[CAUT] Lessons from shoulder surgery

[Ronald E Engle]

>From experience I can fully agree that posture, ergonomics, and exercises
are of utmost importance.   About 15 years ago I developed intense pain
from my shoulder, down to my hand, and I thought I was going to have get
out of the business.  Coincidentally we had an occupational therapist at
a guild meeting.   She watched one of us tune a piano and then gave a
lecture.  She suggested several simple hand and arm exercises, posture
changes, and types of tuning tools to use.  This lady saved my career!  I
changed my tuning posture, got one of Keith Bowman's tuning levers with a
ball at the end and I started pausing every 10 minutes during tuning to
do the series of exercises.  After the first day the pain moved out of my
shoulder, after the second day it moved out of my elbow, and in about a
week it was gone completely from my hand.  To this day I do 6 pianos a
day 5 days a week (6 days a week from October to December 25th)  and I
have no trouble anymore with pain.  I do these exercises now only rarely
when I feel tightness or mild tinges.  I wish I would have been taught
this stuff when I started tuning back in the 70's.

Ron Engle, RPT


On Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:28:15 -0700 Jim Busby <jim_busby at byu.edu> writes:
> Thanks Dennis,
> 
> In my case the calcium growths comes with the genes, so catching it 
> early with exercises probably wasn't an option. On my shoulder it 
> looked like a tiny "saw" made of bone that cut flesh and tendon on 
> every movement of my arm.
> 
> I asked the doctor and therapist if I was doing something wrong to 
> cause this to happen. Basically, tuning about 20,000 pianos with 
> whatever technique used will do something to your body and your body 
> will respond. In my case, it starts building calcium deposits.
> 
> But doing the right exercises and using proper "ergonomic" technique 
> can certainly lessen or delay the inevitable.
> 
> Regards,
> Jim
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf 
> Of johnsond
> Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2007 7:44 AM
> To: College and University Technicians
> Subject: Re: [CAUT] Lessons from shoulder surgery
> 
> Hi-
> 
> If you are lucky to catch it early enough, I was amazed at the
> improvement and healing I got just doing the daily rotary cup 
> exercises
> as recommended in physical therapy.  They also determined I had 
> tennis
> elbow, and explained that the wrist position and muscle stress we 
> have
> while tuning is the same as for tennis players.  The message is 
> clear-
> if you have pain, listen to it.  Do something about it. It will only 
> get
> worse if you don't.   We have a physically demanding job.  One that
> demands certain physical attention and maintenance or over time you 
> will
> have problems...  might anyway, but give yourself a chance.
> 
> cheers~
> 
> Dennis Johnson
> St. Olaf College
> 
> 
>