Ice Baths - Brrrrr!

I had tendinitis just about everywhere in my lower body at some point after taking up running.  I'm not kidding.  I had posterior tibial tendinitis, patellar tendinitis, iliotibial band syndrome, and Achilles tendinitis.  I didn't have them all at the same time, thank goodness.  I never get it anymore, but now I've been running for about 18 years.  In this time, I learned that I absolutely must stretch properly afterward, not increase my distances too drastically, do self-massage (and pay for real massages from time to time), and apply ice if needed.  After all this time, I'm sure my body is quite simply kind of used to the exercise as well.

But now, thanks to re-entering the world of piano competition and performance, I've got tendinitis in my arms and hands.  Virtuoso level repertoire is physically demanding.  It takes a lot of muscle to play heavy-duty powerhouse pieces, and for just about any piece, you have to stretch and twist your hands and wrists into unnatural positions to hit all the notes and to voice and connect them properly.

So, what led me to this point - me, a seasoned runner who understands the causes of tendinitis?  I didn't think about the fact that I was taxing my muscles and they needed to work up to it.  I just jumped in and started practicing 2 hours a day.  I often practiced at full speed and full volume.  I should have known better.  I wouldn't tell a new runner to run 2 hours a day.  I would tell them to work up gradually.  I wouldn't tell ANY runner to do speedwork every day.  That's just asking for trouble.

So now I need to approach piano practicing the way I do approach running, and I need to heal this tendinitis, to boot.  I'm practicing for a shorter amount of time, doing slow practice sometimes, and being conscious to relax while I play.  I'm getting massages and lifting weights to strengthen the tendons.  I'm also doing ice baths after I play.  Its not very fun, although after the first minute it doesn't feel quite so bad.  Here I am soaking in the sink after practicing Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.

If you're experiencing tendinitis in the lower body (like IT band syndrome), you can do this in the bathtub.  My advice for that is to wear something warm on the upper half of your body and bring a hot beverage along.  Some of you might think an ice bath is a crazy idea and that ice packs should work just as well, but the advantage of an ice bath is the cold gets absolutely EVERYwhere.

For more information on how to do an ice bath SAFELY, check out this web page:

Ice Bath Dos and Don'ts

It is never easy to convince myself to do an ice bath but once I've done it, I am usually glad I did.