Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master’s Degree in Technology: Chiropractic, Durban University of Technology, 2010. / Background: Professional orchestral string musicians are exposed to many physical and psychological stressors due to demands placed on them from playing their instruments. The prevalence of performance-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMD’s) in this highly skilled group of individuals has been investigated internationally, consistently showing a high injury rate. There is however, a paucity of literature documenting the prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries in South African professional orchestral string players. It is hypothesized that South African trained orchestral string musicians may be at a greater risk for PRMD development due to the unique training and performance environments encountered in this country. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the demographic and injury profile; prevalence rate of current injury and risk factors for musculoskeletal injury in South African professional orchestral string musicians. Method: The study utilized a self administered quantitative questionnaire distributed to all string players in the three professional orchestras in South African in a semi-supervised fashion. SPSS version 15.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, USA) was used to analyze the data. A p value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. iv v Results: There were 27 respondents, with the average participant being a Caucasian, right handed, non-smoking female, 37.11 years of age, 1.5631 meters tall, with a weight of 62.96 kilograms (BMI = 25.768) who exercised regularly (primarily in the gym). A bachelors degree in Music was the most commonly awarded qualification, obtained between the years 2000 and 2009, from a University outside of the Republic of South Africa. The prevalence of PRMD’s in the sample was 63% (n = 17), with a 95% confidence interval of 42.4% to 80.6%.In this study there was a high rate of injury (6.53 PRMD’s per player over a 12 month period), equating to 111 reported injuries in a population of 27 string players. The upper back (defined as the area between the shoulder blades) was the most commonly injured part of the body (77.8%, n = 21), followed by the upper extremity, mainly the shoulder (70.4%, n = 19). No statistically significant relationships were found in determining and confirming expected risk factors in the string players. Conclusion: Professional orchestral string musicians in South Africa suffer from a high rate of injury which is comparable to international studies of the same nature

Syftet med detta arbete är att utifrån ett fenomenologiskt livsvärldsperspektiv, utforska hur några professionella musiker upplever att de går till väga under sina instuderingsprocesser. För att belysa detta tar arbetet avstamp i följande forskningsfråga: Vilka övningsstrategier beskriver några professionella musiker att de använder sig av när de tillägnar sig ett för dem nytt material? För att uppnå syfte och forskningsfråga har tre kvalitativa intervjuer genomförts med tre professionella musiker. I resultatet framkommer en rad olika strategier vilka sorterats in i fem meningsenheter: Dagliga tekniska övningsstrategier, Noggranna förberedelser, Tidsplanering, Övriga strategier och Strävan efter utveckling. I diskussionen sätts dessa strategier i relation till bakgrundslitteratur och forskning samt till fenomenologi. / Syftet med detta arbete är att utifrån ett fenomenologiskt livsvärldsperspektiv, utforska hur några professionella musiker upplever att de går till väga under sina instuderingsprocesser. För att belysa detta tar arbetet avstamp i följande forskningsfråga: Vilka övningsstrategier beskriver några professionella musiker att de använder sig av när de tillägnar sig ett för dem nytt material? För att uppnå syfte och forskningsfråga har tre kvalitativa intervjuer genomförts med tre professionella musiker. I resultatet framkommer en rad olika strategier vilka sorterats in i fem meningsenheter: Dagliga tekniska övningsstrategier, Noggranna förberedelser, Tidsplanering, Övriga strategier och Strävan efter utveckling. I diskussionen sätts dessa strategier i relation till bakgrundslitteratur och forskning samt till fenomenologi.

Playing a musical instrument is a very beautiful, but very physically demanding craft. Many musicians suffer from musculoskeletal pain caused, among other things, by a rigid, unchanging posture and a focus on performance at the expense of comfort. The theoretical part of the thesis deals with the influence of music production on the musculoskeletal system of the musician and the possibilities of therapy aimed at improving sensorimotor skills and kinesthesia. The practical part followed the influence of therapy inspired by the Feldenkrais method and Alexander's technique on the movement of the musician during and outside the performance. The research was conducted on 19 professional string musicians. Testing of probands consisted of measurements with inertial sensors, objective measurements of sensorimotor skills and kinesthesia and a questionnaire survey. The parameter measured by the inertial sensors was a jerk (indicates the smoothness of the movement). The results of the measurements show that, even after a single therapy, the smoothness of the chest movement improved statistically significantly.

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master’s Degree in Technology: Chiropractic, Durban University of Technology, 2010. / Background: Professional orchestral string musicians are exposed to many physical and psychological stressors due to demands placed on them from playing their instruments. The prevalence of performance-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMD’s) in this highly skilled group of individuals has been investigated internationally, consistently showing a high injury rate. There is however, a paucity of literature documenting the prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries in South African professional orchestral string players. It is hypothesized that South African trained orchestral string musicians may be at a greater risk for PRMD development due to the unique training and performance environments encountered in this country. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the demographic and injury profile; prevalence rate of current injury and risk factors for musculoskeletal injury in South African professional orchestral string musicians. Method: The study utilized a self administered quantitative questionnaire distributed to all string players in the three professional orchestras in South African in a semi-supervised fashion. SPSS version 15.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, USA) was used to analyze the data. A p value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. iv v Results: There were 27 respondents, with the average participant being a Caucasian, right handed, non-smoking female, 37.11 years of age, 1.5631 meters tall, with a weight of 62.96 kilograms (BMI = 25.768) who exercised regularly (primarily in the gym). A bachelors degree in Music was the most commonly awarded qualification, obtained between the years 2000 and 2009, from a University outside of the Republic of South Africa. The prevalence of PRMD’s in the sample was 63% (n = 17), with a 95% confidence interval of 42.4% to 80.6%.In this study there was a high rate of injury (6.53 PRMD’s per player over a 12 month period), equating to 111 reported injuries in a population of 27 string players. The upper back (defined as the area between the shoulder blades) was the most commonly injured part of the body (77.8%, n = 21), followed by the upper extremity, mainly the shoulder (70.4%, n = 19). No statistically significant relationships were found in determining and confirming expected risk factors in the string players. Conclusion: Professional orchestral string musicians in South Africa suffer from a high rate of injury which is comparable to international studies of the same nature