If I practice 6 hours weekdays, 9 hours weekends for the next 1 - 2 years on top of a full time job, will I meaningfully elevate my level significantly enough to get more opportunities?
My current level is contract player for a per-service orchestra (semiprofessional) and was admitted to conservatory with Sibelius (though turned it down).
Thanks.
A girl broke her arm while being spotted on silks, and a month later another girl dislocated her elbow. I know all sports have risk, especially aerial ... but at what point do you start to question the safety practices of the studio?
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Performance vs. Teaching?
TL;DR shall I focus on performance or teaching?
I am 31, already getting paid as a contract player in a mid-level group, no music degree, day job, married 9 years.
Pro:
\\- money
\\- hubby participates in building business
\\- opportunity to be nice to children and the elderly
\\- Low hour commitment per week
\\- resilient to any major health upsets
Cons:
\\- Never get full potential in
\\- Possibly miss out on gigs and performance opportunities due to sucking at my instrument
\\- less interesting
Pros:
\\- see if I can get into better group (e.g. salaried)
\\- possible some money from gigs
\\- play exciting repertoire
\\- I won't suck at my instrument
\\- it is my passion, happiest times in my life have been performing
Cons:
\\- huge daily hours-long commitment ... Hubby might be :(
\\- cost for actual lessons with a real teacher
\\- if I have kids in like 2 years or something I must stop practicing enough to progress meaningfully ... so will all the effort be worth it
\\- burnout
Performance vs. Teaching?
TL;DR shall I focus on performance or teaching?
I am 31, already getting paid as a contract player in a mid-level group, no music degree, day job, married 9 years.
Pro:
\- money
\- hubby participates in building business
\- opportunity to be nice to children and the elderly
\- Low hour commitment per week
\- resilient to any major health upsets
Cons:
\- Never get full potential in
\- Possibly miss out on gigs and performance opportunities due to sucking at my instrument
\- less interesting
Pros:
\- see if I can get into better group (e.g. salaried)
\- possible some money from gigs
\- play exciting repertoire
\- I won't suck at my instrument
\- it is my passion, happiest times in my life have been performing
Cons:
\- huge daily hours-long commitment ... Hubby might be :(
\- cost for actual lessons with a real teacher
\- if I have kids in like 2 years or something I must stop practicing enough to progress meaningfully ... so will all the effort be worth it
\- burnout
I should have clarified - not looking for "do both" answers. Question is where to prioritize.
TL;DR shall I focus on performance or teaching piano?
I am 31, already getting paid as a contract player in a mid-level group, no music degree, day job, married 9 years.
Pro:
- money
- hubby participates in building business
- opportunity to be nice to children and the elderly
- Low hour commitment per week
- resilient to any major health upsets
Cons:
- Never get full potential in piano
- Possibly miss out on gigs and performance opportunities due to sucking at my instrument
- less interesting
Performance-focused practice
- see if I can get into better group (e.g. salaried)
- possible some money from gigs
- play exciting repertoire
- I won't suck at my instrument
- it is my passion, happiest times in my life have been performing
Cons:
- huge daily hours-long commitment ... Hubby might be :(
- cost for actual lessons with a real teacher
- if I have kids in like 2 years or something I must stop practicing enough to progress meaningfully ... so will all the effort be worth it
- burnout
Having issues with cubital tunnel after humerus ORIF. Pinky goes numb every time I bend my elbow, which puts me in a pickle as that is part of my PT exercise.
I played violin for about 10-15 minutes after my doctor cleared me and pinky immediately went numb. I waited a few days and my symptoms improved (not completely gone but better) and played again ~10 minutes this morning. My pinky has had some degree of numbness since.
Did I do permanent damage with 10 minutes of playing? Please quell my anxiety ...
Having issues with cubital tunnel after humerus ORIF. Pinky goes numb every time I bend my elbow, which puts me in a pickle as that is part of my PT exercise.
I played violin for about 10-15 minutes after my doctor cleared me and pinky immediately went numb. I waited a few days and my symptoms improved (not completely gone but better) and played again ~10 minutes this morning. My pinky has had some degree of numbness since.
Did I do permanent damage with 10 minutes of playing? Please quell my anxiety ...
