I awoke one morning to find that I could barely move my head.

And when I did move it, there was a searing pain on my left side from the shoulder blade to my neck.

I had an audition in 2 days, so I had to do something fast.  Several hours and muscle relaxers later, I was back in front of my music stand, pounding away at my excerpts.

When this happened, I was completing my DMA at Stony Brook.   Somehow, I managed to continue to play for the next year and a half, but always with pain.   I went through traditional physical therapy, worked with an Alexander Technician for several years, and ended up with a chiropractor who was finally able to take away the daily pain - as long as I didn't play.

Now I am finally playing full time again, thanks to Sandy Drelinger and his UpRite® headjoint.

Some people might say I didn't exhaust all the options.  They would be right.   There are a lot of therapies out there for those of us with injuries, and you will find links to many of them at the bottom of this page.

I did a lot of thinking about Mother Nature during my forced hiatus, and I decided that the best option for me was to maintain Her intended angles in my upper extremities.  The UpRite® headjoint allows me to do this while producing a sound that is full of richness and color.   It has given the flute back to me, and, for that, I am deeply grateful to Sandy.

Performance injuries are rapidly becoming an epidemic in the music world.  The competition standards continue to rise with every passing year, requiring everyone to spend more and more time in the practice room.  The only way to counter this trend is to become smarter about your physical approach to your instrument:

1)  Become aware of your body as you play. Constantly monitor yourself for excess tension.  (Working with a practitioner on this can be very helpful - they can help you locate your tensions and show you how to release them.   Yoga,  Alexander Technique, and Feldenkrais, among others, are helpful in this regard)

2)  Use a mirror to watch what you are doing as you play.

3)  Use mental practice as well as physical practice.

4)  NEVER, I repeat, NEVER play with pain.

5)  Take frequent breaks - 5 minutes for every 15 minutes of playing time, and then 15 minutes at the end of an hour of playing time.  You can use these breaks to rest, or to continue practicing mentally.

Musician's Health - Performance Injury Links