A sprained wrist and a gig
Just as things where going really well I have sprained my left wrist and thumb. That means I’ll miss the audition in the Suth Jutland Symphony I’ve been preparing for, and quite possibly I will also have to cancel an orchestral gig next week – the first in a month. It has reminded me of two things; First how vulnerable you really are as a musician, how quickly you can loose the ability to do what you have spent a lifetime learning, and secondly how easy it is – especially as a freelancer – to give in to the pressure of the business and begin playing too soon after an injury. Even though this is just a sprain that will heal again, I once again find myself in the uncomfortable position of weighing the pros and cons of doing the gig next week, even if I still have pain: What will the orchestra manager think, especially given my recent year long absense due to the shoulder injury? My colleagues? Is this going to affect my chances of getting work there in the future? And then there’s the fact that I need the money! Put all this up against the fact that if you begin using your wrist too soon after a sprain and you will prolong the healing time and risk chronic injury. The answer should be obvious, but it is really tempting to just plough ahead and start learning the music for the gig.
So what exactly is a wrist sprain and why do they usually take so long to heal? I’ve put together a little info here….
Wrist sprain
Given my recent close encounter with the subject, I decided to write a little about what it actually is, why it hurts so much and takes so long to heal. In your forearm you have 2 bones that rotate around each other. These are joined to the 8 small carpal bones that form your wrist and fit together like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle. They are aligned in 2 rows of 4 and the whole thing is held together by a complex web of ligaments. Ligaments connect bones to each other and helps to stabilize the joint. (more…)