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(3/3) Those first few days were not fun.
I did get evaluated by a doctor who basically said that playing violin had caused the tendinitis and I needed to go to physical therapy (PT)âŠwhich wasnât a thing in the small town where my summer camp was located. :(
To be continuedâŠ
(2/3) It was an aching that crawled up my arm in waves â starting on the back of my hand and pulsing up to my elbow every few seconds.
I remember thinking to myself that it was so strange to have what felt like muscular pain in the back of my hand.
After all, it was so bony and it had never occurred to me that my hand could hurt like a pulled muscle.
(1/3) Itâs another Sunday, and thus, itâs time to talk more about tendinitis.
I want to delve a bit into what that initial tendinitis felt like because it was like nothing I had ever experienced before.
I was used to the acute pain of a banged-up knee or fractured finger. Or the subtle sting of a paper cut. The pain of tendinitis was the complete opposite.
(3/3) I remember setting the practice room temperature to about 68 degrees Fahrenheit because it was so hot outside. Looking back, that was the worst idea ever. Not only was I not giving myself breaks, my poor muscles and tendons were not warm AT ALL. They were quite the opposite.
And that night, while I was lying down to go to sleep, the pain in my left wrist and forearm began.
To be continued...
(2/3) Hindsight 20/20, itâs obvious that doing *anything* for multiple hours straight is a bad idea. But in the moment, I just wanted to be better.
On one specific night, which I deem as the night that set everything into motion, I spent about five hours practicing a section from the 3rd movement of the Barber violin concerto, which I was intent on learning by the end of my six weeks at camp.
(1/3) The summer before my junior year of high school, I attended a summer music festival for six weeks, where I was surrounded by peers who played significantly better than me.
I wanted desperately to get better, so I locked myself in practice rooms for hours on end. I also refused to take breaks because I thought resting was a waste of time, and the concept of âover-practicingâ had never been introduced to me.
(2/2) Each week for the next few weeks, I will share a little bit about my tendinitis story and share a few tips that helped me mitigate symptoms and get back to playing music.
I'm not a licensed medical professional in any way, but I do hope that by sharing my story, I can help someone dealing with something similar feel less alone :)
(1/2) A little tidbit about me: I struggle with wrist tendinitis, and have been dealing with it for the past 10 years.
I've had *quite* the injury journey (injourney, if you will), and look forward to sharing it with you!