Roach KE, Delaune J, Kaplan K, Klein S, Porter R; University of Miami, School of Medicine, Division of Physical Therapy, Coral Gables, FL, USA. keroach@miami.edu.

PURPOSE: Playing a violin involves repetition, force and awkward static postures all of which have been shown to contribute to activity-related musculoskeletal problems. Furthermore, string players have the highest prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders of all musicians. The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors associated with specific musculoskeletal problems in violinists. SUBJECTS: A convenience sample of 72 violinists participated in this study. Subjects had a mean age of 27.4 years (s.d. 9.9). Thirty-eight percent of the subjects were male and 31% were professional musicians. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Subjects completed a 128 item, self-administered questionnaire that included items concerning current and past joint problems, and health and music related behaviors and beliefs. The violinists were classified as currently injured or uninjured . Injured and uninjured violinists were compared using Odds ratios and Student’s t-test. RESULTS: Thirty-eight percent of violinists reported a current injury and 26% of violinists reported an injury involving the shoulder, upper back and/or neck (upper quarter). Currently injured violinists were similar in age to uninjured violinists (27.9 vs 27.2 years, p=.78). Risk factors for an upper quarter injury included:

Although in this study, injury was defined as "serious enough to cause difficulty with playing your instrument", less than half of the currently injured violinists reported receiving medical treatment by a primary care physician or specialist physician for their injuries. Only 44% of the subjects reported receiving treatment from a physical therapist. CONCLUSION: Upper quarter musculoskeletal injuries in violinists are very common, under treated and appear directly related to various aspects of playing this instrument. FUNDING SOURCE: University of Miami, Division of Physical Therapy.

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