Everyone knows about rotator cuff injuries but I wonder how many of us know how the rotator cuff can be damaged by how we sit at our keyboards. Yes, it is true! I am currently undergoing therapy for a very painful rotator cuff. Unlike injuries, which often result in serious tears and painful recovery from surgery, the damaged caused by how we sit at our keyboards has to do with poor posture and slumping shoulders and the long term effect on the shoulder blade muscles that keep the rotator cuff in proper position. I don't know how all this happens but as the therapist explained it to me it takes a bit of time for the muscles to reach a point where they don't properly support the rotator cuff functions. The best protection is to make sure you are not slumping your shoulders while sitting at your keyboard or while doing other daily activities and if possible doing exercises which strengthen the shoulder blade muscles. I'm sure there is more to this but I thought it an interesting topic worth posting.

Deane

Sitting Positioning is the first thing children learn in piano class... a good position keeps you from straining many of your body parts...

Good posture was taught in grade school when I was a kid. My piano teacher told me when I was 5 years old to sit at the piano in a position that would be like a hard-backed chair with arms. My arms and the chair arms should be horizontal, my back should be straight, my thighs should be horizontal and my calves should be straight. I've pretty much tried to stick to this posture throughout my playing life, but now my back is shot to Hell, which causes my legs to go to sleep after just one hour in that position. Getting old sucks, and it ain't for wimps and sissies.

Gary

I don't have great keyboard posture, but I do use an adjustable stool and vary the height several times during the night, just to change positions. I have the most comfortable seat in the house!

Deane.......I can't believe that you posted this and I almost missed it. That's exactly what I'm going through now. It started in my left shoulder about 1-2 years ago and now my right shoulder is hurting since last month. It got so bad I had to completely stop weight-lifting.

I originally went to a chiropractor who diagnosed it as a "rotator cuff" problem and treated me regularly for it. He also told me my "shoulder blades" are out of balance and that I needed to do corrective exercises. Finally last month my medical doctor had me take an MRI. They found a small tear but he said "live with it."

I do believe that years of keyboard work, accordion work, and hunching over this darn computer has led up to this. I'm in pain every day. Luckily I can still play, but I think it's just making it worse.

You sound like you're in a better place than I am to fix what's going on with you. I tore the cartilage in my knee a few years back, went to 1/2 dozen orthopedists and doctors and, bottom line is..........no one cares! It's easier to talk to God than it is to talk to an American doctor. They all basically tell you the same thing......this is what's wrong....either have surgery or "live with it." Nothing in-between, like exercise, nutrition, acupuncture, etc.

I haven't figured out what I'm going to do about my rotator cuff situation, but I'll tell you what I'm NOT going to do........waste any more time and money going to your average money-hungry American doctor.

Mark

Deane,

Thanks for the info.

About once or twice a year I experience severe shoulder pain, and never made the connection.

My last bout lasted about two months. It finally went away with resistance band exercises.

There are many YouTube videos on the subject.

Here is basically what I do.

http://www.orthoassociates.com/_pdfs/Rotator_cuff_HEP.pdf





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In other words, if you screw it up, you’re on your own.

Changing positions slightly is a wise thing, not to much for it to become uncomfortable, but enough to put restrain on other parts of your body instead of the same place all the time

Cue music ... ... " I get no kick from champagne ..." ... but I do get a kick out of people who will go to doctor after doctor, get the same diagnosis and complain because they are not hearing what THEY want to hear ... anyone ever think that maybe, JUST MAYBE, these highly educated and skilled individuals MIGHT know what they are talking about ?!? ... Yes, doctors make mistakes - they are human, and quite often they are making a diagnosis based on what WE are telling them - but for the most part, I am willing to bet that at least 50% of the people on this forum over the age of 50 have had some major procedure successfully performed by some doctor ...
And when it comes to something like a torn knee cartilage, I am sorry to say, the only true remedy IS surgery ... you can try different kinds of injections, acupuncture, exercise, diet, whatever, but NOTHING external is going to REPAIR a torn cartilage ... and as that thing keeps flopping around in the knee the mobility decreases and the pain increases ... believe me, been there done that, BOTH knees, and am I ever thankful for total knee replacement surgery ...
My wife had rotator cuff surgery after she got to the point that she couldn't lift anything and she is far better off for having done so ... she will soon be undergoing hip replacement, and we are both absolutely confident she will be doing much better in a few months ...

I wish you all well, and hopefully all our ails are healed by some mystical intervention, but in the meanwhile, I will continue to utilize the trained professionals, with all the modern means they have at hand to determine the problem and evaluate the best course of action, and trust in their judgement ...

BTW - Disclaimer: The only medical professional in our family is our son, who happens to be an excellent dentist.

Yeah....they might be "highly skilled" and "highly educated" but what good is all that training if they have no bedside manners and particularly a definite shortage of communication skills and their only real interest in you is their vision of a "cash cow" who will soon foot the bill for their next vacation when they perform my surgery.

Orthopedists in these parts, live in a world of black and white....."black" being statements like "your meniscus is torn"..."you have a rotator cuff problem," and, "white" being "go right to surgery...do not pass "Go," do not collect $200" (as in Monopoly).

I like to function in the "grey zone" where you don't just listen to the diagnosis and head right for surgery. They charge enough money. Is it too much to ask them to take some time to sit and "discuss" other possible treatments BEFORE surgery or a possible "misdiagnosis?"

It seems their allegiance to the Hippocratic Oath has shifted to their allegiance to money, as in....."pay the bill at the desk, and don't let the door hit you on the way out."

I was telling a friend about my experiences. She replied with a great line: "You still don't get it! Orthopedics are like car mechanics. They tell you what's wrong with your car, and hand you the same line..."you can perform surgery on the car"......OR...."live with it! The only actual conversation you actually have with them is the cost of the repair."

Hopefully it's different in other parts of the world, but that's the way it is around here.

Jerry....my doctor refuses to discuss that my shoulder problem might be from playing the piano too hard with my left hand. Hence, I'm left with trying to self-diagnosis.

I'm unable to download the PDF. I'll have to go to the library to do it. But, is that about the "resistance band exercises?" My instinct tells me I can get some real benefit from stretching and corrective exercises.

For anyone reading this, my doctor DID explain about "inflammation" of the entire body causing the pain. I notice when I take my prescribed "anti-inflammatory" medication the pain subsides.

I did read a lot about "inflammation" on the Internet. It's something I was never aware of. It comes from stress, old age, improper nutrition, etc. You might want to look at that.

Mark