What focal dystonia retraining is NOT about
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- čas přidán 27. 08. 2024
- Did you know that recovery from musician's focal dystonia is possible? Good news...it is! Growing number of musicians have resolved focal dystonia symptoms and many who have, have done so by training.
These series of video is an attempt to share some of the self-training ideas and techniques that has been proven effective by me (Akiko Trush) and some of my fellow MFD colleagues. Training requires a lot of patience, but by grasping few key ideas and by having some persistence, recovery is possible. It's about consciously working on freeing every little movement one micro step at a time. The key is to be observant and to learn a little bit about why you might be experiencing the symptoms, what really is going on and how to break down the steps and most important of all, have a free mind.
In this video, I talk about what I found retraining was NOT about. I was initially very confused as to what retraining was all about.
I thought it was all about coming up with set of exercises to ease the excessive tension, but I was wrong.
I later figured out that focal dystonia is a state where the body is craving for sensory information to be able to carry out the movements smoothly. The more sensory input I retained, the lesser dystonic reaction I had. I realised that I could input sensory information by making conscious effort to 'feel things' at moments when I didn't have reactions.
Good place to start if you're looking into retraining yourself, is to activate the most outer part of your body, the skin, by trying to feel the point of contact with a foreign object (your instrument).
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Every time I tune into your videos I feel a great sense of inspiration, for this I thank you. I myself struggle with this condition and lost so much to it. Anyway thank you!
I am so surprised that you do not have many more followers. Two days of applying what you have taught has helped me. I typed this using all fingers of my right hand. When I hit the period my hand curls a little, but minor adjustments are needed. I think this will help my piano playing. Thanks!
Great, keep it going, keep on moving!
Keep going . Don't give up
Dammit! This kind of videos are really important! I'm not a professional musician, but I pushed myself really hard strait into dystonia with thoughts that i just need to work harder, that I'm just a goofie lazy butt without the kernel inside. All of my friend kept telling me that "I should just relax my hands and play with my heart, for the music to flow through my soul", and it didn't help, cuz relax is exactly what you can't do! After more than 3 years I finally considered my slow but constant regression as someting like a medical issue and not my entire fault. Please, somebody, take me 5 yaers back in time and show me this!
I agree. "Just relax!" is a horrible advice, although that is something that helps us all. If it's something that our body understood how to do, we would have done it already. Deconstructing the concept of relaxing was exactly what I needed to understand how to more effectively use the body, down to fingertips.
Thank you for this wonderful video! You have a great talent for analysing and sharing the difficult things!
More than 20 years ago I also had focal dystonia, but without knowing what it was. I thought I was the only one who had these disorders and felt very bad. I had a lot of shame. Your video would have helped me a lot at that time! I managed to use my right hand (I'm a guitarist) normally again after about 5 years. It took a lot of patience, I did a lot of single movements at a very slow tempo.
I hope that many sufferers will watch your video to overcome focal dystonia more quickly. The problem is that many people don't know the term "focal dystonia". Maybe you would have to give search words like playing disorders in musicians or something like that.
Thank you so much for this video! I hope many other musicians will see this!
I also work on implementing Mindfulness in my personal practice ( I am a pianist ) , as well as my teaching!
Will look forward to more of your videos! :) Anna
Thank you Anna. I'm still on the journey to becoming 'The Mindful Pianist' as well. Hurray for teachers influencing students with mindfulness :)
I've had focal dystonia for a little over two years now and discovered this channel at the very beginning of the illness. At the time it all sounded logical but only now do I realize I understood nothing. It is key the fact that it is a reaction to a harmful stimulus and not the worsening of a practiced movement. Thank you so much for sharing your journey and thoughts on the matter and I just manna say it is mighty impressive you figured it all out by yourself (I've had countless doctors trying to explain things to me fruitlessly until two months ago).
i am guiterist facing focal dystonia in left finger, i can not play guiter. What i will do pl. Suggest me. Thank you.
@@arundhardhararun6370 My personal opinion is you should go see a neurologist and ask about "Sensory motor retuning" for focal dystonia. It is the treatment I'm following and it bears fruit. Then again, I am no expert, merely a patient.
