Prevalence and Risk Factors of Musical Play-related Musculoskeletal Pain among Female Music Students in Tehran

Female music students report a higher prevalence of musculoskeletal pain compared with male music students. Incorrect posture while playing a musical instrument, is a key factor causing musculoskeletal pain in this group. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of play-related musculoskeletal pain and related factors among female music students in Tehran.
A cross-sectional study was conducted among 243 female music students from October 2021 to November 2021. Data was collected using a self-report questionnaire, Numeric pain rating scale and Nordic Body Map respectively. Participants’ posture was assessed using theRapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) checklist. Correlation and chi-square tests were applied to obtain the relationship between the presence of musculoskeletal pain and posture. A significance level of 0.05 was considered.
Of the 243 surveyed female music students, 65% (n = 80) reported at least one symptomatic area in the last week. The neck (33.7%), shoulders (24.7%), lower back (23.9%) and wrists/hands (22.6%) were most often affected. Participants who were older or had incorrect posture, have reported musculoskeletal pain significantly (P = 0.002 and P = 0.001 respectively). In addition, there was significant relationship between types of instruments with pain (P = 0.018). There was no significant relationship between the history and duration playing and educational status with pain.
It can be concluded that musculoskeletal pain was a major health problem among female music students. Educating about correct posture in music conservatories could be important in prevention and treatment of such disorders in this group.