Acupuncture in treatment of musculoskeletal disorders of orchestra musicians

Objective: Playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMD) are common among musicians. Acupuncture is well established in Germany as a treatment for orthopedic conditions, but it is not commonly used in the treatment of PRMD yet. The authors examined the musicians' health literature and provide a brief overview about the background of acupuncture. Three case studies are presented to show possible benefits for the treatment of PRMD. Participants: 2456 medical doctors, members of the German research group for acupuncture. Methods: We searched literature and Medline Database for publications about acupuncture, musicians' medicine and musculoskeletal disorders. Additionally we asked medical doctors, via a questionnaire, about the treatment of professional musicians as patients. Case studies are presented. Results: No research was found to support the use oft acupuncture in PRMD. The survey study found that medical doctors are not satisfied with the quality of medical health care provided to musicians and regard specialist knowledge as being important. Conclusion: Evidence on the benefits of acupuncture for musculoskeletal disorders suggests that it could be of benefit as a complementary treatment of PRMD. We suggest performing clinical trials to demonstrate the value of standard treatment, acupuncture and complementary medicine for PRMD.