Years ago I heard a story of a professional violinist that developed RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) where the pain and strain got so bad that the muscles in her arms and shoulders locked up and that some everyday tasks became impossible. For a whole year she couldn’t play at all. For several years she had to undergo extensive therapies in order to slowly start to play the violin again. Even though she eventually overcame her problem, she still needed to maintain certain exercise and stretches in order for her RSI to stay under control and not flare up again.
Obviously there is a difference in posture and overall body positioning between the violin and the piano, but regardless of which instrument you play, you need to make sure that you protect yourself from injury, particularly strain type injuries by making sure you have good technique and posture.
I personally have had RSI in both my wrists at different times. When I was 16 I broke a bone in my left wrist and after it had fully healed, I was unaware that I would play the piano while holding my left wrist in the correct position but with far too much tension, that as a result it eventually caused a lot of pain and discomfort. Then at the age of 23 I fell and this time I didn’t brake anything but rather dislocated two or three bones. Again, after the initial injury had healed, I would hold my right wrist in the correct position but with far too much tension and strain which then caused RSI in my right wrist. I would say that I was in pain with one or other of my wrists for about eight to ten years.
These days, even though I have been pain free for years now, I will make sure that I don’t allow my hands to become stiff and sore. I am conscious of my natural tendencies to hold my wrists too stiffly and I actively take steps to make sure I don’t put myself at further risk of injuring myself. I also prefer to play a piano that only requires a light touch because it is useful in helping keep my wrists and hands in as a relaxed state as possible.
Through my own experiences, I have become quite pedantic in making sure that any student of mine has a correct technique. I’m not the only one. Most music teachers care about correct technique, not just because that’s the way that it’s done but to help you protect yourself from pain and injury.
So if you are returning to playing the piano after a hiatus of many years. Make sure that you are not sitting on angle but squarely facing the piano. Your feet should be comfortably on the floor, shoulder width apart. You also need to check that you are sitting at a comfortable distance from the keyboard. For me, I need to sit further back then the average person because I am taller than the average person. Please make sure you are not hunching your shoulders all the time. Sometimes it is natural to get into this position, but don’t stay in this position. Make sure that your shoulders and forearms are relaxed and that there is no stiffness in your fingers and hands. Only minimal stiffness in your wrists is required to keep your hands above the keys and not resting on the keyslip. Fingers should be gently curled and only fully straightened when trying to stretch to reach a note or notes.
So getting back to the original question of: Can poor technique cause paralysis and pain, the answer is definitely yes when it comes to causing pain and maybe not when it comes to paralysis. However, I would answer the question with another question – Do you really want to find out for yourself?