Playing-Related Problems among Musicians of the Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club® and Supporting Bands

The Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club® is a world-renowned group of Cuban musicians accomplished in a variety of musical styles. The musicians of the Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club and supporting musicians of their orchestras represent a cohort of musicians throughout Cuba who continue to play traditional genres and perform into their older ages.

The purpose of the study was to (1) identify musculoskeletal conditions that occurred over the previous 12 months among the members of the Orquesta and supporting musicians and (2) to discover if these conditions, in part, were caused by or in some way affected musical performance.

The study was a convenience sample of musicians within the Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club and supporting musical groups. Thirty-six musicians completed a self-administered survey.

Sixty-seven percent (24/36) of the total sample of musicians and 89% (16/18) of those over age 60 years had at least one musculoskeletal condition over the previous 12 months. Forty-four percent (16/36) of the total sample of musicians and 61% (11/18) of those older than 60 years of age reported that a musculoskeletal complaint was either, in part, caused by or affected their performance.

Musculoskeletal conditions were prevalent among the Cuban musicians, especially in those over 60 years of age. Collaboration of medical professionals, managers, and musicians may help to generate ideas on how to prevent injuries as well as to evaluate what treatments for playing-related conditions, including both conventional and complementary and alternative therapies, are most effective.