violin playing causes hypertension?
Has anyone found a connection between violin playing and hypertension? I am not referring to stage fright but rather hypertension caused by playing itself. I have had moderate to severe hypertension for many years but have noticed that my own blood pressure readings taken early morning are significantly higher on average on days after practicing for between 1 and 3 hours and days of no practice. Despite many good teachers - I also teach myself- and using a deeper shoulder rest, I often experience pain in the back of the right shoulder area and a feeling of tension in the head. I feel that the muscles in the right shoulder area become "knotted up" from playing possibly restricting blood flow to the head. If I stop playing for several days this feeling of tension goes and my blood pressure reduces. Averaged over say 40 days the blood pressure typically was around 164/105 compared to 158/98 on the days after no violin practice. This has been the pattern for many years. If, however, I measure the blood pressure (after relaxing for a few minutes) following 1 hour of practice, there is no change. If I practice the piano for up to 5 hours a day there is no detectable change in blood pressure the next day. I have been taking medication for many years. Yoga seems to be of little benefit but professional massage of the back shoulder muscles brought about an immediate reduction in blood pressure but this was only temporary. Dr Mark Jeffares
Replies (12)
Interesting observation. I am inclined to think that playing the violin would decrease blood pressure, at least temporarily, since the violin presses against the carotid sinus. Carotid sinuses have baroreceptors on them--that is, receptors that detect changes in pressure. When pressure is applied to them, it induces a decrease in blood pressure temporarily until the pressure stimulus is removed.
mark, your baseline diastolic is way too high for me to find this discussion interesting. please take care of yourself.
I'm sure it increases blood pressure temporarily the same way that exercise does. When I'm practicing daily and having many rehearsals, lessons, etc. on top of that for a long time I find that listening to music causes my blood pressure to rise. Especially the veins in my arms and hands pop out a little, but every part of my body starts getting a little warmed up...
Then I realize that I'm just like those dogs that salivate at the sound of a bell if you ring a bell every time they're fed and take a day off -__-
Greetings,
I hate to say it but it soudns like Alexander Technique would be useful.
Cheers,
Buri
As a sufferer from 'borderline' hypertension, and violinist who practices frequently but irregularly, I have not noticed any correlation, and I keep quite detailed records.
Incidentally, for all the sufferers and doctors out there, I find consistently that when I am in regular exercise (say running 2 to 4 miles on 4or 5 days per week), my blood pressure reduces significantly, to normal levels.....
Ah, but don't the benefits to one's soul far superceed any minimal blip in the old BP?
Averaged over say 40 days the blood pressure typically was around 164/105 compared to 158/98 on the days after no violin practice. This has been the pattern for many years.
Mark, following the line of thought expressed by Al regarding your baseline diastolic blood pressure, let me add that both your systolic and diastolic values seem to be way too high. Not knowing your age, weight , eating habits (salt intake? fried potatoes often?), lifestyle and working conditions, your housearzt should know best, but lets assume you are 50 to 60ys. the bp should be around 130/70 to 140/80, so taking good care may include in your case consulting your doctor plus a cardiologian for sonographic diagnosis!
Good health to you,
Hansjürgen
Yikes! You seem to be worried about the wrong problem. Your BP is way too high. Are those readings with your medication? If they are, you need to get to a doctor (maybe a new one) and get some more help to get you back to normal. The differences in differences between your BP when you practice violin and when you don't are trivial compared to your underlying problem.
one of the biggest turnoffs on v.com is that during exchanges some folks just disappear from the thread, leaving no kisses and hugs behind. with me, often it is because i have knowingly or unknowingly pissed people off :), but at times, i hesitate to get involved in situations where the undesired outcome is that we discuss till we drop.
interesting that buri brought up AT again. with the way things are developing, at least in the usa, it would seem that conventional medicine will be provided in a more limited way across the board, encouraging folks to pay more attention to health maintenance and possibly seeking out more affordable alternatives.
although we can discuss and argue how violin playing affects blood pressure, this case has pretty clear cut documentation, along with the concerning issue of extremely poorly controlled baseline bp. to put it bluntly, we are talking about high likelihood of having a stroke any second, among other non pretty events. stop the insanity.
long term benefits of exercises in the management of hypertension has been well established. due to adrenergic responses, blood pressure will fluctuate with the onset of exercises normally, with high and low moments. however, when someone has refractory hypertension despite "treatment", whatever that is, it is senseless and dangerous to even discuss the topic of interest.
ps. i have seen how some students (including my kid) play for their teachers. you've got to be saints not to develop hypertension from all that aggrevation and stress:)
Talking of effects of violin playing on you bodily functions:
Has ANYONE ever heard of plaque build up in the part of the left inner carotid just at the
spot that the violin or viola exert some "squeeze" under the chin. I - healthy, low cholesterol,
best functioning body, right weight, exercising, non-smoker - have a big build-up of plaque
ONLY in that spot. What to do and what not? Barbara.
I think you should ask a doctor! Are you talking about when a lump of fat blocks the carotides? If it it the case, RUN to a doc and get these unblocked! My grandfather had this... it could make dammage to your brain.
Anne-Marie
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March 2, 2009 at 08:35 PM ·
In spite of what you're perceiving to be a pattern, it seems far-fetched. As doctor myself, I would think that any change in BP from playing the violin would reverse within a few minutes after stopping the activity. The question is, how accurate are your measurements? Is the difference enough to be significant? The two readings you gave don't seem to be a huge change. If you said the difference was something like 110/70 changing to 150/98, then I'd be more convinced.
ps. I didn't say what kind of doctor I was........