Occupational Performance Issues and Predictors of Dysfunction in College Instrumentalists - UIndy professors and students publish recent research in Medical Problems of Performing Artists


Music-related injuries among musicians, including younger musicians, have been well documented; however, minimal research has been completed with college-aged instrumentalists. The purpose of this research study was to describe the presence of physical symptoms in college-age musicians and the impact of these symptoms on music-playing and other daily occupations. Data collection was completed
on college instrumental music majors using two survey questionnaires, which documented the presence of physical symptoms in the upper limb and the impact of these symptoms on function. The results indicate that a significant number of students reported pain or discomfort that occurred during music-playing, at rest, and during other daily occupations. Results were consistent with the literature in regards to the prevalence of symptoms in female instrumentalists as compared to males and the occurrence of more symptoms in those individuals playing string instruments and piano as compared to other instrument groups. Also, as self-reported pain increased, a greater level of dysfunction in occupational performance was found. Results also indicated that when participants were already implementing intervention strategies, this was perhaps a predictor of the presence of pain and dysfunction. Health professionals should be encouraged to provide preventive education for student musicians and to use outcome measures, such as the Disabilities of the Hand, Arm, and Shoulder (DASH) outcome measure, to identify the potential for functional impairments. Med Probl Perform Art 2008; 23:72–78. Rebecca Barton, DHS, OTR, Clyde Killian, PhD, PT, Morgan Bushee, OTR, Julia Callen, OTR, Teresa Cupp, OTR, Brandy Ochs, OTR, Michelle Sharp, OTR, and Katie Tetrault, OTR.

The University of Indianapolis is a private university in Indiana, and ranked among the best universities in the Midwest. It offers a range of undergraduate, master’s and doctoral programs, as well as accelerated degree programs for adult learners seeking a bachelor’s degree through Indiana night classes, or for students wishing to complete an Indianapolis MBA program through Saturday classes. The university is a favorite choice among students wishing to attend Indiana nursing schools, physical therapy programs in Indiana and occupational therapy programs in Indiana; all three are ranked among the best of these programs nationally.

Senator Hillary Clinton’s senior health policy adviser, Andrea Palm, and the president of the American Nurses Association, Becky Patton, visited the University of Indianapolis campus on April 15, 2008 to discuss the Clinton campaign’s healthcare platform and answer questions from UIndy faculty and students. This visit was part of a tour of nursing schools in the state of Indiana. This event offered a wonderful opportunity for our students, regardless of political background, to discuss healthcare issues with two highly influential shapers of national policy.

For more information about the School of Nursing at the University of Indianapolis, see http://nursing.uindy.edu/.

The University of Indianapolis is a private university in Indiana, and ranked among the best universities in the Midwest. It offers a range of undergraduate, master’s and doctoral programs, as well as accelerated degree programs for adult learners seeking a bachelor’s degree through Indiana night classes, or for students wishing to complete an Indianapolis MBA program through Saturday classes. The university is a favorite choice among students wishing to attend Indiana nursing schools, physical therapy programs in Indiana and occupational therapy programs in Indiana; all three are ranked among the best of these programs nationally.

Gary Karp will speak to occupational and physical therapy students on Friday, April 4, 2008 from 10 a.m. to noon in the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center, Ruth Lilly Performance Hall at the University of Indianapolis. This event is free and open to the public.

From http://www.garykarpspeaks.com/speaking.html
Gary Karp is an internationally recognized public speaker, corporate trainer, facilitator, author, and editor.

He has been living — fully — with a T12 spinal cord injury since 1973 when he was injured in a fall from a tree at the age of eighteen.

For his unique and extensive contributions to disability awareness, in 2007 Gary was inducted into the Spinal Cord Injury Hall of Fame as a disability educator.

Since his injury, Gary has earned a graduate degree in architecture, worked for eleven years in the presentation graphics industry as a designer and production manager, then began providing ergonomics training and consultation services to companies in the San Francisco Bay Area where he lives with his wife Paula and their yellow Labrador Retriever, Nava Leah.

A very highly-regarded speaker, Gary is sponsored in part by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center, which funds his speaking in rehabilitation settings and to university students of physical and occupational therapy.

As a corporate trainer on disability and employment Gary makes the business case for working with employees with disabilities. He creates a safe and interactive environment to discuss what some find an uncomfortable topic — and in the process helps bring workplace culture up to speed on the dramatic emergence of people with disabilities — as candidates, and an existing employee's capacity to stay on the job or return more efficiently.

For more information about the College of Health Sciences at the University of Indianapolis, see http://healthsciences.uindy.edu/.

The University of Indianapolis is a private university in Indiana, and ranked among the best universities in the Midwest. It offers a range of undergraduate, master’s and doctoral programs, as well as accelerated degree programs for adult learners seeking a bachelor’s degree through Indiana night classes, or for students wishing to complete an Indianapolis MBA program through Saturday classes. The university is a favorite choice among students wishing to attend Indiana nursing schools, physical therapy programs in Indiana and occupational therapy programs in Indiana; all three are ranked among the best of these programs nationally.

The College of Health Sciences at the University of Indianapolis includes the Krannert School of Physical Therapy and the School of Occupational Therapy.

We are proud to offer undergraduate and graduate programs, including:

• Physical Therapist Assistant, associate's degree
• Master of Occupational Therapy
• Doctor of Physical Therapy
• Postprofessional master's and doctoral degrees in occupational therapy and physical therapy

 For more information on the College of Health Sciences, see http://healthsciences.uindy.edu/.

For information on UIndy's School of Nursing, see http://nursing.uindy.edu/.

The University of Indianapolis is a private university in Indiana, and ranked among the best universities in the Midwest. It offers a range of undergraduate, master’s and doctoral programs, as well as accelerated degree programs for adult learners seeking a bachelor’s degree through Indiana night classes, or for students wishing to complete an Indianapolis MBA program through Saturday classes. The university is a favorite choice among students wishing to attend Indiana nursing schools, physical therapy programs in Indiana and occupational therapy programs in Indiana; all three are ranked among the best of these programs nationally.