Prevention of musicians' hand problems.

A significant proportion of musicians suffer musculoskeletal problems as a result of playing their instruments. The author describes the British Performing Arts Medicine Trust founded by Dr. Ian James 12 years ago to address these problems in Great Britain. The author, a rheumatologist consultant since its inception, reviews over a thousand cases seen at these clinics. Almost half of these patients had no obvious structural abnormality sustaining symptoms through poor posture, bad practice techniques, unfitness and overuse. Lack of full rehabilitation after injury was the most common cause of structural disorders. The responsibilities for prevention of injuries is described for the three components of the profession: musicians, teachers, and administrators.