Common Medical Problems of Instrumental Athletes

Abstract

The fields of sports medicine and performing arts medicine have begun recent initiatives to collaborate more closely and to share information pertinent to the treatment of athletes and performing artists. This article provides a review of the common musculoskeletal and neurological problems encountered among performing artists who play instruments. Approaches to history, examination, diagnosis, and treatment are offered, based on literature reviews, expert opinion, and the authors' own experiences in a musician's clinic. Treatments focus on conservative management within a multidisciplinary framework, and indications are given for appropriate surgical referral. Providers are encouraged to build an understanding of the unique issues affecting instrumental athletes.

The usefulness of on-site physical therapy-led triage services for professional orchestral musicians – a national cohort study

“…It has long been recognised that the long hours of daily training and complex neuromuscular skills involved in playing an instrument at a professional level are comparable to training and performance demands of elite athletes [9,10]. A striking contrast between the two groups is the far greater prevalence of low-load overuse injuries in musicians, unlike the high-velocity or high-impact injuries in athletes, however both groups are prone to overuse injuries with specific postural and muscle imbalances related to their task demands [11-14]. These highly sophisticated training and performance challenges may lead to dysfunctions or secondary injury pathologies emerging as a result, including inefficient compensatory movement patterns, joint hyper or hypo-mobility and nerve entrapments [6,15,16].…”

Successful treatment of a guitarist with a finger joint injury using instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization: a case report

“…5 Unlike sports injuries that usually involve high impact in this region, most instrumentalist's conditions involve repetitive movements of the wrist and hand. 42 The demand for peak performance is felt to contribute to the cumulative micro-trauma associated with overuse or repetitive stress injuries (RSI) in the performing arts. 43 Histopathological assessment of surgical samples from patients with UE RSI related to overuse, such as tendinopathies, have found the co-existence of degenerative connective tissue changes and inflammation, resulting in a failed healing response.…”

Μυοσκελετικές Διαταραχές Σε Επαγγελματίες Μουσικούς

“…Τα συμπτώματα μπορεί να περιλαμβάνουν πόνο, σφίξιμο, ένταση, αδυναμία, κόπωση, αίσθημα καύσου, κράμπες, οίδημα ή περιορισμένη επιδεξιότητα, καθώς και μούδιασμα, μυρμήγκιασμα ή προβλήματα κινητικού ελέγχου (Schaefer & Speier, 2012;Hohls, 2010;Rardin, 2007 (Rardin, 2007).…”

“…Συνήθως χαρακτηρίζεται από έλλειψη πόνου, ο οποίος όμως μπορεί να παρατηρηθεί μόνον περιπτωσιακά ως σύμπτωμα, το οποίο συνήθως αποδίδεται στην προσπάθεια να υπερνικηθούν οι δυστονικές κινήσεις (Lederman, 2003). Πρόκειται για μια διαταραχή που εμφανίζεται αρκετά σπάνια (μόνο στο 1% των μουσικών), η οποία όμως συχνά οδηγεί στον τερματισμό της καριέρας του μουσικού (Viinalass, 2016;Schaefer & Speier, 2012;Aránguiz, Chana-Cuevas, Alburquerque & León, 2011).…”

“…Συγκεκριμένα, η μακροχρόνια αδιάκοπη και επίπονη εξάσκηση των επαγγελματιών μουσικών μπορεί να συγκριθεί με τη σκληρή προπόνηση των αθλητών υψηλών επιδόσεων (Dick et al, 2013;Kuo, 2012). Η εξάσκηση αυτή τόσο στην μουσική όσο και στον αθλητισμό ξεκινά από πολύ μικρή ηλικία (Dick et al, 2013;Gasenzer & Parncutt, 2006 (Schaefer & Speier, 2012;Φωτιάδης & Φωτιάδου, 2012;Mencimer, 2003;Brandfonbrener 2003;Paull & Harrison, 1997).…”