Sitting Career Death! – Assoyez la fin de votre carrière!

 

Blogger statistics is showing my previous post on pains caused by posture at the computer desk seems very popular. And I had promised more information on what I have learned on what can ruin your ability to play any instrument… but also how to recover from these pains.	Les statistiques Blogger montrent un intérêt accru sur mon article concernant les maux causés par la posture assise à l’ordinateur. J’ai aussi promis de traiter ce qui finir votre pouvoir de jouer d’un instrument… mais aussi comment revenir de ces maux.
Disclaimer: I am not a health-care professional. Do not use the information in this or any other of my posts without consulting a professional in the medical field.	Désavoeu: Je ne suis pas un professionnel des soins de santé. Veuillez consulter un professionnel du domaine médical avant d’utiliser l’information contenu dans mes articles.
In a previous article, I showed how posture at the computer desk can cause the body serious harm. This post will examine more closely how sitting down most of the day can wreck your musical career….. but also how simple care can prevent this from ever happening. The following is an over-simplification to help understand how changes in posture due to life in the computer age can really harm the body. The damage can go unnoticed for years but it accumulates. A good physiotherapist can see it and show how to fix the trouble.	Dans un article précédent, j’ai montré comment la posture assise à l’ordinateur peut sérieusement nuire au corps. La présente examinera comment rester assis, pour la grande partie du jour, peut ruiner votre carrière musicale… mais aussi combien de simples précautions peuvent les prévenir. Ce qui suit est une sur-simplification pour aider à comprendre comment fonctionne le corps et comment des modifications de la posture résultants de l’âge informatique peuvent vraiment endommager le corps. Le dommage peut rester innaperçu mais s’accumule. Un bon physiothérapeute peut voir les signes coureurs et vous montrer comment réparer les problêmes.

Emmanuel Pahud is probably the most prolific flute soloist since Jean-Pierre Rampal and James Galloway. He plays in the Berlin Philharmonic with Hansjörg Schellenberger, principal oboist and also internationally acclaimed soloist.

Air is everything to woodwinds–posture is everything to air!

Emmanuel Pahud, sûrement le plus illustre flutiste depuis Jean-Pierre Rampal et James Galloway, joue dans la Philharmonie de Berlin avec Hansjörg Schellenberger, hautbois principal et soliste international.

In this video, they discuss together sound production and the importance of posture on the airstream. “Everything that involves [body] tension gets in the way of the air stream” – Pahud.

Dans cette vidéo, ils discutent la production sonore et l’importance de la posture sur le vent. “Tout ce qui apporte la tension [du corps] entrave le souffle” – Pahud (trad. libre)

When standing normally, the spine has a natural curve, but the overall effect is to keep the back straight. Many leg muscles have an effect on these. Muscles that lift the knees and pull back for walking are connected to the hips and spine. We are built to stand and walk, and so our muscles have a natural length.		Debout normalement, la colonne a une courbe naturelle, l’effet final étant un dos droit. Plusieurs muscles dans les jambes contribuent à cela.  Des muscles qui lèvent les genoux et tirent derrière pour marcher sont connectés aux haches et à la colonne. Nous sommes construits pour nous tenir debout et marcher, donnant ainsi aux muscles une longueur naturelle.
When we sit down, some muscles that normally pull when standing are now stretched and loose their pulling strength. Others are relaxed and literally shrink over time.		En nous assoyant, quelques muscles qui tirent lorsque debout sont étirés et perdent leur force. D’autres se détendent et rétrécissent avec le temsp.
As a result of this stretching and shrinkage, when we stand up again, the spine is not supported correctly and the pelvis is pulled forward by muscles now shortened. The opposite muscles are too relaxed to compensate which means the belly is rounded forward. Nerves exit the spine in the back, so the extra roundness causes compression on nerves. Over time, this irritates the nerves and can cause sever pain (e.g. sciatica) and loss of strength and muscular coordination. In fact, I started this investigation when I started loosing speed on the bicycle and tripping and falling when running to catch the bus… I was only 32 years old!		Par conséquent, lorsque nous nous redressons debout, la colonne n’est pas correctement soutenue et les hanches sont tirées vers l’avant par les muscles rétrécis.  Les muscles opposés, trop rallongés, font que le bedon courbe d’avantage. Des nerfs qui sortent de la colonne dans le bas du dos s’en voient comprimés. Avec le temps, les nerfs en sont irrités causant des douleurs intenses (p.ex. le sciatique) ainsi que de la perte de force et de coordination musculaire. En effet, j’ai commencé cette recherche après une perte de vitesse à vélo et m’enfargeant lorsque je courait pour ratrapper l’autobus… je n’avais que 32 ans!
The only way to repair this, the only thing to do is stretch the shortened muscles (some of them are in the back and behind the legs) and  strengthen the loosened muscles. My physiotherapist told me it would take (in my own personal case) 3-4 months of stretching exercises for the muscles to become capable of stretching! Otherwise, the only way to keep the back straight is to lean forward or walk with knees very bent (to angle the hips correctly). Of course, both are very tiring and can cause many other pains!		La seule façon de réparer est d’étirer les muscles rétrécis (quelques-uns sont dans le dos et en arrière des jambes) et renforcer les muscles détendus. Ma physiothérapeute m’a dit que ça prendrait (dans mon cas précis) de 3 à 4 mois d’étirement avant même que les muscles ne soient capables de s’étirer! Autrement, garder le dos droit veut dire soit me pencher vers l’avant ou me plier les genoux (pour angler le bassin correctement). Bien sûr, les deux options sont épuisants et causent d’autres douleurs!

