Biblioteca de la Guitarra y Cuerda Pulsada

Traditional classical guitar playing position using a footstool for the left foot to elevate the leg is considered by some guitar pedagogues to be an important risk factor for developing Playing-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (PRMD) among guitarists; alternative supports for the classical guitar have emerged in the past three decades as a putatively more healthy method of sitting with the instrument. This review study aimed to determine what research currently exists concerning classical guitar playing position and the risk of PRMD, and of classical guitar and PRMD in general. A systematic search was performed on the online database Web of Knowledge and the Performance Arts Medicine Association (PAMA) online bibliography, and a manual search was performed on the journal, Medical Problems of Performing Artists. The search yielded a total of thirteen articles concerning classical guitar and PRMD, none of which specifically address playing position as a risk factor. The quality of the relevant articles was low; none were constructed to allow for analysis of basic epidemiological measures such as prevalence, incidence or relative risk. This study found that there was no conclusive scientific evidence that alternative supports are healthier or even as healthy as the traditional footstool. Keywords: classical guitar, performance-related musculoskeletal injury, playing position, health.

EXAMENSARBETE HÖSTTERMINEN 2009 LÄRARUTBILDNINGEN I MUSIK DAVID JOHNSON Classical Guitar and Playing-Related Musculoskeletal Problems A Systematic Review David Johnson 11/20/2009 Handledare: Stefan Östersjö

Classical Guitar and Playing-Related Musculoskeletal Problems