Photo Credit: Microbim

The following is a summary of “Lower thresholds and stronger adaptation to pain in musicians reflect occupational-specific adaptations to contact heat stimulation,” published in the October 2024 issue of Pain by Divarco et al. 

An extensive audio-motor training and psychological stress had led to the acute overstrain injuries and chronic pain in professional musicians, adversely affecting their careers and QoL, while musicians were also found to perceive the pain differently than non-musicians.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to quantify differences between musicians and non-musicians in their subjective responses to painful contact heat stimuli and assess the influence of emotional traits on responses.  

They administered the State-Trait-Anxiety-Depression Inventory to 15 healthy musicians and 15 healthy non-musicians from German universities. Participants received 15 noxious contact heat stimuli at the dorsal side of each hand and foot. After each stimulation, individuals were asked to rate the pain from 0 to 10.  

The results showed that musicians reported significantly higher pain ratings following the initial stimulation and exhibited a greater degree of habituation than non-musicians. Furthermore, the musicians displayed a considerably smaller difference in pain ratings between the hands and feet than non-musicians. Trait anxiety and trait depression scores did not influence pain ratings or habituation.  

Investigators concluded that musicians might exhibit neuroplastic alterations in the nociceptive system, leading to a higher tolerance for pain. 

Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ejp.4738