Playing-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Musicians

Playing‐Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (PRMDs) encompass a spectrum of pain syndromes, functional impairments and tissue‐level injuries that arise from the sustained, repetitive and often asymmetric postures required by musical performance. These conditions affect professional, student and amateur musicians worldwide, with prevalence estimates ranging from half to nearly all performers at some stage of their career. Key risk factors include high practice intensity, inadequate rest breaks, instrument‐specific postures, psychosocial stressors and individual traits such as perfectionism and fatigue. Symptoms typically present in the neck, shoulders, upper back and upper limbs, but may extend to lower back regions. Consequences include reduced performance quality, interrupted training or careers and significant economic and social burdens. Preventive and therapeutic strategies focus on ergonomic instrument support, tailored physical conditioning, psychological coping skills and health education embedded within musical training. A growing body of research seeks to integrate biomechanical analysis, clinical intervention and health‐promotion initiatives to mitigate PRMD onset and recurrence.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have provided the first prospective, multicentre data on onset and predictors of PRMDs in European conservatoire students. Over a 12-month period nearly half of participants reported new PRMDs, with logistic analyses highlighting that marked changes in physical activity levels and increased fatigue significantly elevated risk. Socially prescribed perfectionism was also associated with disorder onset, whereas baseline musculoskeletal complaints and moderate body‐mass index shifts appeared protective. These longitudinal insights advance understanding of dynamic risk profiles and underscore the importance of monitoring both physical and psychological load in early training phases.

Playing-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Musicians publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in playing-related musculoskeletal disorders in musicians across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Playing-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (PRMDs): Injuries or pain in muscles, tendons, nerves or joints directly attributable to practising or performing musical instruments.

Prevalence: The proportion of a defined population experiencing a condition within a specified time frame.

Longitudinal study: Research design in which the same participants are observed repeatedly over a period to track changes and incident outcomes.

Cross-sectional study: Observational research that analyses data from a population at a single point to estimate prevalence and associations.

Risk factor: An attribute, characteristic or exposure that increases the likelihood of developing a disorder or disease.

References

1. Factors associated with increased risk of playing-related disorders among classical music students within the Risk of Music Students (RISMUS) longitudinal study. Scientific Reports (2023).
2. Prevalence and associated factors of playing-related musculoskeletal disorders among music students in Europe. Baseline findings from the Risk of Music Students (RISMUS) longitudinal multicentre study. PLOS ONE (2020).
3. Musculoskeletal disorders and complaints in professional musicians: a systematic review of prevalence, risk factors, and clinical treatment effects. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health (2019).
4. The high prevalence of playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs) and its associated factors in amateur musicians playing in student orchestras: A cross-sectional study. PLOS ONE (2018).
5. Health Education for Musicians. Frontiers in Psychology (2018).
6. Evidence-informed physical therapy management of performance-related musculoskeletal disorders in musicians. Frontiers in Psychology (2014).