Sigma Alpha Iota

PAN PIPES • SUMMER 2017 • sai-national.org 18 B C D E G H I J K M N O P By Mary alice Druhan, D.M.a. Broad studies of musician injury target specific categories of musicians from full-time orchestra professionals, amateurs, and students, and clinical case reviews and their results are oen staggering. e findings of these studies are consistent: musicians in all categories are at high risk of injury. e International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM) released findings of their study on the medical problems of musicians in 1988. e article reports 82% of the ICSOM musicians surveyed claim experiencing a medical problem (Fishbein, 8). Professional musicians are not alone. A study of overuse injuries in amateur musicians reports a 72% incidence rate (Newmark, 144). While a study of more than 700 school-aged children uncovered that the prevalence of performance related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs) ranged from 50% to 80% with the average peak for injury centered around the "growth-spurt" period for each gender (Manchester, 55) the data presented for college-level students shows that university students have a somewhat higher rate of PRMDs than younger students (56). sssIn Performing Arts Medicine the medical problems of musicians are typically divided into three broad categories: musculoskeletal pain and overuse injuries, entrapment and peripheral neuropathies, and focal dystonias (Dommerholt, 312). e injury prevention information provided herein will focus on the prevention of musculoskeletal pain and overuse injury. In e Musician's Survival Manual, Dr. Richard Norris describes an overuse injury as a condition that occurs when any biological tissue is stressed beyond its physical limit (Norris, 1). ere are many synonyms for an overuse injury. Examples of overuse injury include a sprained hamstring (muscle), a shin splint (bone), Achilles tendinitis (tendon), and a thumb MP joint ligament sprain (ligament). Dr. Richard Norris also lists and describes twelve general factors which predispose musicians to suffer MUSICAL HEALTH Protecting Our Musical Bodies Dr. Mary Alice Druhan suffered a serious playing-related injury in 2011, which threatened her career and inspired her research into musician injury, prevention, and recovery. Her research has been featured in a six-part series of e Clarinet and she gives presentations about injury prevention around the country.

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