Avoid Overuse Injuries

by Janet Horvath

Some musicians are so passionate about their instruments that they are practically holding them during every free moment. While in most cases this is a harmless habit, you should be aware of the possibility of overuse injuries and measures you can take to avoid them. Though called “overuse,” these injuries often actually result from a few combined factors—some we can change and others that we have little control over.

Body Size and Build

These traits can impact musicians by predisposing them to injury. Teachers are beginning to take body size and build into consideration when recommending instruments, and it’s something you should consider as well. Obviously, there are physical traits that definitely can affect your success at a particular instrument: small hands, a long neck, lung capacity, slender wrists, long fingers, double-jointedness, long arms, and so forth. A large or heavy instrument can lead to trouble down the road.

Conditioning

An untoned body is more injury-prone because it is less resilient. Muscles that are tight and weak are at greater risk than strong and flexible muscles. Your conditioning, flexibility, endurance, muscle balance, body alignment, and strength are all factors. In fact, George T. Shybut, M.D., indicates in a 2007 report that injury risk is directly related to fitness levels.

Muscle Imbalances

Research has shown that, due to the peculiar demands of their instruments, musicians’ bodies may develop asymmetrically or unevenly. This may also be a risk factor for injury.

Fatigue

Muscle fatigue can lead to chronic pain. Fatigue and the resulting reduced blood flow can eventually lead to microscopic tears in the muscle and the build-up of scar tissue. Joint laxity (or “double-jointedness”) requires greater effort to stabilize positions, contributing to stress on the joints. Avoid mindless repetition. Doing the same motions day after day, or hour upon hour, is risky. Take breaks to move and stretch. Don’t practice one challenging part for too long; move on to a different piece and come back to it later.

Extrinsic Contributing Factors

Physical or emotional factors beyond your control can increase the tension in your body. Factors specific to your body can conspire to bring about injury. These may include pre-existing illnesses or injuries. Your individual susceptibility to injury could be due to your age and genetics, as well as your job and other hobbies. Some other contributing factors are:

Stress may be the most obvious external factor that affects physical and emotional well-being on a daily basis. It constricts blood vessels and causes superficial breathing, affecting oxygen supply to the muscles and nerves.

Misuse could be a result of poor technique or positioning. Good posture is the single most important factor to prevent overuse injuries.

Technique includes looking objectively at your instrument, especially if it’s new to you. Is the instrument set up in such a way that it is “resistant”? Are the keys hard to press down?

Increases in playing time and/or intensity can create new problems. Are you preparing for a concert or attending a music camp? You may be overusing your muscles by never giving them a break. Do you show up to play without adequate preparation or warm-up? In this case, you may tax your muscles without really being in shape for it.

To explore other factors that might be putting you at risk for overuse injuries, take the Injury Susceptibility Quiz that can be downloaded from the website
www.playinglesshurt.com/quiz.

Finding the Right Doctor

Remember, not all pain means injury, but prolonged persisting, or chronic pain means that something is wrong. It is essential to get a proper diagnosis because many injuries have similar symptoms. Specialty Performing Arts Medicine clinics have sprung up all over the country. The Performing Arts Medical Association (PAMA) (www.artsmed.org) can refer you to an arts medicine specialist near you. Alternatively, find a sports medicine physician who understands repetitive strain injuries. Take your instrument in with you and show the doctor what is causing difficulty. If you nip a problem in the bud, you are more likely to recover completely.

The information in this article is from Janet Horvath’s book Playing (Less) Hurt: An Injury Prevention Guide for Musicians (Hal Leonard Corporation, 2010). For more information, visit www.playinglesshurt.com. The book is available from musicdispatch.com.