a variety of strenuous sports and activities. Check out the finale scene of Crossroads (circa 1986) for validation:
How Physiotherapy Can Help Professional Guitar Players Improve Performance While Preventing and Treating Common Injuries
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a very common RSI in guitarists. It causes numbness, tingling, and pain in the hand and forearm and can sideline a guitar player’s career if not managed with ongoing physiotherapy. While there are a number of treatments available, petrissage massage is particularly effective in treating CTS.
Hand Tendinitis
Hand tendonitis is characterized by the inflammation of a tendon that is commonly witnessed in the fingers and hands of guitar players. Physiotherapy treatments include manual therapy, range-of-motion exercises, strengthening exercises, and even acupuncture and dry needling (IMS).
Wrist Tendinitis
Wrist tendonitis (or tenosynovitis) is a condition defined by inflammation in the tendons that connect the forearm muscles to the hand bones, and is very common in guitar players. As with hand tendinitis, physiotherapy treatments include manual therapy, acupuncture and dry needling, range-of-motion exercises, and strengthening exercises.
Elbow Tendinitis
Elbow tendinitis is equally common in guitarists. This condition is symptomized by inflammation of the connective tissue that fastens the muscles in the forearm to the elbow. Akin to hand and wrist tendinitis, physiotherapy treatments include manual therapy, acupuncture and dry needling, range-of-motion exercises, and strengthening exercises. A physiotherapist may also employ modalities such as laser, ultrasound and interferential current. Moreover, a therapist will design effective exercise programs that you can do at home and in the studio that will specifically focused on eccentric exercise of the wrist extensors.
Lower Back Pain
Shredding the “ax” on a daily basis not only tasks your hands, wrists, and elbows, it taxes the lower back too. It can be challenging to maintain a proper standing posture during an intense guitar solo. In addition to offering chiropractic treatments, a full-service physiotherapy clinic will assist in establishing optimal posture to account for ever-changing movements during a performance. In addition, your therapist will prescribe a regime of stretches, movements, and exercises for warm-up, breaks between sets, and cool-down. View more on lower back pain therapy.
Neck Pain
As Ralph Macchio and mind-blowing guitarist Steve Vai show in the Crossroads finale, the head frequently bends so that the eyes focus on the finger movements along the strings. This often causes chronic neck pain. Physiotherapy will directly correct this through a variety of treatments, including deep flexor training, neck pain specific dry needling, and neck pain chiropractic work.
Remember, regular physiotherapy is effective not just in treating the above RSIs and corresponding chronic pain. Ongoing physical therapy will also help prevent them from occurring in the first place. Make physiotherapy a part of your health and wellness regime today. If located in the Greater Vancouver BC area be sure to schedule a consultation at our Burnaby BC clinic before to your next performance.
PHYSIOTHERAPY FOR DRUMMERS IN BURNABY AND GREATER VANCOUVER BC:
CALL: 604.558.2273
EMAIL: in**@ab****************.com