I'm writing
this post to help fellow music producers and engineers who may have the same
problems I've had with wrist pain. Keep in mind I'm not a doctor so
please contact your own doctor before making any changes to your healthcare.
Something
that a lot of people aren't aware of is that being a modern music
producer/engineer involves a LOT of tedious editing on a computer. One
song can easily have hundreds of very small edits to make the performances
sound perfect. It's great that we have the technology to do this sort of
editing but it does come with a toll to the person whose job it is to do it!
There are a
lot of music producer/engineers, myself included that have extensive wrist
problems as a result of the years of editing on computers. I myself developed
problems about 3-4 years into my professional career. It's kind of hard to
describe what it feels like other than to say there’s a bit of pain and
discomfort while working on a computer or playing some instruments. I
remember in 2004 it got so bad that I actually wasn't sure how I was going to
be able to keep working. Needless to say that was a pretty scary time.
I went to the doctor and after some tests all she could really tell me was
that I didn't have tendonitis. She described the problem as a
"repetitive strain" injury.
Fortunately for me, my sister is an athletic therapist who
runs a clinic in Burlington (shameless plug for her: http://www.elliottsportsmed.ca/) and she suggested I get a wrist brace to immobilize my wrist
while I was working. When I started wearing the brace I had immediate
relief and could instantly start working again. Here's a picture of the
brace which is made by Corflex:
After I got
the brace, things got a lot better and as time progressed I found I didn't have
to wear it as often. My wrists still felt a bit stiff and there was
always a bit of discomfort but it was more manageable.
One day I
was working with a friend of mine and she noticed the brace and mentioned I
should try glucosamine which is a supplement made for joints. I picked some up
at a local health food store and noticed an improvement with how my wrists felt
after about a month. Fast forward another couple of months and a
chiropractor friend of mine (Dr. David Koivuranta http://www.dkchiro.com/) mentioned some
supplements made by Isotonix. They make a "joint health"
supplement with glucosamine and some other goodies that were supposed to be
really effective. It was a lot more expensive than normal glucosamine but
I figured I'd give it a try. After a month everything was feeling night and day
better. I still wear the brace as a preventative measure but it's rare
that I feel any discomfort now.
The main
reason I'm sharing all this with you is that you should be aware of what all
those tiny edits are doing to your body and try to prevent the damage from
happening. As music industry professionals we work long hours with few
days off and eventually all that strain we're putting on our bodies catches up
with us. I'll probably always have issues because to a certain extent the
damage is done, but if it hasn't gotten that bad for you or you're just starting
out, do yourself a favor and buy a wrist brace to prevent any future damage.
If you're having trouble finding a place to buy any of the products mentioned here's some links:
and here are some link where you can purchase the Isononix Joint Formula:
If you want to add in a referral email you can put in my email which is [email protected]
If you're starting to notice problems I genuinely hope you find this post helpful.
