Maladies and Remedies
Chapped Chops, Canker Sores, TMJ, Trigger Finger, Nerves,
Focal Dystonia, and other Maladies
Chapped Chops
I stopped using lip goop decades ago; I found it to be “addictive.” A dermatologist suggested the following remedy for chapped lips (which resonates with the article below): before bed, apply a hot (but safely comfortable), wet, washcloth for several minutes, and seal with petroleum jelly. This opens the pores, hydrates, and seals the water in. It works for me on the rare occasions it’s needed. I don’t know how long this article will stay up (or if there’s a paywall), but it’s excellent.
Canker Sores
A canker sore can make it painfully difficult to play. Apparently, laser therapy can provide relief. This website (not an endorsement) indicates, “No shots, no needles, no pain. That’s right; you do not even have to be numbed up to treat an ulcer in your mouth. Most people experience an immediate improvement, often times with complete pain relief within 24 hours!”
ASK YOUR DENTIST.
Re cost: I have seen ca. $50-100 per treatment online. ASK YOUR DENTIST.
There are various DIY “red light” gadgets that may or may not work. ASK YOUR DENTIST.
Then there’s this. Dunno. There’s one guy on trombonechat that likes it. YMMV.
TMJ
I suffered from TMJ, or more precisely, temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJD), for several years. I now believe this was the result of stress from my Focal Dystonia (see below). I eventually got relief from TMJD with the use of a NTI-tss® device from Dr. James Boyd in combination with the Trigeminal Pharyngioplasty procedure, performed by Dr. Paul Guerrero, D.C. at Muscle Works in Glendora, CA. I recommend both. I should note the procedure is quite uncomfortable and required several visits. These exercises may help.
Trigger Finger
Sounds kinda romantic – like an old cowboy movie – it’s not! My 2nd valve finger would lock. Trigger Finger is not uncommon with musicians. Some have had multiple surgeries. I was able to get relief from physical therapist, Lyn Paul Taylor. The treatment involved ultrasound, ibuprofen gel, and very vigorous manipulation of the surrounding tissues – uncomfortable! The ibuprofen gel combined with ultrasound, both before and after manipulation, prevents inflammation and recurrence. It resolved in 4 visits. A bass-playing colleague I referred to Lyn, got similar results. I was referred to Lyn by a former USC football player. Lyn’s clientele consists of athletes, musicians – and horses. (When my doctor heard about the horses, he said, “That eliminates the placebo effect.”) Catching it early is important. Deep tissue massage may help. If surgery can be avoided . . .
Nerves
Golfer, Harry Vardon, famously said, “There are only two types of player–those who keep their nerves under control and win championships, and those who do not.”
My teacher, Roy Main, told me, “Anything you’re not used to doing can make you nervous.” Roy was a very experienced, but primarily commercial, trombonist. He played on recording sessions, live TV shows . . . even playing I’m Getting Sentimental Over You in football stadiums – nothing fazed him. Until he began to explore brass chamber music – this was well into his career. His first brass quintet job was at a church in downtown LA; the audience was a priest and a couple winos; and his hands were shaking! (When we later formed the Composers Brass Quintet, he was well over it; we played hundreds of concerts together.)
Arnold Jacobs said, “The more you play in public, the easier it is.” Another wise man once said, “Every Sunday there’s some minister of music in some church somewhere wishing there was a soloist available.” Tommy Pederson told me he once asked Timofei Dokschitzer, who was on a world tour representing the Soviet Union in the 1960s, how he stayed so calm and relaxed while performing. Dokschitzer replied, “They trained me very carefully. When I was 7, I played for my family; when I was 10, I played for my school; when I was 15, I was playing in soccer stadiums. I never noticed the transitions.”
The use of beta blockers for performance anxiety is both controversial and widespread. I used propranolol (under medical supervision) for about a year to mitigate anxiety at work due to focal dystonia. It helped me enormously. I found this interview to be pretty informative. NOTE: Taking any prescription medication without consulting a doctor can be dangerous!
Also, while they may be placebos, bananas might be helpful . . . or not.
Also, see Auditions
Valsalva Maneuver
The Valsalva Maneuver is a breathing technique that has some positive applications: medicine, childbirth, defecation, weightlifting, scuba diving, combat . . . brass playing is not on the list. It can lead to delayed attacks, fainting on high notes (not so much a low brass problem), hernias, etc. and can become habitual. Arnold Jacobs warned about Valsalva. Brad Howland wrote Breathing and the Valsalva Maneuver in 1999 and followed up with The Valsalva Maneuver in Brass Playing in 2008 – worth reading. (Note: the lips do close. Also see Tone Production and Embouchure Shifts.)
Frank Campos presented a clinic Conquering Valsalva, printed in the October 2015 International Trumpet Guild Journal (if you join, it is in the archives). In it he said, “It is easy to learn the wrong way to blow if we are taught as beginners to tighten the abdominals rather than to blow freely. In so many cases, this is when the Valsalva Maneuver is activated for the first time, and that is when the trouble begins. Playing the trumpet while the Valsalva maneuver is activated is one of the most destructive performance habits of all.”
Mr. Campo advocated a remedy, “Timed Panting” – like a dog, or better, through the nose – for as long as possible – to strengthen breathing muscles and keep the airway open. He warns against dizziness and suggests being seated initially. This may sound familiar to my students. I suggest an open, dark, “lowland gorilla pant” (as opposed to a puppy-dog pant) and use it for a slightly different purpose: “quick, open, relaxed, inhalation.” Keeping the sensation of moving air at the lips keeps the airway open (“WHuu” – not “hah”). But Campos’ exercise is excellent – panting through the nose also keeps the airway open.
Ash Carter addressed this in an excellent facebook post in the Trombone Pedagogy and Repertoire Group Page (you may need join the group to read it). My only quarrel is with the the word “compression” which I believe is a dangerous word (see Support). His solution reminds me of the Set-Up routine I use.
This video illustrate some of the issues with Valsalva.
Focal Dystonia
Dystonia deserves its own page; click here.
Other Embouchure Maladies
There are other embouchure maladies. Overuse is a thing – don’t keep it on your face for hours on end – rest frequently. Embouchures.com has a wealth of information about various embouchure problems.