Comparing the Impact of Specific Strength Training vs General Fitness Training on Professional Symphony Orchestra Musicians A Feasibility Study

Musculoskeletal symptoms, especially in the upper body, are frequent among professional symphony orchestra musicians. Physical exercise may relieve pain but might also interfere with playing performance. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility and effect of specific strength training (SST) versus general fitness training (GFT). METHODS: A feasibility study using randomized controlled methods. Primarily, evaluations involved selfreported impact on instrument playing and satisfaction with the interventions. Secondary evaluations included pain intensity, hand-grip strength, aerobic capacity, body mass index, and self-assessed physical fitness. A total of 23 professional symphony orchestra musicians were randomly allocated to either the SST (n=12) or GFT (n=11) groups. Participants conducted three 20-minutes exercise periods/wk at the workplace for 9 weeks. RESULTS: Evaluations of both interventions showed that approximately 50% of musicians were satisfied with the interventions and experienced a positive impact on playing, while 18% reported a slightly negative impact. From baseline to follow-up, SST showed a significant reduction in pain (26.3 +/- 22.5 to 11.4 +/- 15.2 mm), with no significant reduction for GFT (19.7 +/- 24.0 to 13.5 +/- 26.0 mm). GFT significantly improved aerobic capacity (34.1 +/- 7.9 mL/min/kg to 40.0 +/- 13.6 mL/min/kg) compared to no significant gain for SST. For GFT, a significant improvement was seen in self-reported muscle strength (5.7 +/- 1.3 to 6.5 +/- 1.8) with a tendency toward significant improvement in selfreported aerobic fitness (5.6 +/- 2.3 to 6.2 +/- 2.5). CONCLUSION: Exercise interventions have the potential to improve musicians' working situation. For future research, muscle-strengthening exercises and aerobic fitness exercises might be combined in an intelligently designed program, which may include other relevant educational activities.