Getting in Tune with Bodies

By Tim Christie 
The Register-Guard

Andrea Wyckoff loves playing old-time fiddle tunes with friends and sitting in on Irish music jams Wednesday nights at Perugino Coffee Bar in downtown Eugene, but the music takes a toll on her body.

The busy, note-packed Irish fiddle music is especially physically demanding, she said. The Coburg woman has tendinitis in her left wrist, some weakness in her left pinky - and on her neck, the dreaded "fiddle hickey," an irritation on her skin where she rests the instrument.

Dr. David Lippincott leads a wellness clinic Tuesday at the Hult Center about repetitive stress injuries common to musicians. He will lead another workshop Thursday at 2 p.m. in Studio One at the Hult Center.

So she was anxious to hear what Dr. David Lippincott of Eugene had to say Tuesday at a musician wellness workshop at the Oregon Bach Festival, Eugene's two-week-long summertime musical showcase. About 20 musicians, professional and amateur, showed up for the first-of-its-kind session.

The Bach Festival decided to offer the workshop because so many musicians get injured, said George Evano, the event's marketing director. "This is kind of a recurring theme with musicians," he said.

Kathleen Lenski, for instance, was a lead violinist with the festival until she was waylaid by a serious shoulder injury for several years, Evano said.

Lippincott is a neurologist and an osteopath and has trained in Chinese medicine, specialties that give him expertise in both the body's nervous systems and its musculoskeletal system. He also plays Brazilian and jazz guitar for fun.

The medical field hasn't done a good job specializing in treating and preventing musicians' injuries, he said.

"In every decent-sized city in the country, there are sports medicine clinics, where amateur athletes can go and find treatment, and musicians don't have that," he said. "This seminar is a way to reach out to musicians coming from all over the country to get the care they need in their community."

Musicians suffer a variety of musculoskeletal problems, some that can lead to more serious neurological problems that can require surgery, he said.

Repetitive stress injuries are common, but they tend to be more subtle than those suffered by athletes, he said. Arthritis, bursitis and tendinitis are common problems, as well as carpal tunnel syndrome.

Fiddle players tend to have problems with their necks and shoulders. String players who use bows can suffer tendinitis in their arms. Musicians who play heavier instruments, such as bass and tuba, can suffer low back problems. Bluegrass players and others who play fast are susceptible to tendinitis in their fingers.

"With these types of problems, a lot times friends, family, physicians, and physical therapists will say, you just have to live with it," he said. "You should not accept that - at least at first."

Self-help is a key element of treating and preventing injuries, he said. That means doing regular stretching exercises, staying physically fit and changing posture if necessary.

"It's really important that musicians pay attention to their bodies and learn how to warm up properly," he said.

Many physicians have trouble diagnosing and treating these types of injuries because it isn't a widely practiced specialty. And some don't have the time or interest to troubleshoot a complicated case, he said.

Matthew Arcara is a University of Oregon student and a professional bluegrass musician, playing guitar for a Salem-based band, Severin Sisters.

Bluegrass, with its emphasis on fast, loud and dexterous playing, can lead to injuries, he said.

Arcara said he's suffered tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome, and injured his jaw from clenching his teeth when playing "ridiculously fast" bluegrass jams. Now 22, Arcara has been playing music since he was 10 and wants to keep playing without hurting himself.

He's working on relaxing while playing, remembering to breathe, and lowering the string action on his guitar, which sacrifices volume but improves the "playability".

"People tend to play louder than they need to," he said.

MUSIC WELLNESS

Dr. Robert Lippincott offers these tips:

• Do stretching and other activities daily, not weekly

• Don't practice to excess: Take appropriate breaks

• Physical fitness will help prevent injuries. Yoga can be beneficial, but avoid more strenuous postures. Tai chi is good for fine motor function

• Read "Stretching" by Bob Anderson