Stretching for Carpal Tunnel RSI Tendinitis injury

[seadart07]

Thank you very much. I have been playing flute for several years and had swollen and inflamed fingers and thumb and sore left shoulder if I played more than an hour. Thought it might be arthritis but doctor said it is tendinitis. I do your exercises before every hour of playing and now play painless and symptom free for as long as I care to. Too bad your info is not available where flutists might find it. My pain and symptoms are not uncommon among flutists.

[ottottojazz]

@seadart07 I'm glad these videos are helpful... I hope you continue to improve and play pain free...

[Cyanidal187]

Thank you for your video.

How often do you advice to do these stretches per day?

I am currently experiencing inflamation in my arms and do these stretches every 3 hours.

[ottottojazz]

@Cyanidal187 I'd do the stretches 1 -3 times per day. However, I have found the light weight routine even MORE important than the stretching for recovery and pervention - do the weight routine once per day. Stretching alone will not increase muscle mass (on a molecular level) and cirrculation nearly as well or as fast. Good luck.

[Cyanidal187]

@ottottojazz Thank you for the swift response.

Aside from my forearms I am also experiencing inflamation above my elbow joints.

Will the wrist curls also benefit this area or should I try a different curling method for this area?

[ottottojazz]

@Cyanidal187 If you have elbow joint issues I've found the forearm routine to be only moderatly helpfull... try adding very light tricept extensions 3 - 5lbs. The idea is to increase circulation in the damaged area to help promote natrual body healing. Good luck.

[copperkettle2]

Fantastic, thankyou!! feeling a little relief already - do you find you need to warm down after playing too?

[copperkettle2]

Fantastic, thankyou!! feeling a little relief already - do you find you need to warm down after playing too?

[ottottojazz]

@copperkettle2 Yes, I do stretches after playing mostly forearm and back of forearm stretch.

[Simeon3577]

I thank you for your stretches, I was just diagnosed with carpal tunnal and I just started the stretching and weights, I hope it works

[ikacayunk96]

Thank you ! :D This really helped !!!!

[EnverCami]

thanks otto!

[TheBronze333]

Great stretches. Really helped with what I thought was forearm or bicep tendonitis.

[ottottojazz]

@TheBronze333 Thanks :)

[iceknight99]

Most of your stretches that you showed earlier including the 3rd are what we do before any session in Aikido :)

[douskara]

Great advice!!

[Khaddar]

WOW! Those really helped, thanks! What did you do with diet if you don't mind me asking?

[ottottojazz]

I've tried several different diets for RSI; Vegetarian, Vegan and Raw. Of those 3 diets I found raw was the best for my RSI but the most difficult to maintain for me. Stimulants like caffeine exacerbate RSI, so I recommend moderation. I've found that, regardless of diet, the stretching and light weight routine has helped my RSI more than anything else.

[InedibleBuffalo]

thank so much. this really helped!

[renaissancepending]

Great stretches. Thanks so much for posting this!

[IITekyII]

this helps me so much i would thank you more but its not good 4 my hands.

[MooseheadDrinker]

is there a cure for carpral tunnel syndrome?

[saxdiva]

Matt, thanks for posting this--I don't think musicians talk enough about the importance of avoiding injury. Your videos should be required viewing for your instrumentalists (along with hearing protection, but that's a rant for another day).

[ottottojazz]

Thanks for checking out the videos... I agree, if I had learned this when I was young I never would have become injured. BTW, I'm a huge Ron Stout fan and I enjoyed your Videos featuring him... IMHO one of the masters of the art form.

[circlescircles]

dude! thank you SO very much.

this is a great service to all the poor musicians like myself (without healthcare, of course) who are suffering from RSIs. I'm sure you know how utterly depressing it is to think that you might not be able to play again. I can't thank you enough for the help and giving me hope.

[ffgiantsteps]

For those of you that don't know, Matt is one of the Strongest saxophonist in Los Anggeles! He knows the insturment, and he knows his body! Heed his advice... See you soon Matt.

[ottottojazz]

Frank, thanks man, how's NYC? Nice album by the way.

[MtawraG]

Nice work. Thanks for sharing, I was wondering though about the diet. Anything in particular? I heard that salt should be completely avoided.

[ottottojazz]

I'm not sure about salt, I have plenty myself. I prefer a vegan diet and don't eat meat or animal bi-products but I think you can have strong painless hands and wrists while consuming a variety of different foods. In the end I believe that these exercises and stretches have played the biggest role in my recovery.

[MtawraG]

I guess you're right. I have the same diet actually and I have been doing some of these stretches and weights for a while and it does seem to work. Your video made me more confident in them & expanded my stretching repertoire. If you allow me, I want to second your opinion: For anybody with any doubt, don't. Probably these exercises are the safest way to come back to playing again. It only requires confidence, patience & regularity. Much appreciation Ottotto & hope to hear you play one day.

[Boichuk]

Thankyou for the alternate stretches...I am a tenor player and i was recently in an accident breaking both arms. Now I've developed tendonitis but i haven't started with weights yet. Do you have advice for speedier fingers?

[ottottojazz]

I'm sorry to hear about your injury. I'm not a doctor, but it sounds like you should really go slow, stretch and rest a lot, until the muscles regain there natural flexibility and strength. As far as speed, I always recommend playing very relaxed, very slow and accurate, speed will come with time.