Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Getting numb foot when playing

I am bumping this discussion for the purpose of asking whether anybody else gets numbness in their right foot from pedaling? I have a padded bench with another cushion on top of that, so I'm pretty sure that the numbness is not from the bench itself, especially since it only occurs in my right foot. I am going to guess that it has to do with extending the lower leg and foot to pedal, but I'm curious how common this is. Thanks.

These nerve associated findings can arise from lumbar spine, hip, knee, etc. I would see a qualified professional. Good luck!

My first thought would be shoes... does it happen while barefoot? Second though would be adjusting seat height. If neither of those help you’d have to start thinking about nerve/muscle issues.

My guess is that your stool is too near the piano, or/and you are sitting too far back on the stool.
Ian

I'd think it's to your advantage to see an MD.
You might have "wallet sciatica" which is easily cured by padding, or an air pad on you bench or seat. And, removing any pocket items like keys or wallets.
You should rule out with an MD any spinal problem. -Or anything else.
Spinal/Back problems lend easily to a or "“when sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions”" problem series.

Best to be safe and see a Dr.

That's called piriformis syndrome.

There is a disctinction :- piriformis syndrome is not cured by removal of a wallet or releif temporary external pressure on the sciatic nerve. , Althout the terms popularly are referred to as being the same , they are not truly the same.
Sorry for being petty.

This reminds me of an incident where I was discussing my handle with cousin who is by all social exigencies "doing quite well" and who has a son "per se"accomplished in piano playing .
Although we both have an uncle named Primo, (first in family)[ it nothing to do with this anecdotal story] he went on to tell me that my handle means "soft piano" which it does , but I had just changed the handle from "tempo primo' to 'piano primo' , and I said "no, it means back to the original tempo".-So, he looked at me and said nothing but a "hmmm".
We haven't talked since , hope it didn't offend... I hope we were both right.

And again, sorry for being petty.

I don't like piano benches so I just an adjustable chair like many pianists I like use at home since there at the piano a lot. So with chair I can get comfortable, lean back when not playing, and can easily adjust the height.
Then I have knee problem so I just bought a small little 45 minute hourglass. I use it to remind myself to take a break and walk around a little bit. This help me practice and my knee from getting mad at me.

Also from training I got in music school they recommended practicing 45 minutes and taking a break then go back to practice. This help you control you focusing on the subject at hand. So many people practice hours and hours and don't get much done, that's because there practice drifts in to just noodling around and not focusing on the subject. I found as with many in school discovered we could accomplish more with a hourly break. Also if you only going to practice a short period like 30 minutes having that hourglass help remind you to keep focused you almost done. I got my hourglass on Amazon and there are places that make small hour glasses for any amount of time you want from 5 minutes on up. Plus no batteries, no distracting sounds, just flip it over and glance at it now and then.

If the padding on the bench has become pressed down, it can be redone. Depending on how it made, you might be able to do it yourself.

Hi primo primo, in my neck of the woods they are one and the same and in my professional practice I treat this syndrome. So I had to check based on your input whether or not I had been calling this syndrome by the wrong name all these years and giving bad info to my patients. I used to give simple medical advice on these boards but decided to stop because it's not the appropriate place to do so even if one is just trying to be helpful. Just see your physician is what I say now.

Here's what Rob has to say about piriformis syndrome- ask him.

link

An FYI:, a notable distinction -
PubMed [url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6039217/#][/url]
Last but not the least, piriformis syndrome is primarily or secondarily a disorder of the piriformis muscle and it may affect sciatic nerve in close proximity; whereas, wallet neuritis is an external compressive neuropathy of the sciatic nerve. Prolonged exposure to the heavy wallet may result in altered alignment of the lumbosacral spinal segment, pelvis, and gluteal anatomical structures including deep-seated piriformis muscle with resultant features characteristic for PS.

So, while evaluating walletosis, we must assess whether the adjacent piriformis muscle is involved; and without doing this, it would not be plausible to use ‘piriformis syndrome’ interchangeably with terminology such as ‘walletosis’, ‘credit-carditis’, or ‘wallet neuritis’, etc.



Anyway very briefly , I currently have an extruded disc....pressing on a spinal nerve....surgery ahead....

Age... where is the fountain of youth?

Generally I 've read it is referred to as being the same.
And,What do I know?

I speak too soon....that for sure.