Beyond prevention: Addressing the needs of tertiary music students with a playing-related injury (original) (raw)
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International Journal of Music Education
Injury risks associated with musical performance continue to be a serious problem for professional and student musicians. Much research has focused on the incidence and severity of these problems yet less information is available on the potential influence of health awareness and attitudes to injuries in these populations. This study aimed to investigate health awareness and attitudes to injury amongst Australian music students. Using a qualitative case study methodology, in-depth semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 11 student cellists. Further interviews were undertaken with 10 orchestral cellists and five orchestral management staff as a means of triangulating student data. All data were analysed using a “themes-based” analysis of narrative approach. Findings indicated that in comparison to professional cellists students demonstrated poor health awareness and behaviours such as playing through pain and inaction in response to injury. Analysis of the combined interview ...
An Occupational Study of Physical Playing-related Injuries in College Music Students
Medical Problems of Performing Artists, 2000
Several studies have been conducted on the playingrelated physical injuries of college music students. In this study, a client-centered, occupation-based survey was administered to music majors at a large midwestern university. The primary objectives of the study were to examine which health professionals were consulted by this population, and to determine student satisfaction with any treatment they might have received. Secondary objectives included evaluating students' perceptions of the need for professionals with specialized knowledge of music and musicians, and examining the lifetime prevalence of playing-related injuries in this population. The survey response rate was 92.3% (108/117). Ninetythree respondents (87.7%) of 106 indicated that they had experienced playing-related injuries at some time in their lives. Forty-four percent of students who reported playing-related injuries had consulted health professionals (41/93), while only 24.7% had sought treatment from health professionals. Of the 93 students who reported a playing-related injury, 41.9% (39) had consulted either an occupational therapist, a physical therapist, or an athletic trainer, compared with 58.1% who had consulted other health care professionals listed in the questionnaire. 86.9% of the students were satisfied with the treatment they received, and those who felt better immediately after treatment were also more likely to feel better at the time of the study. The majority of the respondents (79%) felt that musical knowledge was important in health professionals who might treat their injuries. Occupational therapy, an allied health profession that has a holistic and client-centered treatment philosophy, is discussed in relation to the treatment of injuries in this population. Med Probl Perform Art 15:86-90, 2000.
Why Music Majors Pursue Music Despite the Risk of Playing-related Injuries
Medical Problems of Performing Artists, 2007
Music is an occupation that has existed across cultures and societies for millennia. What music means and how it is used differ depending on the context of an individual's life. University music majors often pursue music as a future career goal, despite the fact that playing-related injuries are a significant risk for this population and could end their careers. The purpose of this study was to investigate why university music majors pursue music despite the risk of playing-related injuries. This qualitative study used a naturalistic approach and focus groups to collect data. Nine students participated in two focus group sessions. The data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed for themes. The results of the study indicate that both personal and environmental factors influence the participants' decision to continue to participate in music. Some students also were willing to play through pain, which is contrary to Maslow's theory of human needs, and many students experienced difficulties accessing desirable health care. Although an injury could terminate a student's ability to participate in music, the occupation of music itself transcended this danger. For several musicians, quitting was not a desirable option. These findings have clinical implications for health care workers with respect to modifying treatment to address musicians' specialized needs. Occupational therapists use a holistic and client-centered approach to care and offer interventions such as compensatory techniques, assistive devices, and methods of energy conservation that may facilitate continuing with this valued occupation.
The Reality of Injuries in a Musician's Career
American Music Teacher, 2017
Injuries in musicians are more frequent than previously thought. Numbers published in multiple studies related to the musician’s health shows that the incidence of injuries can be as high as 93%. Aggravating the situation, injured musicians tend to neglect professional help and decline the necessary recovery measures. Rest is one of the most recommended measures in the treatment of injuries. This leads musicians to ignore treatment citing financial strains, fear of losing a job and the necessity to keep practicing. Analyzed data on incidence, treatment and consequence of injuries in musicians lead to the conclusion that the best way to preserve their skills is through prevention methods.
