Epidemiology of Musculoskeletal Disorders in Musicians - Systematic Review

Musicians performing over an instrument demands repetitive, awkward postures and postural stress from prolonged sitting or standing. Musicians are found to be more prone to the development of Playing-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (PRMDs) due to these factors. PRMDs are defined as ‘pain, weakness, numbness, tingling or other symptoms that interfere with their ability to play an instrument’. There is an increasing interest seen in the medical issues faced by the musicians performing over an instrument. There are different type of musicians playing different instruments which means different instrumentalists face different musculoskeletal disorders depending upon many factors. There are intrinsic and extrinsic factors involved which contribute to the development of PRMDs in musicians. Development of PRMDs is seen to be a cause of early termination of musician’s career. The purpose of study is to review the epidemiology of musculoskeletal disorders in musicians. Key words: Musculoskeletal disorders, Musculoskeletal problems, Prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries, Postural disorders, Playing-related strain in instrumentalists and musicians.

Macrovascular and microvascular responses to prolonged sitting with and without bodyweight exercise interruptions: A randomized cross-over trial

Exposure to uninterrupted prolonged sitting leads to macro- and microvascular complications, which can contribute to increased cardiovascular disease risk. This study investigated the macrovascular and microvascular responses to 3 h of sitting that was: (i) uninterrupted (CON); and (ii) interrupted every 20 min with 1 min light intensity half squats plus calf raises (EX). Twenty healthy participants (21 [SD: 2] years; 21.5 [SD: 1.6] kg/m2) were recruited to participate in this randomized cross-over trial. Macrovascular function was quantified using brachial–ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and the lower- and upper-limb arterial stiffness index (ASI). Microvascular function was quantified as the medial gastrocnemius tissue oxygen saturation (StO2) area under the curve (AUC) during reactive hyperemia. The baPWV did not significantly change with time ( p = 0.594) or by condition ( p = 0.772). The arm ASI increased by 3.6 (95% CI: 0.7 to 6.6, effect size [ES] = 0.27) with a nonsignificant condition effect ( p = 0.219). There was a significant interaction effect for leg ASI ( p = < 0.001), with ASI increasing (impairment) by 18.7 (95% CI: 12.1 to 25.3, ES = 0.63) for CON and decreasing (improvement) by −11.9 (95% CI: −18.5 to −5.3, ES = 0.40) for EX compared to presitting. Similarly, the AUC decreased (detrimental) by 18% (Δ = −321, 95% CI: −543 to −100, ES = 0.32) for CON and increased by 32% (Δ = 588, 95% CI: 366 to 809, ES = 0.59) for EX. The leg ASI was inversely associated with StO2 AUC (interclass correlation coefficient: −0.66, 95% CI: −0.51 to −0.77). These preliminary findings suggest that regularly interrupting prolonged sitting with simple bodyweight exercises may help to preserve lower-limb vascular function.

Perceived influences on reducing prolonged sitting in police staff: a qualitative investigation using the Theoretical Domains Framework and COM-B model

Background Workplace interventions have shown promise for reducing sitting in office workers. Police office staff remain an understudied population group that work within a disciplined organisation with distinctive work tasks around public safety, potentially affecting their capability, opportunity, and motivation to change sitting behaviour. This study aimed to assess the perceived influences on reducing workplace sitting in non-operational, desk-based police staff in order to derive theoretical determinants for behaviour change. Methods Ten police staff from a single police force in Bedfordshire, England [eight female; 39.5 ± 11.5 years] took part in face-to-face semi-structured interviews lasting 46 ± 11 min on average. Thematic analysis identified key themes which were then mapped onto the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) and linked to the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behaviour (COM-B) model. Results Seven themes were identified: ‘Work tasks are seated’, ‘Social norm is to sit’, ‘Belief in ability to regulate behaviour’, ‘Knowledge of health risks’, ‘Organisational support’, ‘Impact on productivity’, and ‘Perceived autonomy for sitting reduction’. Conclusions Awareness of behaviour and health impacts (Capability), social and physical support to sit less (Opportunity), and habit formation techniques (Motivation) are recommended considerations in sitting reduction workplace interventions for police staff.