Addressing stress-related illness in professional musicians

The health profession has become increasingly aware of the frequent incidence of work-related injuries and illnesses occurring among professional musicians. Although all workers run risks of stress-related health problems, performers must work under especially stressful conditions. Musicians must perform before the public; they must perform under the constant critical scrutiny of conductors; and they are expected to perform perfectly. Stressors, some unique to the music profession, some shared with other working populations, can come from the environment in which musicians must work, from psychological pressures, and from factors intrinsic to a performing career. In response to the increasing incidence and awareness of the health problems of professional musicians, music medicine, a new medical specialty, has come into being. Physicians who treat performers can act as resources to educate their patients about work-related stress and to refer them to appropriate mental health professionals. They can be instrumental in helping musician patients return to performing careers with a new ability to handle work-related injuries and stress.