Pain in the arse ....

[losthobos]

Silly question but i seem to be developing a pain in my inner groin and outer piriformis... I'd initially put down to either dancing or skateboarding but further observation and elimination suggestsvit may be from sitting playing the accordion... Happens on left leg that bears weight of box
Any one else had similar sensations... (not unknown for me to play 2 or 3 hours at a time with odd drink break)
Trying lower piano stool this week to see if alters
Thanks

 

[Dingo40]

Losthobos,
My sympathies. It can be excruciating.?
Does this sound like it??:

Alleviating Piriformis Syndrome: Simple Exercises for Relief - Facty Health

Piriformis is a muscle in your buttocks with an unusual shape like a pear. It extends from the bottom of your spine to the top of your thigh. The sciatic nerve is the biggest single nerve in the human body. It serves a vital role in connecting the spinal cord with the leg and foot muscles.

facty.com

 

[jozz]

Sensations in the groin area are not uncommon when playing the accordion.

Didn't they warn you about that when you chose this instrument

 

[debra]

The accordion needs to be vertical and the top of the leg supporting it must be horizontal so the weight of the accordion is spread over the largest possible area on your leg. Most people let the accordion lean backwards a bit and/or have their leg going down a bit towards the knee and then the weight is all on a corner of the accordion which will hurt your leg over time. Another potential problem is a bellow strap. Some models (the ones with a fixed bracket and then a hinged leather strap) will bite into your leg causing a visible bruise.

 

[losthobos]

The accordion needs to be vertical and the top of the leg supporting it must be horizontal so the weight of the accordion is spread over the largest possible area on your leg. Most people let the accordion lean backwards a bit and/or have their leg going down a bit towards the knee and then the weight is all on a corner of the accordion which will hurt your leg over time. Another potential problem is a bellow strap. Some models (the ones with a fixed bracket and then a hinged leather strap) will bite into your leg causing a visible bruise.

No bellows sraps.... Ha... I used to think the French were just casual not having them...now you've taught me why not..
Chair perhaps a little too high, box tilted slightly forward..... Though pain not apparent when playing but occurs when i get up later and try and move fast....
Piano stool ive just bought is a little lower so will try rest of week and post update

 

[debra]

No bellows sraps.... Ha... I used to think the French were just casual not having them...now you've taught me why not..
Chair perhaps a little too high, box tilted slightly forward..... Though pain not apparent when playing but occurs when i get up later and try and move fast....
Piano stool ive just bought is a little lower so will try rest of week and post update

The French style accordions, just like Russian bayans, implies that in the playing position the whole bottom of the accordion is completely flat. This implies that you can put down the accordion in that orientation (not on its feet) and where will be no wobble. It is perfectly stable. The designers were not thinking about pain or injury, only about stability. And if you want a bellow strap to prevent the bellows from slowly opening by itself (under gravity) you can just place a bellow strap at the top and not the bottom.

 

[JIM D.]

This might help ---

Accordion/Body Position - Wikibooks, open books for an open world

en.wikibooks.org

 

[JerryPH]

When I sit for long periods of time, I start to get that feeling while sitting at work and a lot of it is due to the fact that I sit with my knees far apart. To get rid of that feeling, I do about 10 minutes of gentle exercising... walking, doing the splits a bit and rotating the hips. Pain usually is gone a few minutes after the exercises.

 

[losthobos]

Just thought I'd mention after two weeks of using a slightly lower piano stool rather than my usual chair all memory of pain has gone.....really relieved more than just happy... Funny such a little difference in height can have such a dramatic effect...

 

[NigelB]

Glad it helped! I can’t sit on anything higher than a standard dining chair before feeling discomfort playing, even though I have long legs.

 

[debra]

Just thought I'd mention after two weeks of using a slightly lower piano stool rather than my usual chair all memory of pain has gone.....really relieved more than just happy... Funny such a little difference in height can have such a dramatic effect...

Glad this worked. If you do prefer the original chair height then placing something under your left foot should work just as well as using a lower chair. When I play the small Bugari 540/ARS/C I place a block of wood (about 3 inches in height) under my left foot. And when I play somewhere and the chairs are too low, I add a pillow for extra height. (I keep 2 pillows from Ikea in the car at all times, just for this purpose.)

 

[GeorgeH76]

I noticed I had a dent in my left leg muscle just above the knee. I thought it had to do with some medicine I take that could cause muscle wasting. But after reading several articles about people with muscle dents it finally hit me that that's were the keyboard of my 34 lb Colombo accordion sits. I told my Doctor about this and he told me to find a new position and do some squats to rebuild the muscle. I usually play seated only about one-half to one hour a day. I have tried to re-position and/or put a folded towel on my leg. I think it will take a while for the muscle to fill in.

 

[Dingo40]

Oh dear!?

 

[Glenn]

I would imagine a muscle dent would add a bit of stability to the accordion and ensure you are always playing in a reproducible position. Pity it is not medically advised ??‍