Music intervention to prevent musculoskeletal disorders

Background:

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are a major public health challenge globally and is theleading contributor to disability worldwide. The challenge is especially high in low- andmedium developing countries. The cause is multifactorial, but workplaces have many known factors contributing to the risk of developing MSD. To date much attention has been given to the prevention of MSD at workplaces, but the focus in the strategies so far has been relatively one-sided towards physical exercise, use of medications and diversetherapy like physiotherapy, massage, and acupuncture. The strategies have also mainly been to supply the workers with an option of for instance doing training outside work to prevent developing MSD. Thereby also leading to an uncertainty of the effectiveness ofthe program since those who use the option often already are doing physical exercise. But when the cause of MSD is multifactorial, should not the preventive focus also bemultifactorial? Music activities are understood as multimodal health-promoting interventions and the are so far investigated in relation to treatment situations. Music involves aesthetic engagement, imagination, cognitive stimulation, sensory and motoric activation, evocation of emotions and sense of community. All of which are important factors in preventing MSD and creating a healthy workplace.

Question:

Can music interventions contribute to prevention of musculoskeletal disorders at work?

Method:

A stepwise project with different work packages is to be developed who will investigate two types of industries and six different workplaces.

Work package 1

“Baseline” Investigate prevalence of MSD at the workplaces through questionnaire, level of sick leave at the workplaces and use of preventive/treatment strategies (use of medications, therapies, and ergonomic developmentat workplace).

Work package 2

“Developing music therapy intervention.” Development of music therapy intervention for the different workplaces in the study. Development through user involvementand interview-based surveys at the workplaces. The therapy chosen must address specific work-related risk factors at the workplace.

Work package 3

“Implementing music therapy interventions.”The different workplaces are to be divided into no intervention,intervention 1 (only listening to music) and intervention 2 (listening and movement to music). Implementation must involve the management of the workplace and heavy user involvement to make the intervention part of the normal working day, with as little as possible influence on the work tasks. Follow-up needs to be at least one year before investigating work package 1 again on the different workplaces.

Hypothesis

Music therapy has high acceptance, interferes little with work tasks and promoteswellbeing at work. We hypothesize that music therapy as a preventive tool will reducethe burden of musculoskeletal symptoms and disorders at work.

Collaborators

This project is developed at the University of Bergen with a collaboration between the following:

Research Group for Occupational- and Environmental Medicine at the department of global public health and primary care.

GAMUT Research Centre at the department of music and fine arts.Polyfon Knowledge Cluster

Department of occupational medicine at Helse Bergen HF

In addition cooperation is established with Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, University of Addis Ababa, TaSuBa and University of Dar Es Salam.