Musicians and Snow Removal!
Snow Removal Among Musicians Is A Legitimate Risk For Injury …Or a good way to get stronger. ~Dr. Lou Jacobs – Portland, Maine When winter hits Maine, musicians sometimes underestimate how much snow removal can sabotage their ability to practice, perform, or even hold their instrument without pain. Whether you play violin, guitar, bass, drums, brass, woodwind, or keys, snow-day chores can load stress directly onto the same structures you rely on to play. Here’s how the most common winter tasks create problems, and what you can do to reduce the risks. 1. Shoveling: The Perfect Storm for Wrist, Shoulder, and Low-Back Strain The problem:Shoveling combines bending, twisting, gripping, and lifting—exactly the motions that aggravate picking-hand wrist tendons (important for guitarists, bassists, and drummers), bow-arm shoulders (string players), and lumbar discs (all instrumentalists)(See biomechanical evidence on increased spinal compression: Norman et al., Clin Biomech, 1998). Also, don’t underestimate the risk of a fall. Watch this! Do it safer: Use a smaller shovel to reduce load. Keep hands wider apart to reduce wrist torque. Push snow more than you lift it. Take micro-breaks every 5–7 minutes (for 30 – 60 seconds.) 2. Roof Raking: A Hidden Trap for Neck, Shoulders,...
read moreThanksgiving Preparation For Musicians – Don’t be a turkey!
This subject looks stupid, I know….but you still need to read it. Dr. Lou Jacobs, Chiropractor and Musician Specialist for over 23 years Thanksgiving is fun, loud, chaotic and full of movements that can quietly undermine your ability to play your instrument. Whether you’re a violinist in Portland, a guitarist in Biddeford, or a drummer sprinting between the stove and the dining room, the holiday can create sneaky strain patterns that mimic or worsen common playing-related injuries. This short guide connects the most common Thanksgiving-day tasks with the physical demands of musicianship, and offers safer, smarter ways to host without waking up the next morning unable to play. Silly sounding or not, these little things add up, and may affect your playing if things go south. 1. Setting the Table: Rotator Cuff Fatigue & Wrist Irritation Reaching forward repeatedly to place plates, glasses, and decorations strains the rotator cuff and small stabilizers around the shoulder blade. These are the same muscles that keep your bow arm steady or help support your picking, drumming or strumming hand(s). Risks for musicians: Shoulder fatigue that destabilizes fine motor control. Wrist extension strain from carrying stacks of plates. Neck tension from forward head posture....
read moreRESTRICTED: No Laundry For Musicians!
Are your lego socks really that dangerous? Laundry is one of those chores we all do on autopilot… until it flares an injury and suddenly makes playing your instrument uncomfortable, weak, or downright painful. Yup. It can happen. As a chiropractor who specializes in working with musicians, I see the same patterns again and again: ordinary movements become injury multipliers when your hands, shoulders, spine, and nervous system are already taxed by hours of practice or performance. This short guide will help you understand where laundry can go wrong—and how to keep your body resilient, steady, and ready to play. 1. The Laundry Basket: Hidden Enemy of the Upper Back & Hands The problem: Carrying heavy baskets (especially away from your body) strains the thoracic spine, neck, wrists, and elbows -common hotspots for guitarists, pianists, drummers, string players, and horn players. Why musicians should care:When you fatigue the postural muscles that support the shoulder girdle, your fine-motor precision decreases. That increases risk for: Tendon irritation in the picking or bowing hand Reduced grip endurance for drummers and bassists Neck tension that alters breath mechanics for wind players Safer option: Hold baskets close to your body. Make more light loads...
read moreFlying and Playing: How Air Travel Can Disrupt The Musician’s Body
Flying and Playing: How Air Travel Can Disrupt a Musician’s Body Dr. Lou Jacobs, Chiropractor – Portland, Maine Whether you are flying to a festival, audition, tour, or vacation, the physical toll of air travel can quietly threaten your performance. Sitting for hours in cramped seats, carrying heavy gear through terminals, and adjusting to pressure changes – all of it can irritate joints, muscles, and nerves critical for playing. For musicians, these travel stressors often compound the very issues you battle in practice: shoulder tension, wrist fatigue, neck strain, low backs strain and reduced circulation. This post will help you connect those dots and travel in ways that keep your body performance-ready when you land. 1. The Airplane Seat Problem The Risk Airline seats are notoriously unsupportive. Long hours of sitting with your spine flexed forward, knees jammed, and neck tilted toward a screen compresses your lower back and tightens your hip flexors. This posture mimics bad playing form – but for hours without movement. Musicians are especially vulnerable because spinal and shoulder alignment directly affect fine motor control, breath capacity, and hand coordination. Safer Technique * Sit with your hips all the way back in the seat and...
read moreDesk Job Musician – Being a Desk Jockey and a Musician – risks – injuries – solutions
The Desk Job Dilemma: How Sitting, Typing, and Stressing Can Ruin Your Music Dr. Lou Jacobs – Portland, Maine Many musicians spend hours at desks between gigs and rehearsals: teaching lessons, composing, mixing tracks, or managing the logistics of a music career. What most don’t realize is that desk work can slowly chip away at the same biomechanics and neurology that power their performance. Poor desk posture, repetitive mousing, and the constant tension of “just one more email” create subtle but significant stress on the neck, shoulders, wrists, and spine. For musicians, these issues compound the very challenges you already face while practicing or performing. Let’s look at how common desk habits can undermine your playing—and how to fix them. 1. The Sitting Trap The Risk Hours of sitting with rounded shoulders and a forward head position shorten the hip flexors, weaken spinal stabilizers, and strain the neck and shoulders. For instrumentalists, this postural collapse mirrors what happens during long rehearsals but with no active movement to offset it. Due to hours, years and decades of desk posture, your arms may become less flexible, your breathing restricted. This VIDEO shows you how your posture impacts your biomechanics. Again,...
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