Upper trapezius muscle stiffness among musicians with and without playing-related musculoskeletal disorders: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Increased muscle stiffness (MS) in the upper trapezius (UT) has been shown to be correlated with pain in some populations, but knowledge regarding altered MS in musicians affected by playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs) remains limited. The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether MS is altered in musicians with PRMDs. A further aim was to explore the associations between MS and musicians' features.

Methods: A total of 60 musicians from the Conservatory of Southern Switzerland and the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana participated in the study. The assessment procedure included a self-report questionnaire on background and lifestyle, practice habits, PRMD characteristics (i.e., presence, intensity, location, and extent), physical activity and perceived health, along with a bilateral evaluation of MS in the UT using the MyotonPRO (Muomeetria, Tallinn, Estonia).

Results: Of the 60 participants, 28 musicians (47%) reported ongoing PRMDs, with higher pain prevalence in the UT, especially on the left side. MS in the UT did not differ significantly between musicians with and without PRMDs. However, significant differences were observed in preparatory exercises (𝑍 = -2.1, p < 0.05) and rest breaks during practice sessions (𝑍 = -2.8, p < 0.01). Furthermore, positive correlations were identified between MS and perceived effort (ρ = 0.6, p < 0.01), playing-related disability (ρ = 0.5, p < 0.01), and physical activity level (ρ = 0.4, p < 0.01). Conversely, a negative correlation was found between MS and the physical component of perceived health (ρ= -0.7; p < 0.01).

Conclusions: Although no statistically significant difference was found in MS between the PRMD and non-PRMD groups, significant associations between MS and musician-related features were detected. Future research should prioritise collaborative longitudinal studies between musical and scientific communities, with the aim of monitoring musicians over time and developing a deeper understanding of the relationships between specific musical practices, individual characteristics, and MS.