The Musician as (In)Active Athlete?: Exploring the Association Between Physical Activity and Musculoskeletal Complaints in Music Students.

Objective: Musicians are often compared to athletes because of the physical exertion required to play music. The aim of this study was to explore the physical activity level of music students and to study its relationship with musculoskeletal complaints. A second goal was to assess associations between physical activity and pain, quality of life, and disability.

Energy expenditure in brass and woodwind instrumentalists: the effect of body posture.

Objective: Body posture appears to influence fatigue and musculoskeletal complaints in musicians. Our aim was to determine energy expenditure and to investigate whether energy expenditure is affected by body posture in brass and woodwind instrumentalists.

Methods: Eighteen musicians (10 women, 8 men; 6 brass, 12 woodwinds), with a mean age of 39 ± 14 years and mean body mass index of 23.

The influence of work and treatment related factors on clinical status and disability in patients with non-specific work-related upper limb disorders.

Objective: To assess the influence of work- and treatment-related factors on clinical status and functional disability in patients with non-specific work-related upper limb disorders (WRULD).

Participants: 182 computer workers with non-specific WRULD, 18-50 years old, not having specific WRULD nor incomplete medical records.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study among computer workers with non-specific WRULD; average follow-up 4 years.

Pain catastrophizing and lower physical fitness in a sample of computer screen workers with early non-specific upper limb disorders: a case-control study.

In computer workers psychological factors and physical fitness may play an important role in the onset and course of non-specific work-related upper limb disorders (WRULD) beyond socio-demographic factors. Based on our experiences in daily practice we assumed that pain catastrophizing and other psychological variables such as perfectionism, anxiety state and trait, and low physical fitness, are possibly associated with the occurrence of WRULD. We aim to study the association between pain catastrophizing, perfectionism, anxiety (state and trait), physical fitness, sex and level of education and the occurrence of WRULD, controlling for age as a confounder.

The course of nonspecific work-related upper limb disorders and the influence of demographic factors, psychologic factors, and physical fitness on clinical status and disability.

Objective: To assess the course of nonspecific work-related upper limb disorders (WRULD) and the influence of sociodemographic factors, psychologic factors, and physical fitness on clinical status and functional disability.

Design: Retrospective cohort study with cross-sectional analysis among computer workers with several stages of nonspecific WRULD; average follow-up 4 years. Sociodemographic and medical characteristics were assessed based on medical records at onset and diagnosis.

No difference between postural exercises and strength and fitness exercises for early, non-specific, work-related upper limb disorders in visual display unit workers: a randomised trial.

Question: Are postural exercises delivered by Mensendieck/Cesar therapists more effective in decreasing pain, reducing disability and improving health-related quality of life in visual display unit workers with early non-specific work-related upper limb disorders than strength and fitness exercises delivered by physiotherapists?

Design: Randomised trial with concealed allocation and intention-to-treat analysis.

Participants: Eighty-eight (6 drop-outs) visual display unit workers with early non-specific work-related upper limb disorders.

Intervention: One group received 10 weeks of postural exercises while the other group received 10 weeks of strength and fitness exercises.