42 year old adult beginner. I took lessons 2 years ago, life got in the way, was hoping to restart this summer. Texted my teacher and scheduled something but promptly injured my left hand. Asked him if we can just work on bowing. He asked how I injured it and I told him a lot of details about the injury and complications and he never responded. Showed up for my lesson and he didn't show up. When I texted him he thought I had meant that I cancelled and he said it would be hard to only work on bowing and to follow up to see if we can meet next week. (No way I'm going to be ready for left hand work anytime soon but I will just let him know that).
Did I do something wrong here?
Had ORIF for a distal third humerus fracture due to secondary progressive radial nerve palsy (palsy onset and worsening after setting). That has resolved but now have cubital tunnel syndrome. My finger goes numb after stretching in flexion, sometimes for several hours, it tingles when he taps my elbow and I have weakness when I splay my fingers and he presses them together. My surgeon says this is due to scar tissue pressing on the ulnar nerve and if it doesn't resolve I will need an EEG and cubital tunnel release surgery to preemptively avoid permanent damage. He said we would wait and see after the bone heals whether I need surgery.
I called my wife after the appointment and she says she's had the same symptoms as me for months. I guess ulnar nerve irritation isn't uncommon but I can't tell if this is a thing where "everyone has it and most people don't get treatment or have many issues" vs. "mine is uniquely bad due to post-surgical onset and needs extra precaution."
Advice?
Anyone dealt with this? I have it as a complication from surgery (somewhat different implications than just getting it spontaneously) and was told not to do anything that aggravates my symptoms until the inflammation subsides and we can determine whether or not I need another surgery. Well, guess what happens as soon as I bend my elbow, for any reason.
I am mostly doing bowing stuff for now but wondering if anyone has dealt with this and whether it eventually resolved enough to play either organically or with cubital tunnel release surgery. My occupational therapist has given me a brace and some instructions but no exercises for now.
Had ORIF for a distal third humerus fracture due to secondary progressive radial nerve palsy (palsy onset and worsening after setting). That has resolved but now have cubital tunnel syndrome. My finger goes numb after stretching in flexion for several hours, it tingles when he taps my elbow and I have weakness when I splay my fingers and he presses them together. My surgeon says this is due to scar tissue pressing on the ulnar nerve and if it doesn't resolve I will need an EEG and cubital tunnel release surgery to preemptively avoid permanent damage. He said we would wait and see after the bone heals whether I need surgery.
There was no mention of exercises or brace specifically for the cubital tunnel syndrome. Is this standard practice? I'm already a little wary about my doctor being knife-happy since I know the ORIF was a gray area surgery, and now it seems like a cubital tunnel release is being discussed without us even waiting and seeing or trying nerve glides and braces?
Holstein Lewis fracture with no radial nerve palsy was set, still no RNP, onset about 5 minutes later and progressive worsening over the next 24h. The decision was made to do surgery. No entrapment but the bones slid up over one another (not sure the formal term) and nerve was "zigzagging" (also not sure the formal term).
Googling, I seem to only find information about primary RNP, and sometimes secondary which is usually after surgery and sometimes during closed reduction, but there isn't much commenting on progressive decline AFTER closed reduction. How common is this? How often is it seen in an orthopedic practice? Is it indicative of anything? Is the decision to do surgery well-established in this case?
Had this therapist for 2 years who helped me a lot, but main gripe was she would reschedule or cancel appointments last-minute (several times), say she would follow up to schedule our next appointment and never did, and the worst was when she asked for a virtual last-minute and was clearly on medication. More than once she has also asked to end 15 minutes early.
I was also SA'd which is her specialty and we worked on my SA for a year using IFS, only did one EMDR session which we never discussed further afterwards - is this normal? I made near zero progress on my SA or guilt about times I've acted badly, even though she has helped me tremendously with anxiety and other stuff. I feel like something must be wrong with me if a trauma and relational trauma specialist can't help me with those things...
I am not suicidal in the slightest, don't drink, don't self-harm anymore, but got one of these. Freaking out that my therapist is going to try to hospitalize me tomorrow and racking my brain thinking what I possibly could have answered to get this email. Help?
