Ronny Philip MUE702 Article Review 2015316397

Dhrithi, M. A., Agrawal, P. R., & Aju, K. (2013). PREVALENCE OF PLAYING-RELATED

MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDER (PRMSD) AMONG AMATEUR YOUNG GUITAR

PLAYERS. Journal of Musculoskeletal Research, 16(02), 1330002. doi:

doi:10.1142/S0218957713300020

The guitar is one of the most popular musical instruments played in the world today. Learning

guitar and playing it requires repetitive use of muscles. This increased the risk of nerve and

musculoskeletal damage in guitarist.

Dhrithi, M. A., Agrawal, P. R., & Aju, K. (2013), in their article Prevalence of playing-

related musculoskeletal disorder (PRMSD) among amateur young guitar players, focuses on

exploring the frequency of PRMSD among guitar players in the Indian populations. As playing

is the work of musicians, playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs) are an appropriate

music-specific derivative of work-related musculoskeletal disorder (Zaza, 1998). Zaza (1998)

described PRMSD as; pain, weakness, lack of control numbness, tingling or other symptoms

that interfere with your ability to play your instrument at the level you are accustomed to.

The researchers stated that due to the size of some of the guitar, the body posture is often

not good. The guitar is often carried around the neck using a low strung strap, which can

contribute to skeletal injury in the neck and shoulder joint. Statistic data from Kok, Vlieland,

Fiocco and Nelissen (2013) research is presented, showing 89.9% prevalence of musculoskeletal

complaints among musicians. Another statistic data showing; about 41.8% of playing-related

pain was noted among guitar players (John, Randy and Mark, 2013) is also presented to further

enhance the researchers research problem statement.

The research is a cross-sectional study. Non-professional guitar players, who are students

of Manipal University, India, were selected as subjects to provide the data. The researches
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defined non-professional guitar players as; the people, who play guitar not as part of their

profession or career, but purely for recreational purposes, (and) they are not paid for their

services in any way.

The inclusion criteria for the research is; the subjects have been playing the guitar for

more than one year, under the age group of 18-40 years, and both male and female. Subjects with

medical history of inflammatory arthritis, recent traumatic soft tissue injuries, diagnosed disc

lesions, and on pain-relive medication is excluded from the research, for the individuals will

provide unreliable information for the research.

The data for medical symptoms were collected via modified Nordic questionnaire (refer

Figure). Data from other areas such as hand dominance, type of guitar and etc., were collected

via validated questionnaire. All the data collected were analysed with SPSS version 16 software

using descriptive statistics.

The result of the research shows that there is 29% prevalence of neck pain and lower

back pain among non-professional guitar players in Manipal University. Awkward and incorrect

postures adopted while playing guitar is the main risk factors. Repetitive activity happening at

various joints in the body is also considered as a factor. There is negative correlation between

numbers of hours of playing guitar with the symptoms in neck and back. Although Carpal Tunnel

Syndromes is common instrumentalist (Williams, 1999), the research showed only 18% of the

subjects reported wrist pain.

Activity that might have contributes to the symptoms such as sport or playing computer

were not taken as details. The research is mainly focused on student population, and the result

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cannot be used to generalise the results in other populations. The researchers recommend future

study to be conducted in other populations.

The term low strung strap used by the researchers on page 1330002-2 is somewhat

incorrect. Low strung is a type of alternate tuning, which means different ways to tune the

strings of a guitar (Sethares, 1991). The researchers most probably intended to write low slung

strap, where guitar player put the strap length to the lowest position. Nonetheless, the research

is relevant in creating awareness not only among guitar and other instrumentalist. Based on the

result of the studies, education related to the risk of PRMSDs can be provided not only for

professional musicians, but also to hobbyist.

Figure: Sample of Nordic Questionnaire.

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