Chris, fair point about the stats
I did weights for a month before my Mory came from Italy.
Well the pudding stirring certainly brought out some new wrist and elbow aches and pains. What's this Mory coming from Italy - I thought he was a player...or is he on Cnet? Or is there something we ought not to know?
I mis-li-ed you before; on recalculation, that RSI litigation was not 30 years ago-- it was 40... after I did some fingering on my abacus -- I have brain dexmathskickslya.
On Ibuprofen: I must say the side effects being mentioned sound more like those of someone addicted to taking a few (and the 400mg not the 200mg) every time they have a cuppa tea, rather than occasional use which might help here (see Hyppo-critical oath reference below).
I think Alison has her hand more on the pulse for the dead body count; but does anyone honestly admit to deliberately keeping a note of how many times they have corpsed when soloing at a session?
Mind you,reference Hook, if you have two hooks, a la Edward Scissorhands you wont be getting fingering issues anyway and you are probably a great triller or even a sixiller.
Of course all this comes with the usual caveat: to consult your GP (as you should always do especially when you can get an appointment...so we keep Melodeonhealthservices Inc. off the hook. And help the pharmacos keep struggling to earn a few bob.)
On a lighter note, for non-Ibuprofen fanciers, the external application of Arnica oil produces for most an immediate reduction in joint/muscular pain. Our butane camping gas derivative for paranoiac melodeon/player/sniffers ( that is how Ibuprofen got its technical name of C 13 H 18 O 2) 2-(4-isobutylphenyl)propanoic) came in around 1969 or 1974 (choose your country).
In contrast Arnica only has a couple of thousand years of proven use behind it as an anti-inflammatory. It don’t make the same money as a registered chemical formula job of course as it is pushing up all over the place. You could probably make it yourself with a small attachment to you bellows to squeeze out the active compound and you could charge in pints or 50p a squirt at sessions. Same for feverfew for melodeon migraine headaches - also all over the place but don't chew the leaves direct as they cause tongue ulcers (see Chelsea Physick Garden migraine study around 1980s).
That chain H&B (not the whiskey) has Arnica (they say balm but it's oil, see later) but it aint cheap and mixed pricing at the main UK manufacturer, near Buxton-ish. Cheaper in Germany and Eastern Europe, Balkans for your big stage tours.
Great thing is the oil (some wrongly call it balsam which in my apothecary-manual , from Richard Wilson, is ointment) is very slippy and goes a long way and a little bottle lasts for ages (like six months a year....)
In fact, my wee bottle (a Shot-tisch of Arnica!)helped my tented neighbour's back at ECMW t'other day...
(Actually,much against my wont as they aint paying commission I see that H&B have an offer on which is cheaper than the manufacturer so in the interests of fair playing, ere u go: Oh gawd, in fact I now "see" one is double size of the other so maybe there aint no difference - just much cheaper abroad....
http://www.weleda.co.uk/aches-+amp-pains/massage-balm-with-arnica-100ml/invt/204001/http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=1453&afid=70&safid=msn&scid=13444&cm_mmc=MSN-_-Nelsons-_-PS%20-%20Weleda%20Massage%20Balm%20with%20Arnica%20-%20MTB-_-weledaBut back to that hook. Though this may not be the case for most of us (check your session neighbour) we do not use our hands as claws. That is usually reserved for animals higher up the chain.
Most mice require an unnatural (non-humanoid) claw action/hold. Hence inflammation through unnatural repetive movements of the relevant sinews and muscles and joints when moving most mice around; or flat keyboards (computer) often compounded by nodding donkey syndrome (keyboard out of sight under the screen table and not your eyes in as near as possible alignment with the computer screen -- producing "Head up head down head up head down").
You solve the latter either with bifocals with a reading distance set, not for books on your lap, but the longer distance to the computer screen; and the screen in front and on the same level as the keyboard (geddit??!! Or do you need a picture?). Watch youtube group music sessions and you will see claws all over keyboards and bass buttons as well as nodding donkey syndrome to music stands (particularly common amongst English tina players
)
Those who flop their fingers onto basses (and particularly noticeable amongst some of the classy young tina players here in one or two of Leo's videos: http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=12981
or flautists and whistblowers) and buttons almost certainly have less strain problems.
Second trick is alternate the mouse between your left and right hand.
A cable free mouse will also reduce clawed twisting around on the mat (mouse mat!) to get the cable out the way as you try to pull the cursor across the screen (cursing reduces strain too).
Apply the same principle to your keyboard and box-holding position. Let it all “hand out” rather than being all tensed up. let gravity do the dropping rather than pulling on the bass strap as our Freeleader recommends. See John Kirkpatrick on melodeon around youtube or Whitney 2010 finale concert. And the whizkid in front of him.
Greek medicine of course is fairly recent but the fundamental message you will remember from school even if it was all Geek to you holds good; and it applies to how much ibuprofen, best bitter, aspirin, parachutamolling to earth, claw practice or arsenic Mickey Finns you stick in your neighbours’ pint to stop his playing aggravating your complaint:
Μήδεν αγαν! – nothing to excess or as you might more easily remember – all things in moderation……..
(consultortion payments at the door are acceptable in eggs, hens, cucumbers (the latter only if washed in potassium permanganate).