Miyot

I practiced about 3 hrs. last monday. Felt great. Tues. did about 2 hrs. Another good practice. Wed. I could tell I had some lip swelling. Had a 2.5 hr. band practice that evening. Not a bad practice, but my range suffered a little and my sound was a little strained. Thurs. I really could tell I was off. I did a short 45 min session and then iced my lips. The swelling went down. Friday another 2 hr. practice, good but a little fatigued. I iced again. I am taking Sat. off. I practice hard, and this lip swelling is not real bad, but does affect me. Is it safe to ice? I'm playing perhaps 12-15 hrs per week, and would like to do more. I guess my real question is. Is it safe to use ice to speed recovery. Should I push harder to toughen up, or back off a little for better recovery. I tried a warm down after my sessions. I don't know if it helped much. Perhaps a little. But the ice does work. Does anyone else ice after hard sessions, and will you become dependant on it for recovery.

rowuk

Miyot,
congrats on finding the serious amount of time!
I ice too when wasted (one of the few things at McDonalds that are good for you).
There is generally little requirement to waste yourself when practicing though. Herbert Clarke advocated practicing a lot SOFTLY. I find I have much more endurance when I avoid the limits. When I have a hard playing schedule, I take it easy between gigs.

I think you will only get dependent on it if you make a habit out of wasting your chops.

__________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

ecarroll

TMers,

Maurice Andre once told me that he used to take one (1) aspirin a day just before bedtime. Good for swelling and, probably, for the heart as well.

Pax,
EC

omelet

i think the RICE acronym applies to this:
rest
ice
compression
elevation (can't get much higher than your head...)

Vulgano Brother

The boys in Bamberg take three aspirin and a liter of beer. (Maybe one aspirin for the chops and two for the beer?)

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www.letsbuildhope.org

Miyot

I had been doing my range work on the soft side, but on scales I had been letting go on those crescendos for a big bright sound at the top. I'll back off there. I'm always affraid I'm not doing enough. I do generally practice on the loud side. I have a hard time stopping now, even when fatigued. I just feel I have so much to cover. I have been doing a play along Gordon Goodwin CD and have been reaching for all the notes. I usually save this part till the end of my session, and end up spent. But it's the real fun part. I am working in the Clarke tech book, and was playing the chromatics soft. I will soften up some on the rest . Thanks for the advice. And perhaps I will try that beer stuff.

kadleck

Everyone is different, but I stay away from ice. I go for the hot compress usually. A friend told me to try epsom salt, but I've not tried it.

TK

rowuk

Tony,
NEVER a cold beer (or coke) after a hard gig? A cold glass of something feels SOOOOO GOOD!

__________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

Billy B

I am with Tony on this. Ice restricts blood flow, heat increases. A sports injury requires ice to reduce swelling followed by heat to increase blood flow and healing. Lip swelling is not an injury and does not require ice. I sometimes use a vibrator until the lips/face begin to tingle as a sign the blood is really moving. This gets things going sooner, but the same thing happens when I just slow down and play normally. Thinking too much about how it feels can get us in a lot of trouble.

prosperhsbandnerd

i have had the SAME problem in the past....im in High School..im a junior...and i have played trumpet all untill up to this marching season...i am playing mellophone...marching french horn....since i still have to practice 2 horns....that means double what i am used to....so yea..ice will ALWAYS help this!