Correct posture has an enormous impact on our musical breathing. There is a natural position for the arms with the shoulders resting backwards and downwards. This will cause the neck to be straight, the eyes high and the head high.		Une bonne posture a un impact majeur sur la respiration musicale. Les bras ont une position naturelle avec les épaules basses et vers l’arrière. Ceci favorise un cou droit avec les yeux et la tête haute.
Spending too much time with arms in front of the body (see here) can cause the back muscles to lengthen and the chest muscles to shrink. The head begins to look downward and this causes the back neck muscles to strain (ending in headaches!). Visibly, this constricts proper breathing and can lead to pain in the shoulders and neck.		Passer trop de temps avec les bras devant le corps (à lire) peut causer les muscles du dos à rallonger et ceux de la poitrine à rétrécir. La tête commence à baisser vers l’avant, causant ainsi une tension dans les msucles du cou (et des maux de tête!). Visiblement, ceci entrave la bonne respiration et fini en douleur dans les épaules et dans le cou.
Finally, shoulders are connected to the neck. The shoulders therefore have a big impact on tension headaches because neck muscles can cause compression on many nerves.		Enfin, les épaules sont reliées au cou. Par conséquent, les épaules jouent un rôle majeur dans les maux de tête puisque les muscles tirent sur le cou, comprimant ainsi plusieurs nerfs.
These nerves also control the arms and wrists. VERY often, pain in the wrists is actually caused by tilting the head and raising the left shoulder. These also cause a twist in the back that causes degeneration of the vertebrae. Resulting compression on lumbar nerves causes pain and bad coordination in the legs. I have pictures in my young 20s that essentially prophecy the headaches and arm troubles and leg pains I have today!		Les nerfs sortants du cou contrôllent aussi les bras et les mains. TRÈS souvent, la douleur ou la fatigue dans les poignets commencent par une tête inclinée et une épaule levée. Ces dernières causent aussi une torsion dans le milieu du dos qui accélère la dégénération vertébrale. La compression sur les nerfs lombaires causent des douleurs et mal-coordination des jambes. J’ai des photos de moi dans ma jeune 20e qui font prophécie des maux de tête et problèmes de bras et de jambes que je vis aujourd’hui!

Prevent the conditions from ever happening: Have-fun and enjoy what your body is capable of doing: do sports! This includes dancing and hiking-camping. Athletics are not barbarous murderers of the arts! I was very pleased that the gym at University of Ottawa attracts people both fat and fit and. People are encouraging and celebrate victories: a fat person who increases endurance by 5 minutes accomplished more than an athlete who lifts 100 pounds! Trainers are very eager to use their knowledge in human kinetics to help you become better musicians!		La Prévention vaut mieux que la guérison! Amusez-vous dans le plaisir de ce que le corps peut faire: faites du sport! Ceci inclus la danse et le plein-air. L’athlétisme n’est pas barbare meurtrier des arts! J’ai été ravi de voir au gymnase de l’Université d’Ottawa du monde de toutes tailles: tout le monde encourage tout le monde et on prend plaisir à la réussite de ses buts: une grosse personne qui augmente de 5 minutes son endurance a mieux réussi qu’un athlète qui lève 50kilos! Les entraîneurs sont éprouvent une grande lorsqu’ils appliquent leurs connaissances à vous aider à devenir de meilleurs musiciens!
What NOT to do: The “Roman Chair”, military sit-ups and such strengthen and shorten the muscles that caused the problem in the first place!		À ne PAS faire: Cet appareil et les redressements-assis de style militaire renforcent et raccourcissent les muscles qui ont causé le problème!

