Preventing injuries
· Pianist health · Level 3 · 14 min
The piano is a safe instrument, but it relies on thousands of small repeated movements. When you suddenly increase your practice time, play tense or force stretches, tendons and nerves can become irritated. Most of these problems are easy to prevent… provided you listen to the early signals.
Important: this lesson gives general prevention advice. It is no substitute for the opinion of a doctor or physiotherapist, ideally one familiar with musicians.
The most common problems (in brief)
- Tendinitis and tenosynovitis: inflammation of a tendon or its sheath (forearm, wrist, base of the thumb). Pain on effort, sometimes swelling, a grating sensation.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome: compression of a nerve at the wrist. Tingling or numbness in the fingers (often thumb, index and middle finger), sometimes at night.
- Diffuse overuse pain: heavy, sore forearms after playing.
- Musician's focal dystonia: a rare, painless neurological disorder in which a finger curls or loses control in a specific playing gesture, more and more systematically. It requires a specialist; above all, don't try to "fix it" by practising more.
Warning signs
| Signal | What to do |
|---|---|
| Muscle fatigue that goes away with rest | Normal: take breaks, shorten sessions |
| Pain while playing | Stop. Resume later, more gently |
| Pain that persists after playing or the next day | Rest, reduce playing time; if it lasts a few days, see a doctor |
| Tingling, numbness, loss of strength | See a doctor |
| A finger no longer responding in a specific gesture, without pain | See a specialist doctor |
Never "play through the pain". Pain is not a normal stage of technical progress. Carrying on despite it is the main cause of long-lasting injuries.
Everyday prevention
- Increase playing time gradually: no sudden jump from 30 minutes to 4 hours a day (summer courses, exams, concerts).
- Vary the difficulties within a session: alternate octaves, slow passages, sight-reading.
- Release between notes (see tension).
- Keep the wrist aligned with the forearm: avoid wrists bent up, down or sideways for long periods.
- Take regular breaks (see breaks).
- Think about the rest of your day: computer keyboards, phones and sport load the same tendons.
Small hands and big chords
If your hand can't comfortably reach an octave or large chords, don't force the stretch by keeping the hand rigidly spread. Solutions:
- Leave out a doubled note (often the fifth or an octave doubling).
- Roll the chord quickly, from bottom to top.
- Share the notes between the two hands.
- For octaves: play with a supple wrist and a hand that closes between octaves (see octaves).
- Choose suitable repertoire: there are countless masterpieces without big stretches.
Good to know: some great pianists had small hands. Technique relies on flexibility and movement, not on span.
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