Warning signal pain
The 16th SMM and SIS symposium in Lucerne will focus on a topic that should by no means be suppressed.
SMM - Experiencing pain is part of everyday life as a musician. They can hinder or even end careers. Unless they are understood as a signal to manage artistic ambitions or professional obligations in such a way that the health and integrity of the body are not endangered. Whereas in the past, biting through and ignoring physiological and physical resistance was seen as a sign of misunderstood professionalism, it is now clear that only intelligent, informed consideration for one's own physical well-being can guarantee a long and satisfying life as a musician.
At the SMM symposium, psychiatrist and psychotherapist Stefan Büchi - who is Medical Director of the Privatklinik Hohenegg - points out that pain is never a physical phenomenon to be viewed in isolation, but a fundamental experience that includes cognitive, emotional and social aspects in equal measure. He also discusses the consequences of this understanding of pain for therapy.
Anke Steinmetz, President of the German Society for Music Physiology and Musicians' Medicine (DGfMM), will explain that in addition to one-sided and often prolonged static stress, instrument-specific and ergonomic aspects also play an important role in the development of pain. According to the specialist in physical and rehabilitative medicine, successful therapies for chronic pain syndromes generally require multimodal interdisciplinary treatment concepts.
Robert Schleip, head of the fascia research group at the University of Ulm, will present the latest findings from international connective tissue research with relevance for music medicine. Fasciae (connective tissue) form a fine-meshed network that envelops and penetrates muscles, bones and organs. They are also found in the skin, cartilage, bones, joints, tendons, brain and spinal cord. Among other things, Schleip discusses preventive fascia training to prevent overuse injuries and the role of fascial mechanoreceptors in proprioceptive body perception.
One presentation is dedicated to practical guidance on self-help. Specialists Horst Hildebrandt, Oliver Margulies and Marta Nemcova from the Musicians' Consultation at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) will demonstrate the repertoire of self-help options - in addition to so-called bottleneck stretches and self-massage techniques, including optimized interaction of fine motor components with orderly support and postural motor skills.
In a second presentation, Urs Schlumpf, Beate Walter and Katja Bucher contribute their experiences from the musicians' consultation at Lucerne Cantonal Hospital. They show how local muscular overstrain can be mixed with technical errors.
Sustainable rehabilitation is only possible thanks to an interdisciplinary approach in which the diagnosing doctor, the treating physiotherapist or occupational therapist and the responsible music teacher arrive at a unité de doctrine.
5 SGARM credits will be awarded for the event in the Marianischer Saal in Lucerne, which will be moderated by SMM President Martina Berchtold-Neumann. Registration is open until October 15 via the SMM website at the bottom of the symposium page (www.musik-medizin.ch/aktuelles-symposium) or at the SMM secretariat.