HAPPY HALLOWE’EN!!!

I’ve been having a horrifying time at work these past few weeks, so I can’t record anything before few more weeks. In the meantime, in the spirit of fear and dread that go with this holiday, let me discuss the worst demon of our time, causing the most distress and ruining more lives in musicians and everyone that uses a computer: office posture!

IMS Update – good news:

My treatments are now once a month and things are going relatively well (my last recording shows how comfortable my fingers are playing). Now, after a treatment, I can get severely sore in the places treated during the afternoon. But the soreness does not last long.

This time I got some needles in the shoulder and lower back.  IMMEDIATELY after the 1st needle on my left shoulder, it relaxed and dropped something surprizing – it felt wonderful! The right shoulder took 3 needles and the dropping was not as dramatic, but still great.

I get rather bad back pains, especially in the morning: I’ve been getting these for well over 15 years, so I always thought I have a bad back. In fact, X-rays over the past couple of years show disc-degenerative-disorder (including arthritis) in the back and neck. This is normal for my age, but I thought it explained the pain. Well, no it does not explain the pain, and that is the good news! My physiotherapist did a good examination and concluded that my pain is due to nerve compression caused by tight muscles: these can be stretched back into shape!

Real Demons Possessing us:
COMPUTER WORK!

Get it straight: sitting down all day is the single worst thing you can do to your body, period!

I’ll be drawing diagrams later to how seated posture is responsible for back pain in:

• office workers
• taxi, truck and bus drivers
• heavy machinery operators
• students and musicians.

In the meantime, here are some pictures to show how using the computer keyboard an mouse can injure your arms, cause horrible recurring headaches and seriously compromise your oboe playing! Here are also pictures to show the right way to use computer input devices so you won’t hurt yourself.

	WRONG way to sit at the computer! Shoulders behind the buttocks weakens the belly and causes compression on the lumbar nerves. Pressure from the keyboard tray on the wrists leads to carpal tunnel syndrome. Pressure of the chair arms irritates the arm nerves causing weakness and debilitating pain. Monitor below the eye-line causes you to move head forward and down which weakens the neck muscles and constricts cervical nerves. Leaning on the arms raises the shoulders which shorten the muscles and leads to severe headaches. Keyboard angled upward requires wrists pulling back the hand: extra force required to type.
	ABSOLUTE WORST: The whole weight of the body on the arms against the table corner lead to serious irritation of the nerves and carpal tunnel syndrome. Shoulders in front of the buttocks shortens the leg-lifting muscles which will cause a “beer belly” and curved back: serious back pain! The wrist rests for the keyboard and mouse restricts free movement of the tendons. Only way to make it worse still: have the elbows on the table: cause strain on the neck.
	The single best posture: Natural position and motion angles for elbows, fingers and wrists (see next image). Shoulders directly above buttocks keeps back straight and encourages strong belly. Keyboard just above the knees so elbows are in line with spine (encourage muscle relaxation), not forward, not back. Keyboard and mouse should angle down (like this picture) never up! See a study from Cornell University (click here). How to improve even more: Keep the monitor close and at eye level: favour an easy neck position. Remove the chair arms: prevent the temptation to lean on them – it’s really best to just let the shoulders drop.
	Opposing forces: This image shows how the need to keep the finger up creates extra force. So pressing the mouse means not only resisting against the mouse, but also fighting against the upward force. It is not only the finger that strains, but also the wrist and forearm, as those muscles participate in the lift: they shorten over time. Opposing forearm muscles participate in the click motion and must work even harder when the wrist is crooked this way. This principle is also applies to the elbows, shoulders and neck. Take some time to observe how your body strains and you will realize a great deal about how computer posture is the single worst contributor to pain in modern life!

Ghouls and Monsters in the “free world”:

Keeping a good posture that encourages your strength is a very simple issue. Apart from a good keyboard tray, no expense is needed. Be very careful: marketing people are really good at convincing health benefits of new gadgets that can actually cause pain and injury.

By definition, capitalism rewards people who have the most capital with even more capital (wealth). The dark side of capitalism is that there is no reward for actually helping people – if people get better, they don’t need to buy more gizmos! Marketing makes its companies look like good Samaritans who really want to help you; they will incorrectly quote studies that were incorrectly conducted to begin with: all for the soul purpose of making money, not helping people in pain!

This is precisely why lawyers quote the principle “caveat emptor”: buyer beware!

Happy Hallowe’en!