Musical instruments and post-op recovery

Apologies if this seems like a strange question, but is there any reason not to play an instrument, a violin say, during the post-op recovery period?

I asked a lot of questions at my recent post-op visit but forgot to ask this one.

I am concerned that I may not have healed as fast as I thought, due to extended activity restrictions, so I want to be really careful...

Another person on this site told us about Belleruth Naperstek and music for surgery, recovery, menopause, guided imagery, general wellness, etc. . I purchased some and downloaded them prior to surgery and I LOVE THEM. I listen to them whenever I lie down and focus on healing with visualization. Sometimes I have insomnia and it is great to use. I always feel relaxed and like I am doing something to improve. I downloaded them onto my Ipod and listened to them in the hospital and the noise and people did not disturb me. I believe in the power of music. You are right to be very careful and heal. One of the tips was to breathe in and think "Heal" and breathe out and think "clear". I hope this helps.

Tonya10

Tonya10 - thanks for your response; I will look for the Naperstek music.
But, I was also wondering if it would be o.k. to play instruments ourselves (as a hobby) during the post-op period. I have a violin, it's not heavy, but I was wondering about the position needed to play it - hoisting it up on the shoulder, and etc.

(I will try the 'heal' 'clear' exercise too, so thanks for the tip!)

hi bwonk - i play classical piano, but haven't played yet, i hardly have any energy
i'm actually planning to take fiddle lessons soon!
for piano - i know that my back would ache badly if i played now, since i use my back and shoulder muscles as much as, if not more, than my arm muscles to play...i'm not sure if i use my stomach muscles much?

anyway, i don't know what your activity restrictions are, but you could give it a try...just stop if you feel any discomfort! also, maybe you could play like i see some fiddlers play, just holding the violin loosely and not under the chin

i was trained in a "no pain, no gain" philosophy, and I've paid for that over the years with chronic tendonitis in my right hand...it's so hard for me to stop when I feel pain since I have this deeply ingrained message that being in pain means I'm doing good work
so i'm avoiding piano for a while because I know I'll be bad and play for too long!!!!

Voo, you sound much more disciplined than I!

I have been playing my violin on and off again, not too much, but the last time my back muscles tired more quickly than usual. I wouldn't worry about it except that my recovery period was just extended for 3 more weeks so I have been trying to figure out if there are things I was doing that I should not have been doing during the first 4 weeks!

Fiddle lessons sound great! I think you will really enjoy them...

Hi ladies

I think that I would be careful playing any musical instrument during the first 6 weeks. I taught instrumental music in the public school system and know first hand that we tend to use muscles that we may not even think about.

While there is a difference between wind instruments and string instruments, there is still a level of passion that exists as we play.

Enjoy your violin and be careful!!!

During a workshop on laughter and humor, the speaker told us that if we would watch a humorous show or read a book that made us laugh, it would help the healing process. Laughter is great medicine. Maybe instead of playing musical instruments you could read a good book that would make you laugh, watch a comedy, etc to improve your health and heal quicker.