[CAUT] aches and pains

[David Ilvedson]

Ain't getting old great?...;-]



David Ilvedson, RPT

Pacifica, CA 94044









Original message

From: "Keith Roberts" 

To: "College and University Technicians" 

Received: 12/21/2007 12:14:50 PM

Subject: Re: [CAUT] aches and pains





I have had ulnar nerve problems that may have started when I started tuning but I had bypass surgery a year after that and I'm inclined to think they crushed something in the shoulder or my poor neck posture, etc. Maybe all but I was a pipe fitter out of the plumbers union and have lived and worked in the mountains (chop your own firewood) so I haven't felt that the strain on my arm was much in comparison but the torque  on the spine while tuning is mostly in the same direction. So my ulnar stopped working completely. The tennis ball would knock the racquet out of my backhand. It stems from the neck C6,7,8 where the radial (they call that the medianin the simplified drawing) and ulnar bindle branches come out. The radial controls the rotation and the ulnar is the in out or back forth.  The chiropractor helped but the yoga exercises are doing the best and I now actually have a backhand. 



Keith





On Dec 21, 2007 8:07 AM, Donald McKechnie <dmckech at ithaca.edu> wrote:



While we are on the topic of aches and pains, here is one I have not heard about among piano technicians. Just wondering if any of you have experienced this? We are fairly familiar with carpal tunnel problems in our ranks but I have not heard about ulnar nerve problems. Take a look at this diagram of the two primary nerves that go through the wrist: 





http://www.eorthopod.com/images/ContentImages/hand/hand_guyon_canal/hand_guyon_canal_anat01.jpg





About a year ago I started to experience pain in both wrists, numbness in the little finger and the next, with occasional shooting pain up the arm. A visit to a neurologist confirmed ulnar nerve inflammation. (Nasty little test involving needles being stuck into your hands and arms but really cool to actually hear your nerves firing away and seeing a graph of it on the computer.) The best part of all this was the cure. Wear bicycle gloves when tuning! I'm a lefty but I switch back and forth on a grand as some described in the shoulder posts. A trip to a local bike shop produced these gloves:  





http://www.shopatron.com/product/part_number=1481034/444.0.17246.22482.19762.0.0





I like these as they have good padding and are easy to put on and take off. Also, the knit back helps to keep the hand cool. Since I have been wearing these I have been pain free. I believe they will help with carpal tunnel problems too. 





Don 









Don McKechnie

Piano Technician

Ithaca College

dmckech at ithaca.edu

607-274-3908
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/caut.php/attachments/20071221/f0c74b0d/attachment.html