Right Shoulder Pain

[afuller5]

Hi all,

In December I started playing my accordion after about a 30 year hiatus. I have developed pain in my right shoulder and neck (right side). I already play sitting down. Because of my work, I don’t get to play everyday. Does anyone have suggestions to help with this?

Thanks,
Allen

 

[Dingo40]

Does anyone have suggestions to help with this?

Only that you experiment with your playing posture to see if you can reduce the strain on your right arm and shoulder.
As I understand it, the "kosher " posture can be quite stressful on the right hand side, requiring the elbow and wrist to be held uncomfortably high.
While lowering the elbow may not get you into the concert hall, it may keep you out of the operating theatre and increase your playing pleasure.

 

[Thomas N]

I'm really sorry to hear this. I've had all kinds of issues in the past year - mostly because my playing has increased to almost two hours a day now. For me right now it's the left elbow that is killing me and I'm wearing a brace now while playing and it's much better.

I found the main contributor to my pain was playing my very heavy acoustic accordion too often. When I switched up to almost exclusively using my Roland Digital accordion the pain was much, much less. It's manageable now.

My point being that the size and weight of the accordion made a tremendous difference in how much pain I was having. Do you have any options for a lighter, smaller accordion? It may just be repetitive motion and it may not change with a smaller accordion. And there's always the chance that after 30 years those muscles have not been used and after the initial pain goes away you may experience pain-free playing.

I hope others have more valuable input here. Good luck to you!

 

[afuller5]

Dingo and Thomas,

Thank you for your advice. About 3 years ago, I did something and injured my left shoulder. I never went to the doctor for the problem. I had pain in it for about two years before it stopped hurting. I am actually surprised that it is my right shoulder and not the left. Hopefully, my right shoulder will get better soon.

Thanks,
Allen

 

[colinm]

I have similar problems, my playing time is limited to 15 minutes sat down, I think your options are put up with it or take paracetamol or rub ibuprofen on your shoulder or see a chiropractor .
Please let me know if you find a cure.

 

[meddyg]

Same here; heavysih accordion no longer practical. Even so a week at a Folk Summer School pplaying every day and I came home with a painful shoulder- typically lifting arm away from side - eg putting on a coat.

Anticipated diagnosis (supraspinatus tendonitis) confirmed
But then MRI said ruptured suprspinatus tendon.
So to a surgical repair last September. - Much better !

This was the reason for my (first) post about lightweight acoordions !

 

[colinm]

meddyg,
I had an ultrasound scan about 8 years ago but there was no follow up from that, would an MRI scan be more revealing ?

 

[Thomas N]

meddyg,
I had an ultrasound scan about 8 years ago but there was no follow up from that, would an MRI scan be more revealing ?

Weird timing, but my wife had been having shoulder pain for two years. She was prescribed everything in the world regarding physical therapy, pain medications, etc. She finally went in last week and had an MRI. Two hours later they had the results to her. Lots of large medical terms but bottom line was a partial tear of the rotator cuff most likely caused by lifting something heavy over her head (she thinks it was airline carry-ons).

But it was that MRI that took all the guesswork out of it. I've never had one but she's claustrophobic and it was stressful to say the least.

 

[colinm]

Weird timing, but my wife had been having shoulder pain for two years. She was prescribed everything in the world regarding physical therapy, pain medications, etc. She finally went in last week and had an MRI. Two hours later they had the results to her. Lots of large medical terms but bottom line was a partial tear of the rotator cuff most likely caused by lifting something heavy over her head (she thinks it was airline carry-ons).

But it was that MRI that took all the guesswork out of it. I've never had one but she's claustrophobic and it was stressful to say the least.

Thanks I will investigate the possibilities

 

[meddyg]

I agree about the MRI being fairly unpleasant. You may be able to bring your own music
or ask them to play something relaxing. But basically it's a bit like being in a box (er, coffin)
and some builders are banging around outside trying to get in !!

 

[Tommaso B]

Interesting discussion: I've got arthritis in my right shoulder, and there are times when I'm practicing on my 19-lb Roland FR4X and a moving sort of muscular pain (tennis derived from years ago!) kinda whams the entire arm. I just stop playing and let my arm hang down loosely for awhile, to relax it. No big deal, really, as it's an age thing (94) and I don't play in public any more anyway. Usually I can start up again, but when not, I just say the hell with it and go do something else.

 

[Frank Barocco]

I would not again trust an exam without retaking it and talking to a really experienced doctor.
Recently I had recurring pain on my left wrist.
Ultrasonography said it was tenosynovitis and cyst. I doubted it and took an MRI. MRI said it was adhesive capsulitis instead. I doubted it and took to a doctor. Doctor said I had none of those things, but rather symptoms of mild carpal tunnel syndrome, just wear a splint for a little while and take ibuprofen and it will get better. I did it and got better.

 

[JudyKimp]

See I have the opposite problem - I have tightness and pain on my left shoulder and neck, and I don't know if it's strictly from accordion playing, or that I am still in recovery from my injuries breaking both my elbows last March (still going to PT twice a week)!

 

[Scuromondo]

Do you know a knowledgeable accordionist, preferably one with some teaching experience, who can observe you while you are playing? It could well be something as simple as improperly adjusted straps, or incorrect posture or positioning.

 

[Ffingers]

"Play Your Accordion without Pain" by John Bonica might be useful reading for anyone with a need to prevent pain and damage.
It is available as a download, though I cannot remember where I got mine from.

 

[debra]

I missed in the original post that the pain was in the right shoulder (and neck). Accordion players typically develop pain in the left shoulder and that's what I was assuming right away. The right shoulder may develop problems when the arm is not held in the right position: upper arm stretched out to the right (far away from the body), forearm then going straight back towards the keyboard, so that with the wrist also straight the fingers land exactly where you want them on the keyboard. A common wrong posture has the elbow too close to the body, the wrist at a 90 degree angle... and all of this is partly due to the accordion being too far towards your right side. (So the left shoulder strap should then be made shorter and the right strap longer. I see many many (amateur) players who play with the elbow close to their body.

 

[colinm]

Actually it is less painful to play with the elbow next to the body, we do not walk about with our elbows stuck out, I may try that.

 

[debra]

Actually it is less painful to play with the elbow next to the body, we do not walk about with our elbows stuck out, I may try that.

You may be right here. The main problem with the elbow next to the body is the unnatural wrist angle which may cause problems with the wrist (very likely) rather than problems with the shoulder (less likely).

 

[Ffingers]

Actually it is less painful to play with the elbow next to the body, we do not walk about with our elbows stuck out, I may try that.

On a piano keyboard, maybe, but certainly on the bass side.
On a 4/5/6 CBA button treble board, not so much. Chord playing uses a lot of elbow movement.

 

[JudyKimp]

"Play Your Accordion without Pain" by John Bonica might be useful reading for anyone with a need to prevent pain and damage.
It is available as a download, though I cannot remember where I got mine from.

I found the site for the download of this book, and I purchased it. Do you recall how long it took for them to e-mail you the book? I ordered it Sunday, and still have not received it!