Thesteelydane.com » Shoulder

Why I love the viola

Nicolaj — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:01:51 +0000

A couple of months ago I borrowed a viola just for fun, and to make a long story short: I am in love – and for 2 very good reasons. First of all, I love the sound of it. There’s something about the slightly melancholic and very singing, smooth sound of the viola that speaks to me. It seems, at least to me to be closer to the human voice. I also discovered that it fits my body like a glove. I have very long arms and long fingers, and surprisingly some of the things I struggle with on the violin, becomes easy and natural on the viola. With the violin, my left elbow is very closed, and in recent months that has created some discomfort during the long opera…

On Cortisone and recovery

Nicolaj — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:52:52 +0000

Many people ask me about cortisone and the role it played in my recovery, so I thought I’d write a little note on it. When I first had cortisone injections, it was administered by a regular doctor who just wanted to help. This was months before I finally got the correct diagnosis (a massive shoulder blade dysfunction) – and it did help, or rather so I thought. The pain disappeared, only to come back 2 months later with a vengeance, when the effect of the cortisone wore off. In other words, I returned to playing way too soon, and only made things worse by playing with a serious dysfunction. I just couldn’t feel the pain.

After I finally got the correct diagnosis from a orthopedic surgeon, and started my rehab…

A new type of shoulder pad: A review

Nicolaj — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:44:25 +0000

I recently saw an article in The Strad that immediately caught my attention. A guy in Japan had invented a shoulder pad (yes, a pad – not a rest) that attached to you instead of the violin. This – at least in in theory – should make it easier to move the violin around and change your playing position, which from a physical therapy point of view is a good thing. I contacted the guy and he kindly send me a test sample. It is very well made of non-slip neoprene and utilizes strong magnets inside the pad to hold it in place. As a player who usually tugs a thick wash cloth under my shirt, the concept isn’t new to me, but I’ve never seen it implemented in such…

The full story

Nicolaj — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 01:31:56 +0000

This is the full account of my injury survival story:

I am one of the lucky few that has made a full recovery from a near career ending shoulder injury. It took 2 years of intense, daily physiotherapy, economic hardship, depression, loss of work and a whole lot of pain, but I made it. I also learned a lot in the process and I am now determined to help others avoid the problems that I’ve had. Here is my story:

In the fall of 2005 I was living in Sweden and working full time in the Malmö Opera Orchestra, when I started experiencing a slight, but relentless pain on the front of my left shoulder when playing. I brushed it of as a result of practicing a lot, and not having a proper…