Stretching to prevent playing injuries

[JLivi]

I'm sure there's a bunch of resources out there for this, but I figured I would ask the forum so we had a thread about playing related injuries and ways to possibly prevent them. Over the years I have had various aches and pains (left elbow and right wrist mainly) from long extended playing sessions. I think most of the aches come from the fact that I'm holding the horn for hours a day for many days in a row.

So I come here to ask. What types of things do you do (stretching or anything else) to prevent or relieve pain?

Usually when I get time off and/or play a lighter horn (straight horn vs valve) the pain eventually goes away. I've also toyed with the idea of trying to lighten my setup with a carbon fiber slide. Also, I've never really stretched my forearms or wrists before, but didn't know if that would help. As I get older (mid-30's now) I'm realizing how important flexibility is.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

[GabrielRice]

I'm older than you (53 now) and a little bit of yoga every day helps me tremendously. Some light aerobic exercise - brisk walking is ideal, really - added to that really helps keep my body mobile and working well. I'm not in athletic shape by any means.

A lot of people swear by Alexander Technique to optimize your posture for health and best function. Bodymapping is also great. If you are having joint problems - the right wrist particularly concerns me - there are probably things about the way you holding and moving the instrument that could use some adjustment.

[Burgerbob]

I have to deal with this a lot with my main gig. To prevent injuries, I

1. Stretch every night for half an hour before bed (I can detail the routine another time)

2. Take 15 minute walks to warm up the body and get things moving whenever I start to feel things ossifying- if I have a day home of practice, I could do 5 or 6 of these

I also work out and do cardio, but those are separate to a point to the above two.

[Kbiggs]

Sam Pilafian and Patrick Sheridan’s Breathing Gym has a set of ready made, brief warm-up exercises. They energize, stretch, then relax the muscles, mainly for the upper body. They also have a TON of breathing exercises. I’ve used it on and off for the last 10 years or so. It helps.

I’m 59, and I’ve dealt with soft-tissue aches and pains (tendinitis mostly, and the occasional sprain/strain) in my left and right shoulder, elbow and wrist. (I’m 6’ and about 165 lbs.—tall and thin, and therefore prone to ligament and tendon problems.) I’ve learning that stretching is required before playing. Strengthening away from the horn helps a lot too, but I tend to neglect this part. Lifting weights for the wrist, elbows and shoulder, and a hand/finger grip exerciser help when I remember to do them…

The muscles, ligaments and tendons on the left side have to support the static weight of the horn, while the right side has the dynamic/motion side. Different needs for different sides of the body, but they have to work together. It get more complicated when playing bass trombone. Your thumb and middle finger are used for the triggers, but they’re the two strongest fingers of your hand. I’ve used some kind of hand or horn support for 30+ years now.

Sorry for the long post. Short answer: yes, breathing and stretching help. A LOT.

[SimmonsTrombone]

Look in to Dynamic Stretching vs. Static Stretching. I find the dynamic helps me a lot. Basically it’s stretching with movement vs. stretch and hold. BTW, I’m a geezer.

[OneTon]

Tai Chi, long form, 108 positions. The warm up is more important than the formal routine, Grasshopper.

[Reedman1]

Tai Chi, long form, 108 positions. The warm up is more important than the formal routine, Grasshopper.

I'll second that. All the other suggestions are good, too. There are specific stretches for hands, forearms, shoulders, neck, etc. Basically any gentle movement without a load (trombone) or strain is good.

[BrassSection]

Guess I’m a lucky official old fart. I never stretch before playing, but I am active throughout the week. Have a small farm with plenty to keep active with, so I attribute my good fortunes to a robust life style. Had to have a thorough physical 2 years ago prior to knee replacement surgery since the last time I saw a doctor was 20 years ago prior to shoulder surgery. Docs couldn’t believe I was on no medication at all at “My age”. My only warm-up before playing is a hot cup of coffee. Depending on the song selection, I can spend up to 2 hours on a Sunday morning holding a horn, usually if I’m only playing one horn it’s trumpet or t-bone. Guitar and keyboard players don’t warm up, but the drummer does. Guess I’ll just keep up working to keep muscles good. Oh yeah, forgot to mention I’m standing the whole time. Do have a trumpet friend that is an outstanding player and able to play all styles of music that joins me a couple times a year, he only warms up his lips before practice begins. He does cheat though, he uses his C trumpet.

[glenp]

I‘ve found barbell based strength training to be the single most effective technique in preventing injuries for me. I have desk job which causes low back, neck, shoulder, and wrist pain. Stretching alone was never effective for me. I still stretch after lifting though.

[Silverbee]

After almost two years of the left shoulder flare-up, during which time I didn't miss a single day of the advised workouts, I'm finally off the ergobone. After I was better enough to work out harder, improvement happened more quickly. I doubled my practice time for an unrelated reason, and the first thing I noticed was that my back and core tired before my chops did. Long-term trombone playing puts significant pressure on the core muscles. You must also attempt some additional therapies in your situation. Take advantage of a well-regarded team's physiotherapy services https://www.mytorontophysio.com/.

[Mr412]

I‘ve found barbell based strength training to be the single most effective technique in preventing injuries for me. I have desk job which causes low back, neck, shoulder, and wrist pain. Stretching alone was never effective for me. I still stretch after lifting though.

^^^This, for muscular, tendular, ligimentular and bonular strength! All my upper body aches and pains went away, after two months of heavy lifting. Seriously.

As an aside, can anyone recommend a good surgeon for hernia repairs? Asking for a friend.