Help for voilinist who has lost the use of her arm due to nerve damage

[jimmy Grinter]

Hi. A friend who plays violin in our group has suffered some sort of nerve damage in her arm and cannot lift her arm or move it, but she has full movement in her hand and fingers.            Ideally , she need some sort of support to hold her arm in the correct playing position to play her violin. Her bow arm works fine. Does anyone have any suggestions for what she can use to support her arm please. Many thanks Jimmy Grinter

[carl1961]

2 hours ago, jimmy Grinter said:

Hi. A friend who plays violin in our group has suffered some sort of nerve damage in her arm and cannot lift her arm or move it, but she has full movement in her hand and fingers.            Ideally , she need some sort of support to hold her arm in the correct playing position to play her violin. Her bow arm works fine. Does anyone have any suggestions for what she can use to support her arm please. Many thanks Jimmy Grinter

My wife, she does not play the violin, had something similar, (rotor cup damage),she could not raise her arm past  her shoulder . Your friend need a rope hung on a hook -or pulley,  like over a door area, or from the ceiling where your friend can stand up. and use that rope with  good arm to exercise her bad arm. My wife has completely recovered, she  had to retrain her muscles. something like this.  https://www.amazon.com/Vive-Shoulder-Pulley-Rehabilitation-Strengthener/dp/B071149H43/ref=asc_df_B071149H43?

[Aston4]

.

[Aston4]

On 4/3/2024 at 2:33 AM, jimmy Grinter said:

Hi. A friend who plays violin in our group has suffered some sort of nerve damage in her arm and cannot lift her arm or move it, but she has full movement in her hand and fingers.            Ideally , she need some sort of support to hold her arm in the correct playing position to play her violin. Her bow arm works fine. Does anyone have any suggestions for what she can use to support her arm please. Many thanks Jimmy Grinter

Learn to play baroque style.  Violin against chest and/or along arm, scroll pointing to floor.  Can tie a ribbon to tailpiece and then pin ribbon to shirt if helpful.  Remove chinrest and shoulder rest to lighten instrument.  

[Andrew Victor]

There are counties where people play the violin in "cello" or lyra position - check it out (Crete, for example)

Alternatively learning to play cello might be worthwhile, I played cello with my father's string quartet 10 days after he brought the cello home for me to do that. My cello lessons started a month later. Having played violin for 10 years made it pretty straightforward. But it did take my first cello lesson to get me fingering and bowing correctly.

After a neck injury in my mid-50s incapacitated my left hand I was unable to play violin for a year but I could stumble along on my cello, but without vibrato.

[keyboardclass]

I play Baroque music 'da braccio' or a little higher.  It's fine for 1st to 3rd position but a bit of a problem going into much higher ones.

[Stephen Fine]

My friend Lisa is a very creative thinker about anything related to movement, impairment, and violin playing.

If your friend wants professional help along these lines, I suggest contacting Lisa Burrell:

https://lisaburrellviolin.com

I've seen professional players with injuries use large rubber bands in various arrangements.  I've played in a brace before.  But I just about guarantee that your friend would enjoy and benefit from a consultation with Lisa.

[Victor Roman]

On 4/3/2024 at 10:33 AM, jimmy Grinter said:

Hi. A friend who plays violin in our group has suffered some sort of nerve damage in her arm and cannot lift her arm or move it, but she has full movement in her hand and fingers.            Ideally , she need some sort of support to hold her arm in the correct playing position to play her violin. Her bow arm works fine. Does anyone have any suggestions for what she can use to support her arm please. Many thanks Jimmy Grinter

Might be best to discuss this with a competent surgeon. If a NERVE was damaged, further movement might exacerbate the issues. I have witnessed this sort of a problem in orchestra players and in general, the outcomes were not great. Talk to a real specialist. 

[Jangle1122]

On 4/3/2024 at 3:33 AM, jimmy Grinter said:

Hi. A friend who plays violin in our group has suffered some sort of nerve damage in her arm and cannot lift her arm or move it, but she has full movement in her hand and fingers.            Ideally , she need some sort of support to hold her arm in the correct playing position to play her violin. Her bow arm works fine. Does anyone have any suggestions for what she can use to support her arm please. Many thanks Jimmy Grinter

If her injuries are permanent, she could benefit from finding an occupational therapist.  It's a specialty that focuses on finding ways to adapt ordinary tasks for people with physical injuries or limitations.   She might be working with an OT already, but I'm sure there are OTs out there who sub-specialize in playing musical instruments.   Worth a google.  

I had non-permanent physical issues 20 years ago that basically kept me from playing at all.  There are a lot more adaptive tools out there now than there were 20 years ago.  An OT is a good resource for finding such things, and learning to use them.

Best wishes to your friend.