ABSTRACT
Although work-related musculoskeletal disorders in musicians have received little attention from researchers, growing evidence suggests that musicians are also highly vulnerable to such disorders. Thus this study implemented a preliminary questionnaire to survey over 300 subjects majoring in music at universities in Taiwan to determine the prevalence of cumulative muscular disorders in musicians. The survey revealed a high prevalence of such problems among musicians in Taiwan. Un surprisingly, symptoms were concentrated in the upper limbs. Furthermore, string and keyboard players had higher incidences of such injuries than other instrumentalists. Most musicians suffered at least one problem involving pain in the arms, fingers, wrist, neck and back. The finger, the parts most closely related to performing technique, exhibited a U shape relationship between rates of disorder and years of experience of performing. Furthermore, the arm, back, neck
Keywords: Musicians, Cumulative Disorders
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders cause pain, disability and loss or employment for workers in many occupations. Musicians have rarely been a focus of research on work-related musculoskeletal disorders, but there is growing evidence that musicians are also highly vulnerable to such disorders (Lambert, 1992; Pascarelli & Hsu, 2001).
