As we begin this year, I’ve given this lots of thought.
Now is a good time as any to be rethinking how we all practice so that we don’t get to the point of having a performance-related injury.
If you did have one or are going through a performance-related injury, know that you’re not alone. Here's my story in case you don't know.
Listen, I know that recovery is not pretty, but it’s possible.
Recovery is possible, especially with early intervention.
Here are a few ways to start working towards overcoming a performance-related injury:
1. Find a Medical Professional (Preferably one who has worked with musicians and athletes)
Why do I mention both musicians and athletes? Because we have more in common than we think. Athletes train for hours on end to be able to achieve peak performance. Musicians do practically the same thing.
Although the scope of our training is different from an athlete’s, it’s important to be in touch with a medical professional for who just “giving up” is not an option.
Performing Arts Medicine is still up and coming as a medical concentration, so if you can’t find a performance health doctor in your area, know that going to a Sports Medicine doctor would be your next best option.
For more information on if your area has a performing arts doctor, click here.
2. Listen to your body
As simple as this might seem, most people ignore the warning signs that their body is giving them.
In case you don’t know what those might be, here they are:
A dull, tingling sensation
Tightness in the muscles
Sharp, shooting pains
Swelling (At its worst, it can happen suddenly)
Loss of mobility because of pain
Sometimes, we get so caught up in our practicing that we block these signals. A way to counteract that is to periodically put the instrument down. You can either intentionally set a timer and implement breaks (as an example, set a timer to practice for 50 minutes and set a timer to take a break for 10 minutes) or try to stop between pieces and exercises and do a body scan. Here’s a good example of a body scan exercise you can use.
Remember: Not all practicing happens by actively playing your instrument. Sometimes stopping, reflecting, and asking yourself questions like “Is this working?” or “Does this feel good?” works too.
More on that in another post.
3. Be kind to yourself
I know what you’re going to say because I’ve been there:
“It’s so much easier said than done.”
I get it. Really, I do.
BUT,
Recovery from a performance-related injury can be really difficult physically, mentally, and emotionally. It’s wonderful to have really big goals, but it’s just as important that we treat ourselves with the kindness and respect that we treat others.
I mention this as a principle because this becomes the foundation of recovery.
Being kind to yourself means:
Being realistic about your condition and if you need to get help, get it now (Like ASAP, yesterday was too late! What are you waiting for?!)
Taking breaks when you know you’re exhausted and can’t physically or mentally function
Get off your devices! Seriously. The computer, the phone, the tablet, the Xbox, all of it. Spend less time on your devices; a performance injury is a repetitive stress injury. Typing and scrolling more than you have to will make it worse. Trust me, I know.
Starting slow when you get back to practicing (Don't worry, I'll expand on this in another post)
Don’t talk down to yourself: I say this because it’s easy to do this when you’re not playing at your highest level. Do you realize how common a performance-related injury is for musicians? Over 80% of musicians deal with this at some point in their career. Please, be nice to yourself. You don’t deserve anything less.
Know that it’s a journey, not a destination— be patient; recovery takes time.
4. Fuel your body and your mind in the way that feels best for you!
Honestly, I won’t tell you what to do here because this differs from person to person, but I will say this:
Dig deep and figure out what works best for you!
Here are a couple of ways you can think about filling your own cup:
Am I drinking enough water? HELLO, our bodies are almost 70% of water. According to Medical News Today, water is essential to life. No one can survive more than three days without water, so please, do yourself a favor and drink more water.
Am I eating clean? This is going to differ from person to person because we all have different bodies, but basically, cut the processed stuff out. If it didn’t come from nature, try to limit how much you eat those things. Why is this important? Because being more health-conscious will help reduce any inflammation that you have in your body and help you recover faster. *But please don’t just take my word for it—go see a qualified Dietician help you figure out what would work best for you. I can only give you suggestions because I’m a flutist with life experience, not a doctor.*
What content am I consuming? Observe who you follow on social media, what you watch on TV, what Podcasts you listen to, and what books you read. If it doesn’t make you feel good, then stop consuming that type of content.
Remember that you always have a choice.
Say no. I admit that this is much easier said than done, but what I mean is to have good boundaries with yourself and other people.
You don’t feel good about what you’re consuming?
Change it.
Someone asks you for a favor and you’re overwhelmed and exhausted?
Say no.
Saying no is the greatest gift that you can give to yourself and other people. Why? Because (1) people will always know where they stand with you and (2) you will not be resentful to other people for doing something that you don’t want to do.
5. Read books about Body Awareness and Mindset
I know that I may sound like I’m preaching to the choir, but I am a big believer that we can play better when we know at least a little bit about how the body works.
