Design and assessment of a musculoskeletal injury prevention programme for wind players.

Background: The cervical and mandibular regions are main areas of occurrence of pain in wind players.

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the design and to find out the level of satisfaction of a specific exercise programme for cervical and mandibular musculature and mobility in wind players.

Methods: The programme was divided into two phases: the first one of education and the second one of implementation. The exercises included were divided into warm-up exercises (including cervical and jaw muscle mobility and activation, as well as postural awareness) and cool-down exercises (stretching and relaxing the main muscles in these areas). The programme was 12 weeks long. Participants were wind musician students.

Results: Twenty-seven students completed the pre- and post-intervention assessment, of which 13 completed the exercises. Considering the total sample, the described difficulty was low and satisfaction was high. The musicians who performed the programme indicated a high importance in instrumental practice and injury prevention, as well as ease of implementation.

Conclusions: Satisfaction with the exercise programme has been high. The fact that it is short, easy to perform and can be done by everyone makes it a quick and simple programme for everyone to do.