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Hopefully this question is in the right spot here on the forum. I believe it has something to do with technique.

Does anyone else here, after playing the piano for close to an hour, get a rather annoying sharp pain in the back lower neck? Just above the shoulder.

I get this pain, and I don't know if I am sitting improperly or not. I don't know where to start fixing the problem. If anyone else has/had this problem, could you let me know how to try and fix it? I'm sure it has something to do with posture.

Hopefully age doesn't matter since I am an adult beginner that has been learning for the past 3 years. Thanks in advance.

It may not have to do with posture. It probably has to do with your shoulders tensing up during playing.

I would say that you should make a consistent effort to keep your shoulders down and relaxed. Always pay attention to this especially when you're playing a difficult passage. Relaxing your arms will also help you with this. Before you practice roll your arms and neck around to loosen up. Hopefully this was some help.

wysiwyg:

I believe it has everything to do with posture and tension; it affects me sometimes, and when I'm able to catch myself "in the act", as it were, it's invariably a question of tension in the shoulders and neck.

As a matter of fact, I just "caught" myself just now in this very situation. I was playing through a slow movement of a Schubert Sonata very intent on keeping the eighth notes, eighth-note triplets and sixteenths in relatively strict rhythm in relation to each other. When I got through the movement - not one that is technically demanding, by the way - there was the pain somewhere at the base of the neck and/or between the shoulder blades. Relaxing, I dropped my shoulders. Conclusion: my shoulders were unnaturally raised throughout the whole "intensity" of the playing.

When it happens to you, try to determine if you are raising your shoulders when playing. This is a common fault among many (of us amateur) players. Check, too - odd as this may sound - that you're not clenching your jaw while you play. This can also lead to tension pain in the back of the neck.

Yes, I believe it's all related to tension and the failure to relax which is the cause of poor posture - I'm not sure which is the chicken and which is the egg, though. Keep concentrating on and working on relaxing - which sounds almost like a contradiction, doesn't it?

Regards,

Bruce's advice is excellent, as usual. Keep the tension in check, and retain conscious awareness of your shoulders, etc.

One additional thing I've found that helps is this: when playing a difficult passage, the kind you'd tense up over, SMILE! There is a physiological relationship between expression and attitude. Think of a champion - in any sports or performance venue - with a winning smile.

That's one I'll have to try when no one is looking. "What's he been up to?" is the obvious reason!

Cheers!

I think if you suddenly have a beaming grin across your face during a recital, what the audience would be thinking is more along the lines of "What is he taking?" (and a minority "I want some of that..)

Make sure that the shoulders have not crept up so they're around the ears - relax the shoulders and keep checking that they haven't risen.


John

thought I would share my experience on this as I had quite some trouble with this type of pain in the past.

I had that sharp/stinging sensation after playing for about an hour - I took up piano as an adult beginner 3 years ago. I always played through the pain. After about 1 year the pain increased until I had constant neck, shoulder and back pain, frequently "pulling" my neck badly every few weeks. At a certain point I had to stop piano altogether.

I'm happy to say 18 months later I'm back to practicing every day for a couple of hours without any pain. My road to recovery was long and required much trial and error. There's no guarantee my methods will help anyone else, but I'll share anyway...

First I saw a doctor to make sure there were no underlying medical issues or serious damage - luckily not, and it was diagnosed and muscle/ tendon damage from over-use. Second I tried hard to correct my posture (since I knew it was related because the pain always got worse playing piano) - I tried a bunch of things but ended up taking Alexander technique lessons and after some time this helped enormously. Third I completely changed my diet, started eating healthily and low fat, drinking PLENTY of water every day. Fourth (and this was a MAJOR relief when the pain was bad), I started exercising properly, running 3 times a week and lifting light weights. The best relief I got during this period was doing long slow stretches for the neck/ shoulder, and gradually adding weight to the stretch (e.g. a dumbell in one hand, gently pulling head to one side)... after a few months of doing this regularly the pain really decreased and I started slowly getting back to the piano.

Some days are better than others, I still have minor discomfort, but now ensure I stretch thoroughly before playing, take breaks every 20 minutes or so, and keep exercising and staying healthy.

The tips other people gave around staying loose and not tensing when playing are extremely valid - this tension with bad posture is what leads to the injury in the first place. It can take a long time to heal and to re-educate the body, but it is definitely worth it in the end.

Good luck and take care!

Ditto. Alexander Technique lessons have helped me as well. It's not a curative process, but an education process geared towards proper use of your body, especially your spine. Once you start holding and useing your body properly, it can heal and further damage can be prevented.

maestoso :

After 18 months, you say? That was about the time this thread was started, wasn't it?

Regards,

Does indeed sound like tension. On the other hand, just this March I had a similar nagging pain at the back of my head / on my neck and I thought it was from practice-related tension (given that I had just started back at the piano in February after about 15 years' hiatus). Turned out to be a massive ear infection. So if consciously relaxing doesn't help, by all means get yourself checked out by a doctor.