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The Day My Hand Stopped Playing: Treating musician's dystonia: Aurélien's story" Published on June 1, 2022
"The Musician, high-level Athlete"
From warming up to dealing with stress before a competition, Coralie Cousin, physiotherapist for musicians and specialist in musicians'health issues such as pain and tendinitis, tells you everything in her book « The Musician a high-level Athlete ». Aimed at musicians experiencing pain due to extensive practice of their instrument, this book contains thorough advice with illustrations so that readers feel confident about putting the suggestions into practice.
Coralie Cousin
A graduate in physiotherapy, Coralie Cousin has been a specialist in the retraining of musicians' hands for twenty years.
She has opened her own « Musicians Clinic » in the 13th district of Paris in France. She has treated over 6 000 musicians and is the official therapist for musicans at the renowned École Normale de Musique de Paris Alfred Cortot as well as for the National Orchestra d'Ile-de-France.
Through numerous articles, conferences and interviews on radio and television, she offers help to prevent musculoskeletal disorders. Thanks to her work, musicians find back the joy of playing without suffering
Books
"The musician, High-Level Athlete"
Book Presentation
Both professional and amateur musicians can benefit from this book, which aims to prevent and to heal injuries caused by intensive practice. Such pain, if not addressed, can become an obstacle to artistic expression. A specialized physiotherapist, the author describes and illustrates the correct positions for the major categories of instruments (brass, woodwinds, strings and percussion). Through numerous examples from her practice, she reveals knowledge gained over years of working with a variety of musicians. A self-help tool for musicians, the book is full of practical advice: how to warm up, how to organize practice time, how to recognize signs of exhaustion, etc. It empowers musicians and helps them to regain self-confidence.
"The Day My Hand Stopped Playing: Treating musician's dystonia: Aurélien's story"
Book presentation
What is musician's dystonia?
How does it come about?
Can you recover?
How can it be treated?
Inspired by the story of one of her patients, Coralie Cousin, physiotherapist to high-level musicians for over 25 years writes and illustrates the journey of a professional pianist from diagnosis to recovery from focal dystonia - a devastating but preventable neurological disorder which has ended or debilitated many a musical career.
One day, painlessly, Aurélien loses control of the fingers of one of his hands at the piano. With the help of a team of therapists, he embarks on a physical and psychological rehabilitation to regain mastery of his hand.
In describing this musician's difficulties and discoveries, Coralie Cousin sheds light on a little-known condition and shares the simple but transformative principles and practices that lead to healing and healthy instrumental practice in the long term. Based in Paris, France, she is the official physical therapist for the prestigious Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris and the Orchestre National d'Île de France. She has helped over 6,000 musicians to maximise their practice, increase quality of movement, restore physical balance and regain self-confidence.