Hand surgery: getting back to your instrument.
Tendon, fracture, trigger finger or carpal tunnel: for a musician, hand surgery always raises the same question. Will I play the way I used to? Here is what we know, and how we prepare your return to playing.
Good news first
Among musicians who see a hand surgeon, surgery remains the exception. One study reviewed the records of 227 musicians seen at a hand surgery centre in Paris. Of those with an orthopaedic problem, fewer than one in five were offered an operation. For the others, treatment relied on tailored rehabilitation.
And when surgery is needed, returning to playing is possible. The journal Médecine des Arts published a study of 54 professional or semi-professional musicians who had hand surgery: about two in three (68.5%) got back to their pre-operative level of playing. The whole point of rehabilitation is to help the third.
Why a musician's hand is rehabilitated differently
A hand that can open a door or hold a cup is not enough. An instrument demands much more:
- Finger independence : each finger must be able to move on its own, quickly, without pulling its neighbours along.
- Stretches : a chord on the piano or a stretch on the guitar needs a fine spread between the fingers.
- Coordination : switching smoothly between the muscles that bend the fingers and those that straighten them.
- Touch : fingertip sensitivity, which playing refines and a scar can disturb.
- Endurance : lasting through hours of rehearsal, not just a few minutes.
These qualities depend largely on the small muscles of the hand, the interossei and lumbricals. They weaken quickly after immobilisation. They can also become overloaded in a musician who plays a lot, even without surgery.
How Marie prepares your return
Rehabilitation always follows your surgeon's protocol. It progresses in stages, with measured milestones at every session:
- Protecting the repair and managing swelling, pain and the scar.
- Restoring range of movement, finger by finger, with precise exercises on the therapy board.
- Carrying out a full hand assessment, with muscle-by-muscle strength testing, to find out exactly what is missing.
- Strengthening the intrinsic muscles : hand stability, finger stretches and coordination between the fingers.
- Returning to the instrument, in the session, to observe posture, finger pressure and compensations.
“Bring your instrument. It tells us what still needs work.” »
The principles of a successful return
Your surgeon decides when you can start playing again. After that, a few simple rules make the difference:
- Short, split practice sessions rather than one long rehearsal, with regular breaks.
- A warm-up every time, especially in the morning and in cold weather.
- Movement before sound : at first, getting the movement right comes before the quality of the sound.
- A lighter repertoire, then gradually bring back the demanding passages.
- Pain as a signal : discomfort that builds while playing or lasts into the next day should be reported, not pushed through.
If a change of instrument or repertoire, or a deadline (concert, competition) is coming up, mention it at the first session. These are often the moments that trigger or reawaken pain.
A hand after surgery, an instrument waiting?
Marie sees you in Petit-Lancy; with a prescription, sessions are covered by basic health insurance (LAMal).
Further reading: our musician's warm-up and our 5 tips after hand surgery.
Sources: Nourissat G., Chamagne P., Dumontier C., “Motifs de consultation des musiciens en chirurgie de la main”, Revue de chirurgie orthopédique, 2003, vol. 89, no. 6, pp. 524-531 (study of 227 musicians). Revue Médecine des Arts no. 90, “Main du musicien” (study of 54 professional or semi-professional musicians after surgery). This article does not replace your surgeon's advice.
