Characteristics of musculoskeletal pain in university music students: A cross-sectional survey

BackgroundThe prevalence of playing-related musculoskeletal disorders ranges from 46% to 90% in adult musicians. This pain sometimes forces the interruption of instrumental practice.ObjectiveTo describe the prevalence and characteristics of playing-related musculoskeletal disorders in music students, relating it to gender, and the relationship between the number of hours of weekly instrumental practice and the number of pain locations.MethodsAn online questionnaire was conducted with university music students, which assesses the presence of pain, location, intensity and interference of pain comparing gender, and the number of weekly practice hours.Results435 valid responses were obtained. 93.3% of women vs. 88.3% of men (<i>p</i> < 0.001) report having suffered from some type of playing-related musculoskeletal disorders. Pain intensity is 2.99 points for women and 1.74 for men, and pain interference is 3.42 and 2.16 respectively (<i>p</i> < 0.001). The number of hours dedicated to instrumental does not influence the number of pain locations (<i>p</i> > 0.05).ConclusionMost music students report playing-related musculoskeletal disorders, presenting on average more than 3 body pain locations. This pain is considered mild, with low interference on mood, quality of life and instrumental practice. Women report pain more often and more intensely, however, men report pain in more anatomical regions.