Gordon is a musician who came to us with constant pain in his hands, which prevented him from teaching and performing. After hand therapy, he has fully resumed his daily activities and his masterful guitar playing with little to no pain. Here’s what he had to say about the experience:
“I was referred to Bothell Pediatric & Hand Therapy by my primary doctor after sharing ongoing symptoms related to tendonitis in my left hand. Prior to therapy I was experiencing ongoing pain in my index and middle finger due to my work as a guitarist/bassist.
These symptoms made performing and teaching music much more difficult to the point that I would not play my guitar/bass unless it was absolutely necessary for work. I often would experience more pain after performing and try to stay off the instruments two days afterwards.
Through my initial evaluation [with a BPHT therapist] it was determined that I had limited strength and range of motion in my left hand intrinsics. Joe, Victor, and Matt provided heat, e-stim, manual therapies and good stretches to begin addressing my symptoms while I was in the middle of my busy performance season.
Victor spent time contacting a music therapist through Julliard to get more info on how I could adapt my music technique. He had me send video of my playing to be analyzed. This was very helpful, and I’ve modified my hand position with help of a brace.
[The BPHT therapists] were very kind, personable, and great listeners. They all were very knowledgeable and patiently explained what was going on with my hand. This feedback and clear patient education was a huge help.
My symptoms and pain have pretty much disappeared, and I am now able to play and teach guitar without pain. I was given excellent direction and planning on how to maintain good hand health upon my discharge. I highly recommend Bothell Pediatric & Hand Therapy to anyone dealing with hand issues.”
– Gordon Tibbits
Learn more about Gordon’s music and his performances with the Bavarian Beer Garden Band at https://gordontibbits.com.
