Last month we spoke with violinist Wren Canzoneri who had recently started working with physiotherapist Ginette Hamel, who works with musicians. Here’s a follow-up visit!
Wren says that the summer was a good time to get started working on a regimen of healing exercises, and on teaching his muscles new ways to approach work he has done for years. The benefits are obvious to him. He feels as if his pain is 25% less, and his strength and flexibility 25% improved. He’s feeling better and playing better. Wren and Ginette have a pretty clear sense of what the causes have been, included some tears to his rotator cuff which were confirmed by ultrasound. While he feels it will be about six months before he feels “fixed,” he’s keenly aware of the extent to which learning to think like an athlete on an ongoing basis will protect him from further injury and allow him to continue playing for many years.
The biggest challenge right now is not the morning regimen of yoga, nerve gliding exercises, stretching, practicing, stretching and then icing that he has become accustomed to. The challenge is keeping it all up in a regular way, making it fit in as the music season ramps up and his schedule has also to accommodate the demands of his business, TorMusic Entertainment, such as organizing the Concert Party at the Old Mill concert series, and playing with the Hamilton Philharmonic, and the Toronto Philharmonia.
