Doublestop Magazine

Physical Therapy for Musicians

My shoulder is a bit sore. It could be because I played for a couple of hours this morning. (Or it could be because I held an increasingly heavy infant this afternoon.) Anyway, the twinge in my shoulder reminded me of an NPR story I heard yesterday: Treating the Ails of Musicians.

Pianist Leon Fleisher is perhaps the most well-known case of a musician being sidelined by a debilitating injury. After being unable to play with his right hand, he re-invented himself as a left-handed player and conductor. Leah Fleisher, his daughter and a physical therapist, tries to make sure that doesn’t happen to other musicians.

The story isn’t solely about violinists, but it does touch on the unique challenges faced by string players.

Speaking of the physical challenges of playing the violin, if you have any great resources on the subject (stretches, exercises, training, etc), shoot ‘em my way. Or, if you’re a professional in this area and you’re interested in writing an article for us, that’d be most welcome, too.