My Passion with Meg Birks: Music keeps me in tune with needs of trained hands

I was encouraged in music by my family. My grandmother played piano and had studied music as part of an MA at Aberdeen University, and there was music of all sorts around the home I grew up in.

I started playing piano around the age of seven and soon after took up the flute. After a while I hankered after a rather more unusual, and exciting, combination of instruments... I gave up piano and persuaded my mother that I really, really did want to play the saxophone.

Playing the flute was something I enjoyed but generally was quite a serious, earnest pursuit with much competition for a place in any orchestra or wind band.

Playing the saxophone was a guaranteed ticket into both orchestra and wind band as I was the only one playing locally. The parts were often more whimsical as the sound of the instrument is quite different and gets utilised by the arrangement in this way.

I studied flute for about nine years and achieved grade six, but moving house as a teenager and then going off to university put playing out of my mind for many years. However, a few years ago I found the opportunity to have lessons again and rediscovered the pleasure of playing just for my own enjoyment rather than for exams.

More recently I have had saxophone lessons again and it is great to find my musicianship improving further. Since moving back to Sheffield a couple of years ago, I've been playing with a family friend; she accompanies me on the piano and we both thoroughly enjoy it. There haven't been any invitations to give a recital yet though.

Playing music requires discipline and attention to detail. Rather like an abstract visual artist needing to master draftsmanship first; even apparently effortless, freeform jazz improvisation has to have a strong root structure to grow from. Surgery is not dissimilar – there are core skills and procedures to learn as one trains.

When I have a musician for a patient I can understand their fears around whether they'll be able to play again. Even where the individual doesn't rely solely on their playing for their livelihood, music is deeply important. It supports a part of that person and helps them be who they want to be or relaxes them and counterbalances the stresses/problems life throws at them.

Everyone's hands are important but a musicians or surgeon's hands are especially so.