Neck muscle function in violinists/violists with and without neck pain

Area of Science:

• Neuromuscular control
• Musculoskeletal health
• Performing arts medicine

Background:

• Neck pain is common in musicians, particularly violinists and violists.
• Playing requires precise control of cervical flexor muscles for instrument stabilization.
• Altered neuromuscular control may contribute to or result from neck pain in musicians.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the behavior of neck flexor muscles in violin/viola players with and without neck pain.
• To compare muscle activity during the craniocervical flexion test (CCFT) between symptomatic players, asymptomatic players, and non-musicians.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study design was employed.
• Participants included violin/viola players with neck pain (n=12), without recent neck pain (n=21), and pain-free non-musicians (n=21).
• Surface electromyography (EMG) measured sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle activity during the CCFT.

Main Results:

• Violin/viola players with neck pain exhibited significantly higher normalized SCM EMG amplitudes during CCFT compared to both pain-free musicians and non-musicians (P < 0.05).
• This suggests altered superficial neck flexor muscle activation patterns in musicians experiencing neck pain.
• The findings indicate a link between playing-related neck pain and aberrant muscle behavior, even with specific muscle use during performance.

Conclusions:

• Playing-related neck pain in violinists and violists is associated with altered superficial neck flexor muscle behavior.
• This altered behavior, characterized by increased SCM activity during CCFT, is consistent with general neck pain patterns.
• These findings highlight potential neuromuscular factors contributing to neck pain in musicians.