Did you know that sometimes musicians need physiotherapy? Playing an instrument can be a very taxing task as musicians hold very specific postures and can complete very repetitive movements over long periods of time while practising different musical pieces for performances. This results in overload injuries. As it is their job, it can be difficult to stop and they continue playing through the pain which can make things worse over time.These overload injuries can occur in many different places in the body like the hands, wrist, shoulder, forearm, elbow, shoulders and back.

Injuries

Examples of Injuries Musicians may have:

De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis: This is when there is swelling and pain on the tendons at the base of your thumb. It is typically painful when moving your thumb, or grasping and gripping things.

Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow): This is caused when you have pain on the outside of your elbow due to irritation and inflammation at one of the tendons in your elbow. It is typically painful when gripping objects or extending your wrist.

Medial Epicondylitis (Golfer’s Elbow): This is caused when you have pain on the inside of your elbow due to irritation and inflammation at one of the tendons that flex your wrist.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: This occurs when you have pressure on the nerves at your wrist resulting in tingling, numbness, and pain in your hands.

Rotator Cuff Tendonitis: This occurs during overuse of some of the muscles in the shoulder that provide stability for your shoulder. Common symptoms include pain in the shoulder, loss of strength and loss of range of movement.

Sciatica: You may have sciatica if you have a burning, aching, pain shooting down the back of one of your legs. It is caused by pressure on your sciatic nerve, and you may feel some weakness, numbness, or tingling in the legs in addition to the pain.

Low Back Pain: This occurs when you have pain on one side or across your low back. It may be due to things like a muscle spasm, stiffness, muscle weakness, or intervertebral discs. You may notice symptoms worsen when staying in one position for too long, or when turning over in bed. Sometimes you can feel some symptoms down into the legs.

Focal Dystonia: This is a neurological disorder that results in involuntary spasm of small muscles in your body caused by overuse or repetitive stress. This is rarer than most of the conditions above.

What can physiotherapists do?

Our physiotherapists here at Ballsbridge physiotherapy can aid you with your musical/occupational related injuries. We can access your posture and ergonomics and provide specific feedback tailored to you and your instrument. We will also look at your posture and identify any areas of muscle or joint stiffness, tightness, or weakness. Our treatments may include things like targeted strengthening exercises, load management, stretches and mobility exercises, manual therapy like massage or joint mobilizations, or pilates/yoga.

Overuse injuries like these are not restricted to music and can be common with other activities like drawing, painting, pottery, or computer work. If you feel like you may be affected by any of these overload/overuse injuries, do not hesitate to contact us today at Ballsbridge Physiotherapy to schedule a full assessment. We can help provide an individualised treatment plan to help relieve your pain and symptoms.