I penned the following letter to the editors of both the Irish Times and Irish Independent in July 2024 in response the reports on the research that had been done by UCC on the incidence of playing-related injury amongst Irish musicians. Their findings demonstrate the extent of a problem that has been hiding in plain sight for too long. Encouragingly, the letter was published by both editors – a testament to the growing understanding of the importance of this issue and the great deal of work that needs to be done:
Sir –
As a classical pianist, I read with great interest the article of June 28th “Almost two-thirds of classical musicians suffer from playing-related muscular pain” which highlighted the recent publication of research led by Dr. Aonghus Joyce of UCC into Playing-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (PRMDs) amongst Irish musicians.
The results are in line with the research on PRMDs that has been conducted both here and internationally since the emergence of the discipline of performing arts medicine almost forty years ago. One would imagine that such a surfeit of evidence on the scale of disorders amongst musicians would have prompted increased awareness and effective implementation of the wealth of expertise and interventions available to mitigate risk factors, particularly in the context of instrumental education. For example, even basic knowledge of the importance of general health principles (sleep, diet, exercise, hydration), anatomy, and ancillary movement practices such as yoga, Feldenkreis or Alexander are useful – however not sufficient in themselves.
Pain is a complex phenomenon in which myriad factors may coalesce, and notoriously difficult to understand. However, we might begin by considering playing-related musculoskeletal disorders as precisely that: playing-related. As Dorothy Taubman put it “if playing the piano doesn’t feel delicious and euphoric, you’re doing something wrong.”
My own PRMDs were resolved by unlearning habits of movement at the instrument and redeveloping my piano technique in the Taubman Approach – a biomechanical model of coordinate piano technique. I now specialise in helping others do the same. The process involves recalibration and the development of new skills. Throughout it, openness, curiosity, and a willingness to let go of received wisdom are helpful.
Interestingly, the lion’s share of the extant research into the issue of PRMDs emerges from the medical field rather than the musical. A recent op-ed from The British Association for Performing Arts Medicine suggests that success in preserving the health of musicians will rely not only on funding, but a combination of interdisciplinary expertise, collaboration, open communication, and the agreement of a common set of evidence-informed standards implemented and upheld by all stakeholders.
Yours, etc,
Aoife Mac Alister
Leave a Reply