Impact of Alexander technique, mirror therapy versus conventional therapy on musician’s cramp in guitarists

Abstract

Introduction and Aim: Musicians may perceive the early symptoms of dystonia because of faulty technique or lack of sufficient preparation. Hand dystonia affecting musicians is often called musician’s dystonia or musician’s cramp.  Guitarists are typically affected in their left hand and the spasms may cause the fingers to contract and curl under when attempting to play. The condition called focal dystonia (musician’s cramp), can afflict typist or anyone else who makes repetitive, forceful, precise movements. The objective of the study is to observe the impact of alexander technique versus mirror therapy on musician’s cramp. Methodology: A total of 150 subjects were randomly selected based on the inclusion criteria. The selected subjects were divided in three groups namely group A, B and C respectively. The evaluation parameters were performed using the Likert scale and was framed based on pain, mobility, and grip. Results: Likert scale for pain, mobility and grip was used to analyse data. The results of this study show that the Alexander Technique is more effective than mirror therapy and conventional therapy to reduce pain and improve mobility and grip for guitarists. Conclusion: These results suggest that playing guitar by adapting Alexander technique is advantageous for building speed.