A new comprehensive review reveals the specific pathologies that can arise from violin playing and focuses the spotlight on the need for interdisciplinary care and treatment for violinists.

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Published on 28 August by a team of German academics and researchers, the review highlights the intricacies of violin playing, from the precise placement of the instrument on the left shoulder to the controlled movements of the hands and fingers – a dance of posture and motion that can, over time, lead to a range of pathologies unique to players of the instrument.

The study, compiling over 30 previously published papers, also looks into into specific auditory and dermatological challenges some violinists may face in their playing careers.

Wisdom of the ages

The paper notes that studies into the impact of work-related movement and stress on the body dates back centuries, at least to Italian physician Bernardino Ramazzini’s 18th century observations (in his De morbis artificum diatriba of 1713) on the impact of unnatural movements on the human frame. His words laid the foundation what we now understand as occupational health and safety.

Centuries later, Ramazzini’s early insights were made music-specific by German...