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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:<div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://www.eorthopod.com/images/ContentImages/hand/hand_guyon_canal/hand_guyon_canal_anat01.jpg">http://www.eorthopod.com/images/ContentImages/hand/hand_guyon_canal/hand_guyon_canal_anat01.jpg</a></span></font></font></div></div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div>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: </div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://www.shopatron.com/product/part_number=1481034/444.0.17246.22482.19762.0.0">http://www.shopatron.com/product/part_number=1481034/444.0.17246.22482.19762.0.0</a></span></font></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">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.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Don </div><br><div> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><div style="font-size: 12px; "><br class="khtml-block-placeholder"></div><div style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; ">Don McKechnie</span></span></div><div style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; ">Piano Technician</span></span></div><div style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; ">Ithaca College</span></span></div><div style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; "><a href="mailto:dmckech@ithaca.edu">dmckech@ithaca.edu</a></span></span></div><div style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; ">607-274-3908</span></span></div><div style="font-size: 12px; "><br class="khtml-block-placeholder"></div><div style="font-size: 12px; "><br class="khtml-block-placeholder"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></span></span></span> </div><br></div></body></html>