Survivors on the edge: The lived-experience of professional musicians with playing-related injuries
2010
The purpose of this study was to understand the lived-experience of professional instrumental musicians who have experienced playing-related injuries. This study used a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology developed to examine this lived-experience. Indepth interviews were conducted with ten professional musicians. This was followed by a focus group where preliminary findings were presented to participants and their feedback was sought. Other sources of lived-experience included participant-observation by the researcher, who is a musician and has experienced injuries; and biographic and artistic representations of musical performance and its loss, including literature, films and television. The findings were summarized in a visual representation unique to this study. The representation illustrates three roles-musician, worker and teacher-that are participated in, and disrupted by, the experience of being injured. In addition, the experience of a playingrelated injury takes place within the context of a healthcare system which was perceived as insufficient to meet their needs. Specialized care was rarely available, and if available, was not local or timely; treatment operated on a fee-for-service model when many musicians had meagre incomes and lacked coverage for these services; and treatment provided often failed to allow musicians to continue to perform at the level they had previously achieved. Finally, the representation illustrated four existentials-lived time, space, body and social relationsthat permeated the experience. This study suggests that improvements to healthcare delivery and education of musicians, music teachers and healthcare professionals are needed. It also suggests that occupation and the experience of flow can be detrimental to health, and this impact needs to be considered in future research and in clinical applications.
Medical Problems of Performing Artists, 2011
The purpose of this study was to understand the lived experience of professional instrumental musicians who have experienced playing-related injuries. The study used a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology developed to examine this lived experience. In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 professional musicians, followed by a focus group where preliminary findings were presented to participants and their feedback was sought. Other sources of lived experience included participant-observation by the researcher, who is a musician and has experienced injuries, and biographic and artistic representations of musical performance and its loss, including literature, films, and television. The findings were summarized in a visual representation unique to this study. The representation illustrates three roles--musician, worker, and teacher--that are participated in, and disrupted by, the experience of being injured. In addition, the experience of a playing-related injury takes place with...
Medical problems of performing artists, 2014
Workplace rehabilitation in the orchestral setting poses a number of challenges that arise in part due to a poor fit between generic injury insurance and medical care and the elite performance requirements of professional musicians. Currently, the orchestral profession lacks information and strategies to best deal with the unique challenges of this complex rehabilitation environment. In order to inform future directions for research and suggest possible changes of practice, the researchers conducted a qualitative case-study aimed at understanding the injury and rehabilitation experiences of professional musicians. In-depth semi-structured interviews were undertaken with three chronically injured professional cellists from a single Australian orchestra. After initial data analysis, further interviews were undertaken with a set of five orchestral management staff as a means of data triangulation. All data were analysed using a themes-based analysis-of-narrative approach. The findings ...
Injury Incidence and Severity in Musical Theatre Dance Students: 5-year Prospective Study
International Journal of Sports Medicine
Dance injury research has mainly focused on ballet and modern dance with little data on musical theatre dancers. The purpose was to assess the incidence and severity of injuries in a musical theatre dance college over a 5-year period; 198 pre-professional musical theatre dancers (3 cohorts on a 3-year training course) volunteered for the study; 21 students left the course over the study period. Injury aetiology data were collected by an in-house physiotherapy team. Differences between academic year and sex were analysed using a Poisson distribution model; significant difference was set at p≤0.05. In total, 913 injuries were recorded, and more injuries occurred in academic year 1 than year 2 and 3. Overall injury incidence was 1.46 injuries per 1000 hours (95% CI 1.34, 1.56); incidence significantly decreased between year 1, 2 and 3 (p<0.05). There was no significant sex difference for incidence or severity. Most injuries were classified as overuse (71% female, 67% male). Pre-prof...
Music Educators Journal, 2010
Research in performing arts medicine has demonstrated that approximately 25% of music students experience a playing-related injury 1. Since musicians' musculoskeletal injuries are associated with several factors related to practice habits 2,3,4 , music teachers can and should play a vital role in injury prevention. There is evidence that music teachers who receive relevant training in music-specific physiology do make changes in their teaching, and that these changes subsequently benefit their students 5. This paper aims to provide music teachers with practical prevention strategies that can be used with all instrumentalists. Included are specific instructions regarding the nature and importance of several strategies, including: taking breaks, pacing techniques, cognitive rehearsal, ergonomics, warm-up and cool-down, preparing for performances, and the question of whether or not stretching is advisable. Emphasis will be placed on how music teachers (regardless of instrument) can incorporate prevention strategies into their lessons.