SynthesisInternational archives of occupational and environmental health2016
The occurrence of musculoskeletal complaints among professional musicians: a systematic review.
Synthesis in International archives of occupational and environmental health, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06758349 (OPErA Orchestral Posture Egonomic Assessment), which is not on this map. Cited by 71 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
OPErA Orchestral Posture Egonomic Assessment
Who cites it
71 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 205 citations in OpenAlex.
- Health and well-being in metal musicians: a scoping review.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Patient-reported outcome measures of musculoskeletal symptoms and psychosocial factors in musicians: a systematic review of psychometric properties.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2022Pooled it
- Musculoskeletal disorders and complaints in professional musicians: a systematic review of prevalence, risk factors, and clinical treatment effects.International archives of occupational and environmental health · 2020Pooled it
- The Relationship Between Occupational Demands and Well-Being of Performing Artists: A Systematic Review.Frontiers in psychology · 2019Pooled it
- The prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms in the construction industry: a systematic review and meta-analysis.International archives of occupational and environmental health · 2018Pooled it
- Three-dimensional spinal and pelvic posture in professional saxophone players.International journal of occupational medicine and environmental health · 2026Article
- Mobilization-Based Exercise Frequency and Dynamic Postural Control in Orchestra Musicians: An Exploratory Controlled Intervention Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Self-Reported Knowledge and Awareness of Musician-Related Disorders Among Music Educators and Pre-Service Music Teachers in Higher Education Institutions in Türkiye: An Occupational Health Literacy Perspective.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Article
- Article
- Quantitative Postural Evaluation in Orchestral Musicians (the OPErA Project): Protocol for a Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Article
- Performance-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Musicians: Global Research Trends and Emerging Themes in Occupational and Neurological Injury.Orthopedic reviews · 2026Article
- Tertiary music students' hearing health behaviors: ignorance is not bliss.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Playing-related musculoskeletal disorders in Malaysian orchestral musicians: a cross-sectional survey.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Lessons from nature: achieving postural balance inspired by biomechanics and natural (a)symmetry. A perspective article.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Impact of Manual Therapy on Instrumentalist Musicians With Playing-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Systematic Review.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translation · 2025Review
- Identifying Design Requirements for an Interactive Physiotherapy Dashboard With Decision Support for Clinical Movement Analysis of Musicians With Musculoskeletal Problems: Qualitative User Research Study.JMIR human factors · 2025Article
- Network analyses of physical and psychological factors of playing-related musculoskeletal disorders in student musicians: a cross-sectional study.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2024Article
- Impact of Chronic Pain on Use-Dependent Plasticity: Corticomotor Excitability and Motor Representation in Musicians With and Without Pain.Brain topography · 2024Article
11 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThis study gives a systematic overview of the literature on the occurrence of musculoskeletal complaints in professional instrumental musicians.
methodsA systematic review. Nine literature databases were searched without time limits on June 25, 2015, also the complete index of the journal Medical Problems of Performing Artists (MPPA) until June 2015 (30;2) was searched, and citation tracking and reference checking of the selected articles were performed. The search consisted of the combination of three groups of keywords: musician (e.g., musician, violin, music student, instrument player) AND musculoskeletal (e.g., musculoskeletal, tendon, shoulder, arthritis) AND epidemiology (e.g., prevalence, incidence, occurrence).
resultsThe initial literature search strategy resulted in 1258 potentially relevant articles. Finally, 21 articles describing 5424 musicians were included in this review. Point prevalences of musculoskeletal complaints in professional musicians range between 9 and 68 %; 12-month prevalences range between 41 and 93 %; and lifetime prevalences range between 62 and 93 %. Ten out of 12 studies show a higher prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints among women. Brass instrumentalists are reported to have the lowest prevalence rates of musculoskeletal complaints. The neck and shoulders are the anatomic areas most affected; the elbows are least affected. Although some information is reported concerning age, the high risk of bias in and between these studies makes it impossible to present reliable statements with respect to this.
conclusionMusculoskeletal symptoms are highly prevalent among musicians, especially among women instrumentalists. Future research concerning the epidemiology of musculoskeletal complaints among musicians should focus on associated risk factors and follow the current guidelines to optimize scientific quality.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.