My Elite Massage, LLC

De-stress Wednesday
"What worries you masters you." - John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding Volume 1
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"De-Stress Wednesday
"Your calm mind is the ultimate weapon against your challenge." - Bryant McGill
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Health and Exercise Tuesday
"It's never too late and never too early to work towards being the healthiest you." - Anonymous
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Massage Monday
"Touch seems to be as essential as sunlight." - Diane Ackerman
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Massage Monday
"If you listen to your body when it whispers, you won't have to hear it scream." ~ Unknown
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De-stress Wednesday: "Stress in an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency." Natalie Goldberg

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." - John Wooden
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Massage Monday: "Work is the greatest thing in the world. So we should always save some of it for tomorrow." - Don Herold

Your instrument is an extension of your body, but the price of mastery might be chronic pain. Whether your instrument is the guitar, a keyboard, strings, brass, woodwinds, or drums, a systematic review by Kok and colleagues in the International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health (March 2016) found that 12-month prevalence of playing-related musculoskeletal disorders ranges from 41-93%, with lifetime prevalence between 62-93%. A South African study in Medical Problems of Performing Artists (December 2021) found that 76% of professional orchestral musicians experienced these disorders at some point in their careers.
The specific patterns depend on your instrument. String players develop neck and shoulder tension from unbalanced positioning, along with left hand problems from sustained finger pressure and positions. Pianists face overuse injuries in the forearms, wrists, and hands. Wind players experience neck and jaw tension from embouchure (mouth positioning) along with postural strain from supporting the instrument. Drummers develop rotator cuff problems from repetitive overhead movements and lower back strain from seated positioning. All musicians face the risk of focal dystonia (involuntary muscle contractions causing loss of control), a devastating condition linked to overuse and poor biomechanics.
The pressure to perform often leads musicians to push through pain with whatever provides relief. But masking symptoms with NSAIDs while continuing to play allows progressive tissue damage doesn't address the technique issues, muscle imbalances, or movement dysfunction causing the problem.
Orthopedic massage offers specialized intervention for musicians. Treatment addresses the precise joints and muscle groups stressed by your instrument and helps prevent the chronic conditions that end musical careers. Many conservatories and professional orchestras now include massage therapy in their wellness programs. Regular sessions provide the maintenance that protects your artistry and livelihood.

If you’re a massage therapist, the irony isn't lost on you. You spend your days helping others' bodies to heal while your own accrues tension, pain, and dysfunction. As massage therapists, we face surprisingly high rates of career-ending injuries. The Canadian survey by Barraclough and colleagues published in the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (September 2022), found 60.3% of massage therapists attributed work-related pain to gradual onset of musculoskeletal conditions, with 54.6% working in pain and 30.5% considering changing or having changed their profession.
You already know the biomechanical demands are significant. Applying sustained pressure requires engagement of the entire kinetic chain, from your feet through your legs, core, and into your hands. And if the body mechanics are off at all, they create excessive strain on the thumbs, wrists, forearms, shoulders, and lower back. Plus, the repetitive nature of the work creates overuse injuries and cumulative trauma disorders.
Like many bodyworkers, you might downplay your own pain, work through discomfort, or rely solely on self-stretching between sessions. But self-stretching care may or may not be able to keep up with working 15-30 hours hands-on each week continuing the very movements causing the dysfunction in the first place. Over-reliance on anti-inflammatories carries the same risks for you as for any other professional such as potential organ damage or masked progression of injury.
Orthopedic massage from another skilled practitioner is something that could be essential self-care. Experience shows that targeted treatment addressing specific overuse patterns can reduce pain and improve function, and that could extend your career longevity for as long as you want. Regular sessions are the professional maintenance that can keep you working.
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