I have always enjoyed running. When I was younger (before parenthood), I really liked sprinting. My favorite sport was and still is association football (soccer). As a defender, I sprinted a lot. I helped to defend the goal and made all the throw-ins and took all the corners.
And now, in my 40s, I still run – perhaps 20 miles a week, but I haven’t sprinted in ages. Fortunately, my joints are still in good shape as I never liked to feel strain and never played through an injury.
Just like in sports, a young musician may suffer an injury if the form is incorrect.
Piano teachers don’t repeat, “Sit up,” or “Straighten your wrists,” because they enjoy it. They do it so that the students don’t suffer an injury.
Tension and compression may result in carpal tunnel syndrome or tendinitis. The tiny muscles, ligaments, and joints can heal when used properly. If overused in a small amount of time (say, practicing for one hour after a week of no practice) or poorly used over a long time (as in poor form), then the joints and surrounding systems won’t heal correctly.
This causes pain and can eventually lead to serious injuries. Keeping the wrist straight, not curved upward nor sagging, takes a bit of getting used to, but it’s not painful and not tiresome.
I don’t want to scare you, but I don’t want to gloss over it, either.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and it’s easier to prevent an injury by doing things right. There shouldn’t be discomfort when using correct posture.
A good way to check that wrists are straight is by running your finger under your child’s wrists.
