Guitarists' pain was common, but treatment evidence remained unsettled
A clinical review described musculoskeletal pain and psychological problems among guitarists. Its pain estimate was imprecise, and evidence for treating dystonia remained inconclusive.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The review described muscle and joint pain as common among studied guitarists and also identified psychological problems. Longer practice and playing posture were suggested as possible contributors to pain, without establishing causation. For dystonia, the review found that effectiveness and safety remain unestablished for available invasive and noninvasive treatments.
Studies ranged from case reports to observational research and randomized trials. The abstract omits participant totals, symptom reporting periods and treatment effect estimates, limiting assessment of applicability and treatment benefits.
What researchers found
Musculoskeletal pain among guitarists
Pooled prevalence; no comparator or symptom reporting timeframe was specified. The reported confidence interval was wide.
What the review examined
The authors examined clinical literature on medical problems in guitarists and summarized treatment evidence. The varied study designs addressed different questions, including how common conditions were and what had been reported about treatment.
Why the uncertainty matters
The confidence interval around the pooled pain estimate was wide, leaving considerable uncertainty about how common pain was in the studied populations. The abstract supplies no comparable numerical estimate for psychological problems.
The original publication
Prevalence and Treatment of Guitar-Related Medical Problems: A Systematic Review of Clinical Studies.
Kim TH, Kang JW, Kim HY
Med Probl Perform Art · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41762154
- Record checked
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