Physio guidance tailored to orchestral musicians goes live

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and charity Help Musicians have partnered on guidance designed to support the physical health and wellbeing of orchestral musicians.

Titled A Symphony of Good Sense, the toolkit provides physiotherapists and healthcare professionals with information on how to tailor health and wellbeing provision to musicians’ needs.

It features details on common injuries experienced across each section of the orchestra and outlines approaches to risk-reduction strategies as well as guidance on how to identify work-related musculoskeletal issues early and aid recovery.

Physiotherapist Dr Sarah Upjohn, author of the guidance, says the toolkit includes musician terminology to make physiotherapists aware of the language used in the classical music industry. 

A statement from Royal Liverpool Philharmonic says orchestral musicians face high injury rates, with multiple studies pointing towards more than 80% of professional players experiencing injuries during their career.

Help Musicians chief executive Sarah Woods added that the research has been crucial to the charity’s work on preventing issues which can derail careers.

“A career in music can be exhilarating but there are risks too; injuries can be common and with many musicians working as freelancers, this can have a devastating impact on both career development and financial stability,” Woods added.