81-year-old violinist Teiko Maehashi appeared on Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's long-running talk show "Tetsuko's Room" (TV Asahi) broadcast on June 6th. She talked about the surgery she had on her right shoulder last year.
She has been playing the violin since she was four years old. Her right shoulder is "where I create nuances, sounds, and express expression," but last year it hurt and it was difficult to heal. "It hurt. I was able to suppress the pain with injections and perform concerts and recordings, but it got to the point where I couldn't do anything about it, and I thought this was going to be the end of my career as a violinist."
The doctor's diagnosis was a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder. When he explained that his right shoulder is "the most important part of playing the violin," the doctor asked him, "Maebashi-san, until what age do you want to play?" to which he replied, "I want to play until I'm 90." He was told, "It's not something that will heal on its own, so there's no choice but to have surgery," and he underwent surgery. "I was really worried, but thanks to you, I'm fine now," he said with a sigh of relief.
Due to the pain, she had to wear her arm in a sling for several months after the surgery. At first, she felt relieved that she couldn't practice the violin, but she gradually became more and more anxious about whether she would recover and be able to return to playing. When she told her doctor, "I'll do my best in my rehabilitation, so I'll do my best to get back to playing as quickly as possible," she was scolded, saying, "You shouldn't rush." "I didn't want to leave music, so I thought about what I could do, and I listened to a lot of records, not just of famous violinists from the past, but also of players of other instruments," she said.
The cause of the rotator cuff tear was said to be "overuse." She was told to be careful as it could tear again, and during her rehabilitation, she was advised not to lift heavy objects, including knives. "I'm really glad I was able to return. I returned in seven months. I've been performing concerts since February this year," she said with a smile.
