The Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders of Traditional Korean String Instrument Player

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders of traditional Korean string instrument player playing the Gayageum, Geomungo, Ajaeng and Haegeum. Background: Many instrument players have suffered from the musculoskeletal pain of various body parts. However, there is no research on the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders of traditional Korean string instrument players. Method: A questionnaire was developed to investigate pain symptoms of musculoskeletal problems through focus group interview. The questionnaire consisted of four parts: demographic factors, performance factors, pain symptoms and experience of musculoskeletal disorders. For the survey, 86 expert players participated. The data from the survey were analyzed by correlation analysis and chi-square analysis. Results: The symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders and severe pain were observed at neck, shoulder, back and knee. These problems were statistically related to the factor of height in Gayageum and Geomungo. In addition, the pain symptoms in Geomungo were analyzed according to age and career. Conclusion: The symptoms of playing-related musculoskeletal disorders of traditional Korean musical players were prevalently observed at neck, shoulder, back and knee. In addition, these symptoms were related to the various demographic factors such as age, body height, BMI, career, sex, hobby and stretching. Application: The results of this study can be used as the preliminary data for preventing the musculoskeletal injuries of traditional Korean musical instrument players.