Musculoskeletal pain in professional symphony orchestra musicians

Background: A musician’s many years of professional experience may contribute to the development of pain and musculoskeletal disorders. There are a few studies in Poland on gender differences in musculoskeletal pain among adult professional musicians. Aim of the study: This study aimed to assess and compare pain in Polish women and men who are professional musicians, as well as to analyze the relationships between the intensity and frequency of pain and the time spent playing each week and the experience of playing the instrument in years. Material and methods: Sixty professional musicians were examined (26 men and 34 women). Pain intensity was assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS). Participants reported the frequency of musculoskeletal system ailments, the location of the pain, the number of hours of playing the instrument per week, and the playing experience in years. In addition, body weight and height were measured and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Results: Most of the participants (94% of women and 69% of men) reported pain in the musculoskeletal system (p=0.010). Women experienced significantly greater pain in the musculoskeletal system assessed using the VAS (p=0.036), and also declared pain significantly more often compared to men (p=0.002). Significant positive correlations were found between frequency of symptoms per week with the number of hours of playing per week (r=0.28), year of playing the instrument (r=0.38), and pain assessment on the VAS (r=0.57). Moreover, negative correlations were found between frequency of symptoms per week with body height (r=–0.45) and body mass (r=–0.36). Conclusions: Musculoskeletal disorders are very common among professional musicians, especially among women. In general, the greater the number of hours playing per week and the longer the history of playing, the greater the pain intensity. Future research should aim to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of musculoskeletal disorders associated with playing an instrument in different groups of musicians.