Here are a couple of resources that I have found super helpful:
Music and Body Awareness Books
What Every Musician Needs to Know About the Body: The Application of Body Mapping to Making Music by Barbara Conable
Mindset Books
Blogs
Podcasts
6. Move your body!
Okay, hear me out.
I know that some of you might say, “But Karina, I just had an injury! There’s no way I can work out!”
Yes, definitely take the rest that you need (that would be my #1 advice if you’ve just had an injury), but after the inflammation goes away, start moving your body. Why? Because exercise leads to better circulation and recovery.
It’s not only good for your longevity as a musician but it also leads to living a longer life.
I am no fitness expert by any means, but here are a few musicians who also help musicians overcome their injuries through fitness:
7. Address Your Emotions Around Your Injury
I know that this may sound a little bit out there, but if you don’t allow yourself to “feel all the feels”, you can actually have more pain because of the unresolved trauma.
All of this to say:
If you need some space from your instrument, take it.
If you need to cry, let yourself cry.
If you need to vent it out with someone, consider talking to someone you trust or seeking professional help.
8. Audit Your Practice Habits
The first step to making improvements in anything you do is by being aware of where you are. Make note of everything that you normally do in your practice sessions, ask yourself what is working and what isn’t working, and start making changes. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day so don’t put too much pressure on yourself and change your routine gradually. If you change too much at once, you may become frustrated. Baby steps are key but definitely necessary.
If you need some help figuring out how to do that, I made this worksheet so that you can think about the kinds of questions you should be asking yourself.
9. Video Record Short Bursts of Your Practice
If you’re not doing this already, I would suggest doing this ASAP. It doesn’t have to be the whole practice session, but ask yourself what part of the practice session makes you tense and use video recording as a tool to see what is going on with your body when you play.
For me, I particularly love doing this when I practice technique because if there is any tension at all, it’ll show up in my technique, but everyone is different. You do you.
I would say that this is ESPECIALLY important if you play an asymmetrical instrument like the flute, violin, and viola.
10. For those of you who are still in school: Work with your Teacher
Look, I know it can be scary showing up to a lesson less than perfect but at the end of the day, your teacher wants what is best for you.
You have cultivated a relationship with them and they hear you play at least once a week. Lessons are the playground. You come to lessons with everything as prepared as possible so that the real work can begin—the questions, the experimenting, the problem-solving, all of it.
And if you have just come out of an injury, take a moment to reevaluate with your teacher how you can make playing more comfortable.
Make it a point to ask for help. You don’t have to go through this alone and if you have passed the school stage, consider getting yourself a coach. An interesting aspect about musicians is that once we get out of school, we stop getting ongoing support. Athletes always have coaches no matter how good they are, so what about us?
I am a huge believer that in this life, we are always learning, always growing. Anything that you give to yourself you can go and give it back to other people.
11. BONUS! Journal it Out
Completely unrelated to music and performance injury, but maybe this will help someone. I think that journaling is a wonderful tool and it can be an amazing way to build awareness.
Whether you want to use prompts or not is up to you, but when I find myself super stressed, overwhelmed, and unable to verbalize how I am feeling at that moment, I put pen to paper and let myself write however many pages I need (Yes, I’m a little old school. I try to be paperless as much as I can, but I really love holding a real pen rather than typing).
Don’t want to keep a journal? That’s okay, most of the time I just write on loose-leaf paper and rip it when I am finished. But if you like to really track your progress, a journal will be your best friend.
A little backstory: I remember almost six years ago, I was getting ready for my senior recital in my undergrad and one of the pieces was the Prokofiev Flute Sonata. If you don’t know that sonata, let me just say that it is absolutely one of the most challenging works I have ever played. I had a fresh injury and I had to prepare for my recital hearing for the next week.
The music was already pretty much prepared, but my body couldn’t produce what my brain had worked on, visualized, and demanded. My pianist and I had worked on this Sonata for weeks and on that particular rehearsal, I lost it. I was literally bawling my eyes out because my brain knew what to do, but my body could not do it.
In hindsight, I wish I could have told 22-year-old Karina to take some deep breaths and write it out. Sometimes we get so overwhelmed with emotion that it’s hard to pinpoint what it is and why we feel that way.
Why do I talk about this in a blog post about a physical performance injury?
Because it’s all connected, my friend. Your emotions affect your physical body, so why not approach recovery in a holistic way?
Want a journal for both practicing and self-reflection? The Practizima Journal is a wonderful journal to have!
A couple of disclaimers:
Please know that anything that I recommended here is because I truly use them, love them, and I am not sponsored in any way.
Please also know that I am not a medical professional, so do not use anything I have written here in place of medical advice. I only speak from my own experience and I encourage you to use your best judgment to find what works best for you. We are all different.
If you found this helpful, please leave a comment below and share it! I would appreciate it so much!
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