I had RNP (neuropraxia - no axonal damage) from a humerus fracture. I have "full return" of extension and have been doing weeks of finger strengthening exercises but cannot play. We're talking not even Happy Farmer and I was auditioning for orchestral gigs with Sibelius a few months ago. Therapist and doctor said any deficit is likely just muscle weakness but I am starting to have doubts - "full return" might mean something different for a musician than their typical client base. Has anyone dealt with this? Does it truly all come back like they say or is my doctor just trying to paint a rosy picture here?
I spent two years in therapy with someone who was an incredibly good fit for me. She did DBT, IFS, and EMDR. I had issues with intrusive thoughts, trauma, fear, shame ... and nearly all of it resolved when working with her. Unfortunately, my insurance changed. I paid out of pocket but we had to reduce to once per month due to this, and weren't able to continue progressing.
I still have an incredible amount of shame about things I've done years ago, despite making amends. Because of this I am being completely taken advantage of in my relationships, emotionally and financially. I live in fear of what they're going to do to me if I say no. I am miserable.
I found a new therapist who identifies as someone who has worked with many different issues and is also a relationship coach. She seems to have about a decade of experience and her schedule works with mine (my last therapist was notorious for last-minute cancels and reschedules and cutting my sessions short so maybe this is a plus). I am hoping that she can be helpful but I am worried about picking the wrong person. Is my worry unfounded?
My OT always talks about how her other patients are amputees, or seeking OT after getting beat up by shitty husbands, or have severe car wreck trauma, etc. It makes me feel stupid for complaining about my issues and it's upsetting to me to think about people going through this stuff. Is it normal for an OT to do this? Is this like a normal upper extremity post-op OT caseload or something and I'm an outlier for my stupid sports accident fracture/nerve injury?
I had my humerus fracture set 8 weeks ago and within several hours went from normal hand function to complete loss of sensation and finger extension (radial nerve palsy). It was terrifying and the worst pain I've ever felt. Breaking my humerus didn't even come close to the pain I felt during the palsy onset. I called the doctor sobbing thinking he'd just prescribe stronger pain pills, but instead he asked me to come in. He did some tests and decided to operate.
Now I'm completely healed, hand function is back, and ROM nearly back. My OT and I were talking and I told her this story. She said, "good for you for advocating for myself - you'd be surprised how many people wouldn't have called for that."
I have been devastated the entire day. It felt minimizing. It's not something she would've said if my problem were truly serious. My pride is hurt and I wish I would've sucked it up instead of calling. I know it was the "right" thing to do, but her comment made me feel weak, melodramatic, and entitled.
Please tell me I somehow misinterpreted her comment ...
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I had my humerus fracture set 8 weeks ago and within several hours went from normal hand function to complete loss of sensation and finger extension (radial nerve palsy). It was terrifying and the worst pain I've ever felt. Breaking my humerus didn't even come close to the pain I felt during the palsy onset. I called the doctor sobbing thinking he'd just prescribe stronger pain pills, but instead he asked me to come in. He did some tests and decided to operate.
Now I'm completely healed, hand function is back, and ROM nearly back. My OT and I were talking and I told her this story. She said, "good for you for advocating for myself - you'd be surprised how many people wouldn't have called for that."
I have been devastated the entire day. It felt minimizing. It's not something she would've said if my problem were truly serious. My pride is hurt and I wish I would've sucked it up instead of calling. I know it was the "right" thing to do, but her comment made me feel weak, melodramatic, and entitled.
Please tell me I somehow misinterpreted her comment ...
I fractured my humerus 2 months ago in a skating accident and needed surgery due to associated radial nerve palsy. I'm in PT and today I was talking to my physiotherapist asking if it is more common to see radial fractures (since it seems like most of my friends who break their arms seem to fracture their wrist or radial head). She replies that actually they have lots of amputees and crush injury/trauma on workers comp.
Since then I have been beating myself up. Here I am with this injury I sustained by being a dumbass ... I have complained so much about my radial nerve palsy, the pain keeping me up at night, not being able to do my hobbies, etc. to this therapist and the person before me probably had some sort of devastating injury through no fault of their own. I know all pain is valid, it's not a zero sum game, etc. but just wondering if anyone else with relatively severe injuries has experienced the same, or if any PTs/doctors could share their perspective on when a patient comes in with a relatively moderate injury like mine and whines like crazy.