Sensory and sensorimotor features in violinists and violists with neck pain

To investigate sensory and sensorimotor function in violin and viola players with and without neck pain.

Prospective, cross-sectional study.

University laboratory.

Convenience sample of violin players with playing-related neck pain (n=22), violinists without neck pain (n=21), and healthy nonmusician comparison subjects (n=21).

Not applicable.

Measures include thermal pain thresholds (cold and heat) and pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) over the cervical spine and over a remote region (tibialis anterior muscle). Motor performance tests including reaction times, speed of movement, accuracy, coordination, and tapping speed assessed with a special upper-limb test battery.

Musicians with neck pain had significantly lower heat and elevated cold pain thresholds as well as lower PPTs over C5-6 (P<.01) and over the tibialis anterior (P<.05). Motor performance tests revealed no differences between the symptomatic and asymptomatic musicians and nonmusician comparison groups (P>.05).

Violin players with neck pain demonstrated signs of sensory impairment, suggesting that playing-related neck pain may be associated with augmented central pain processing consistent with findings in other neck pain groups. No differences were evident in the motor performance tests. Fine motor skills of violin players may be better assessed in the context of playing their musical instruments before definitive conclusions can be drawn about the presence or not of sensorimotor impairments in this group of musicians with playing-related neck pain.