Health and Wellness of Musicians

Health and wellness issues of musicians are often overlooked. From voice injury to hearing loss, back pain to carpal tunnel syndrome, musicians are prone to varying types and degrees of injury. Whether you are looking to build stamina and endurance for performance, or to reduce the likelihood of over-stressing your muscles, the following list provides a range of resources that help musicians stay in shape and prevent injuries, such as stretching exercises, techniques to improve posture and breathing, and short warm-up routines that limit damage to muscle tensions.

1. Musician’s Health. Some stretching exercises from Dr. Jameson’s book “Repetitive Strain Injuries: Alternative Treatments and Prevention.”

2. Breathing exercises for wind instrumentalists. Exercises that help you master your breath control.

3. Alexander Techniques for Musicians. The Alexander Technique for woodwind players, string players and for general daily practice.

4. Qi Gong for Musicians. Fundamental motions and exercises in Qi Gong for musicians.

5. Hearing Loss Prevention. Some tips on what you can do to protect your hearing. (Check out the decibels of common musical instruments: Decibels (loudness) chart.

The above are not supposed to and are not intended to substitute for proper medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding any medical condition.