Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Classical Guitar and Playing-Related Musculoskeletal Problems - A Systematic Review

Johnson, David (2009)
Malmö Academy of Music
Abstract
Traditional classical guitar playing position — using a footstool for the left foot to elevate the leg — is considered by some guitar pedagogues to be an important risk factor for developing Playing-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (PRMD) among guitarists; alternative supports for the classical guitar have emerged in the past three decades as a putatively more healthy method of sitting with the instrument. This review study aimed to determine what research currently exists concerning classical guitar playing position and the risk of PRMD, and of classical guitar and PRMD in general. A systematic search was performed on the online database Web of Knowledge and the Performance Arts Medicine Association (PAMA) online bibliography, and a... (More)
Traditional classical guitar playing position — using a footstool for the left foot to elevate the leg — is considered by some guitar pedagogues to be an important risk factor for developing Playing-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (PRMD) among guitarists; alternative supports for the classical guitar have emerged in the past three decades as a putatively more healthy method of sitting with the instrument. This review study aimed to determine what research currently exists concerning classical guitar playing position and the risk of PRMD, and of classical guitar and PRMD in general. A systematic search was performed on the online database Web of Knowledge and the Performance Arts Medicine Association (PAMA) online bibliography, and a manual search was performed on the journal, Medical Problems of Performing Artists. The search yielded a total of thirteen articles concerning classical guitar and PRMD, none of which specifically address playing position as a risk factor. The quality of the relevant articles was low; none were constructed to allow for analysis of basic epidemiological measures such as prevalence, incidence or relative risk. This study found that there was no conclusive scientific evidence that alternative supports are healthier or even as healthy as the traditional footstool.

Den traditionella sittställningen för klassiskt gitarrspel med en fotpall under vänster fot som höjer upp vänster ben anses av vissa gitarrpedagoger vara en viktig riskfaktor för utvecklandet av spel-relaterade muskuloskeletala besvär. Alternativa hjälpmedel har utvecklats under de sista tre decennierna som ett påstått hälsosammare sätt att sitta med gitarren. Denna litteraturgranskande forskningsuppsats ämnar fastslå vilken vetenskaplig kunskap som finns angående ämnet klassiskt gitarrspelsätt och risk för relaterade muskuloskeletala besvär samt klassiskt gitarrspel och risk för muskuloskeletala besvär. En systematisk sökning genomfördes i vetenskapsdatabasen Web of Knowledge och online databasen för Performance Arts Medicine Association (PAMA). Det gjordes även en manuell sökning i tidskriften Medical Problems of Performing artists. Sammanlagt från dessa källor fanns tretton artiklar som rörde klassisk gitarr och muskuloskeletala besvär; inga av dessa behandlade sittställning som en specifik riskfaktor. Kvaliteten på de inkluderade artiklarna var låg; inga var konstruerade så att det gick att avgöra viktiga epidemiologiska mått såsom prevalens, incidens och relativ risk. Resultatet av denna studie var att det inte finns någon vetenskaplig evidens för att alternativa hjälpmedel är hälsosammare eller ens lika hälsosamma som den traditionella fotpallen. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Johnson, David
supervisor
organization
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
klassisk gitarr, spelrelaterade besvär, sittställning, hälsa, classical guitar, performance-related musculoskeletal injury, playing position, health
language
English
id
1530017
date added to LUP
2010-01-20 16:28:54
date last changed
2010-01-20 16:28:54
@misc{1530017,
  abstract     = {{Traditional classical guitar playing position — using a footstool for the left foot to elevate the leg — is considered by some guitar pedagogues to be an important risk factor for developing Playing-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (PRMD) among guitarists; alternative supports for the classical guitar have emerged in the past three decades as a putatively more healthy method of sitting with the instrument. This review study aimed to determine what research currently exists concerning classical guitar playing position and the risk of PRMD, and of classical guitar and PRMD in general. A systematic search was performed on the online database Web of Knowledge and the Performance Arts Medicine Association (PAMA) online bibliography, and a manual search was performed on the journal, Medical Problems of Performing Artists. The search yielded a total of thirteen articles concerning classical guitar and PRMD, none of which specifically address playing position as a risk factor. The quality of the relevant articles was low; none were constructed to allow for analysis of basic epidemiological measures such as prevalence, incidence or relative risk. This study found that there was no conclusive scientific evidence that alternative supports are healthier or even as healthy as the traditional footstool.

Den traditionella sittställningen för klassiskt gitarrspel med en fotpall under vänster fot som höjer upp vänster ben anses av vissa gitarrpedagoger vara en viktig riskfaktor för utvecklandet av spel-relaterade muskuloskeletala besvär. Alternativa hjälpmedel har utvecklats under de sista tre decennierna som ett påstått hälsosammare sätt att sitta med gitarren. Denna litteraturgranskande forskningsuppsats ämnar fastslå vilken vetenskaplig kunskap som finns angående ämnet klassiskt gitarrspelsätt och risk för relaterade muskuloskeletala besvär samt klassiskt gitarrspel och risk för muskuloskeletala besvär. En systematisk sökning genomfördes i vetenskapsdatabasen Web of Knowledge och online databasen för Performance Arts Medicine Association (PAMA). Det gjordes även en manuell sökning i tidskriften Medical Problems of Performing artists. Sammanlagt från dessa källor fanns tretton artiklar som rörde klassisk gitarr och muskuloskeletala besvär; inga av dessa behandlade sittställning som en specifik riskfaktor. Kvaliteten på de inkluderade artiklarna var låg; inga var konstruerade så att det gick att avgöra viktiga epidemiologiska mått såsom prevalens, incidens och relativ risk. Resultatet av denna studie var att det inte finns någon vetenskaplig evidens för att alternativa hjälpmedel är hälsosammare eller ens lika hälsosamma som den traditionella fotpallen.}},
  author       = {{Johnson, David}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Classical Guitar and Playing-Related Musculoskeletal Problems - A Systematic Review}},
  year         = {{2009}},
}