THE BOOK

THE BOOK THAT STARTED A MOVEMENT:

What the critics say:

“ ... a sensitive subject for musicians. It can mean the end of a career.” -Keith Emerson, Emerson, Lake and Palmer

“... should be required reading, especially for Congress.”
—Jonathan Bailin, Ph.D., Sports Medicine & Ergonomics

“... it is imperative to read and follow Jill Gambaro’s amazing advice. —Francine R. Kaufman, chief medical officer and vice president, Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles

    On March 11, 2016, Keith Emerson took his own life. In subsequent reports, it was revealed that Emerson had been a long-time sufferer of repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) as a result of playing. Two years earlier, Jill Gambaro, author of The Truth About Carpal Tunnel Syndrome approached Emerson to write a blurb for her book. Emerson sent a long, very personal note describing musicians who commit suicide over their injuries. His note proved haunting and inspired this film. Interviews with the people who knew him (his girlfriend Mari Kawaguchi and musicians who played with him) reveal he received multiple seemingly contradictory diagnoses, a variety of treatments that didn't help, and a disappointing surgical procedure, until they didn’t know where else to turn. Depression set in, complicated by lifestyle stressors common to many performers. 

 

    Considered a plague in the 1990s, carpal tunnel syndrome and other RSIs were known then as computer injuries, but they've been the bane of musicians for at least a century. Such luminaries as Rachmaninoff and Schumann suffered from the RSI Focal Dystonia. More recently Phil Collins and Leon Fleischer both have been significantly sidelined by RSIs. There are more than 100 different syndromes classified under the heading of repetitive strain, making them very hard to study. Researchers are making progress, but the specialized medicine in our healthcare system means few of that information reaches practitioners on the clinical level. The results: just like Emerson experienced, many receive the runaround with little relief. It seems to affect jazz, metal, and classical musicians the most. Singers are also affected.