Musculoskeletal pain in musicians: prevalence and risk factors – a systematic review

Abstract

Objectives. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and regions of the body in which musculoskeletal injuries occur in musicians, as well as to identify risk factors related to their occurrence. Methods. A search was carried out in the PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Cinahl databases for publications between 2006 and 2020. Observational studies on the prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries or their risk factors in musicians aged 18–65 years were eligible for inclusion, and the methodological quality and risk of bias were assessed. Results. In total, 31 studies on multiple instruments and 17 studies on individual instruments were included. Quality was rated as high in 65% of the studies. Lifetime prevalence of injuries ranged from 46 to 90% and current prevalence from 9 to 63%. The most common region of pain was the neck, being present in all instrument families. Being female is a predisposing factor to the appearance of musculoskeletal problems in musicians. Conclusions. Musicians frequently suffer musculoskeletal injuries. The most common regions of the body in which these injuries occur are the neck and shoulders. Numerous risk factors were found to be predisposing to musculoskeletal injuries. We note that there are fewer studies on specific instruments.

Keywords:

• playing-related musculoskeletal disorder
• musician
• risk factor
• prevalence
• pain

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.