@@darioruizdedomingo what is sensory motor retraining.. Could u explain
@@junaidakhter8699 I am no neurologist, merely a patient. But, if I had to explain it, it is a means of readjusting the perception of movement (hence readjusting the movement) through the inmobilisation of one or more of them. Again, I am no expert, I suggest you visit a neurologist or research papers on the matter (such as Candia et al 2002 I think).
@@darioruizdedomingo ru still dealing with it
Thanks for the video, very friendly and happy 😊
I have a problem with my right thumb. For me it helps to put the fingers down with the other hand.
Thank you so much for your video. I am improving but still on the way...
Great! I wish you all the best.
i have get writer's cramp, what i should do? i saw yourr video but i was not really understand the process
Are you saying that the more we practice without the triggers, the quicker dystonia goes away so that we can almost play in the same way that we used to but without it triggering again? Also, do you ever still get triggers once a month or a few times a year or has it completely returned to how you were without any dystonia all of those years ago?
Have you evere had problem with holding a pen. Because , i would like to know if I can do the same while writing.
I play sitar - an Indian string instrument. I have focal dystonia. I have lost coordination of my fingers. All fingers together should move up and down. When index finger moves up and down, other fingers curl more inwards and get stuck. I wanted to send a photo but cannot do it. I am going to do retraining as explained in your video. Is there any more information?
Check out my facebook page and connect with me.
facebook.com/The-Mindful-Pianist-1851971308419475/
Please message me with a video of you playing there.. I might be able to recommend you few things that I think might help you. Good luck to you.
Kalindi Chirmuley, could you share your number with me? I too am a sitar player facing a similar issue of focal dystonia..
Kya ap y vedio muje hindi me uplabdh krwa skte he
Please, the phrase from 1:47 to 1:51 I do not understand, could someone write me?
"(Retraining is )not about, or...not ONLY about dissolving (resolving) emotional setbacks... of course that (dissolving emotional setbacks) COULD help you. "
I meant to say, working on emotional issues by itself will not solve the problem.
I'm a guitarist, I've suffered from focal dystonia since 2013 on my right hand, which is my picking hamd. not only cant I play the guitar, I also found difficulties in writing, for now, I don't really care about playing guitar anymore, I just want to be able to write again, could u please suggest me what I should do so that I can write normal again
Sure. Will you let me know what your main symptom is?
+The Mindful Pianist sure...As soon as I start writing, my hand suddenly becomes tense, and it is very difficult for me to control it, my wrist is also suddenly lifted, then my hand will start shaking...btw thanks for responding my comment
I remember on my worst days I couldn't write either. My hand would be so tense I thought I'd break the poor pencil. Sometimes I did as I threw the pencil across the room out of frustration. There is a fine line between the moment that you are at ease and when the dystonic reaction sets in. I guess this happens the moment you hold a pencil or the moment you thinking about writing. We have to somehow find a way to break into that split moment just before the tension sets in and dodge the dystonic habit and work up a way one clip at a time. Try to maintain a neutral hand position on the desk and slide the pencil into the right hand using your left. Practice sliding in the pencil into your hand for few days. You should be getting used to the idea of not tensing if you can keep on successfully slide in the pencil in your right hand without reaction. If you can't do this on the table top, you can do the same whilst standing, arms on your side as in walking position. I guess this will be the first step. Next, if you can successfully slide in the pencil in your hand, don't think of writing letters, try moving your whole arm on the desk with your pencil in your hand. Don't give any thought of moving your fingers or your hand at first. See if you can get used to the idea of moving your arms with a pencil still in your hand. When you can do that, see if you can apply just enough pressure on your fingertips to hold it while still moving your arms but do not initiate movement from your fingers or your hand. Try writing with your arm instead of with your hand. Then you want to teach your hand and fingers that it's okay not to tense up even when you initiate the movement, but you would want to do this incrementally, little bit at a time.
+The Mindful Pianist thank u very much, this advice means the world to me
You're welcome. Let me know how things go, keep in touch.