Musicians….Breaking News. Exercise is good for you!!!
posted in Musicians |Breaking News. Exercise is good for you!!!
Ok, so its no secret, exercise is a vital component of healthy living. The general rule is, try to do something on most days of the week and aim to keep your heart rate elevated for 30mins +.
So walk, jog, cycle, do the gardening or get to yoga. Doesn’t matter JUST MOVE!
Did you need an exercise physiologist to tell you that?..Well no…probably not. Is this kind of activity going to help you play your instrument better and help you avoid injury? Well no…probably not.
Obviously there will be some benefits, but they will not be specific to being a musician.
Specific is the key word when it comes to functional training. If your function, your sport, or your job is specific then so should your exercise be.
The problem for professional musicians seems to be the build up of unwanted tension, causing all magnitude of injuries and pain. This build up of tension is due to the repetitive, fast, high stress nature of playing an instrument in postures that are challenging or unnatural but necessary for performance.
So what can be done?
Through carefully conducted stretching and massage these tension patterns can be relieved. The problem however is, the tension is likely to return very soon if something isn’t done to address the cause of the tension.
Obviously changing playing style is often not possible, particularly when dealing with specialists in a certain field, international athletes, surgeons and professional musicians alike. The style is a key component of why they are specialists. Therefore in conjunction with massage and physiotherapy, specific stretches can and should be done regularly to keep control of unwanted tension.
Secondly carefully controlled exercise will help strengthen the areas that are week due to overuse of other areas. Real problems arise when muscle imbalances appear. So by addressing muscle balancing before, during and after busy performance periods, the likelihood and severity of injuries can be reduced.
Why do you think athletes exercise , for the same reason, to be fit to perform.
So why wait until an injury is so severe you need help and exercises from a physiotherapist and you can’t play?
Stay aware of your body and its requirements seek advice from an Exercise Physiologist in advance to prevent injuries/tension occurring. Prevention is better then cure.
Alex Cox-Taylor MAAESS AEP