Injury Prevention for Violinists

The Violinist Athlete and Injury Prevention with Dr. Victor Lin

Dr. Victor Lin, is physiatrist with the Rehabilitation Medicine Associates of Eugene, gifted educator and parent of a talented young violinist. He created this concise presentation The Violinist Athlete and Injury Prevention specifically for teenage violinists to inform them about the potential injuries violinists are prone to getting and to offer solutions for preventing these injuries. I suggest making these videos a required viewing assignment for any of your teenage students who are practicing more than 1 hour a day to help them have healthy and long violin careers. This 2 part presentation can be viewed by clicking on the video links below along with a summary of the contents.
 
The Violinist Athlete and Injury Prevention, Part 1:

• The prevalence of injuries in teenage violinists
• The most common reason for injuries (overuse in repetitive movements)
• Explanation of what is happening in the body that leads to an injury
• Common injuries: tendonitis, bursitis & nerve entrapments
• Why females are more vulnerable to injuries
• Strategy for treating injuries
• The power of visualization 
• How to treat an injury should it occur
• Neat information on how the body heals itself

The Violinist Athlete and Injury Prevention, Part 2:
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• Warm-up (start with slower music)
• Avoid cramped practice conditions
• Use proper posture/seating
• Split practices (2 short instead of 1 long)
• Take breaks every 25 minutes
• Resume practice gradually after vacation
• Time management
• Avoid overtraining
• Be aware of physical limitations when choosing repertoire
• Heed the warning of pain
• Avoid long, loud and stretched passages
• Exercise regularly
• Relax when stressed
• Avoid practice when overtired
• Allow for an adjustment period with changes of teacher, repertoire or ensembles