Professors from Samford University’s School of Health Professions are demonstrating how physical therapy benefits everyone, from athletes to artists, through a collaborative learning activity with a piano professor.
Dana Blake and Nick Washmuth, associate professors of physical therapy with Samford's School of Health Professions, worked with Jason Terry, former associate professor of piano and director of keyboard studies in the Division of Music, to create a learning activity in which physical therapy doctoral candidates evaluated music students and developed treatment plans to help them understand how playing-related pain can be diagnosed, treated and prevented. This activity was featured in a music curriculum created by Blake and Washmuth in partnership with Terry in the February edition of the MTNA e-Journal.
The program highlights that playing-related pain doesn’t always correlate with a musician’s skill level. The curriculum encourages musicians to address physical issues early rather than waiting until they become debilitating.
"Performing artists should be viewed through a special lens when it comes to health care," Blake said.
The goal is to help musicians, particularly keyboardists, understand the link between pain and anatomy, apply ergonomic principles and use these concepts to play their instruments safely for years to come.
Physical therapy doctoral candidates, guided by Blake and Washmuth, designed intervention plans for musicians experiencing pain, presenting their assessments for faculty feedback before implementing solutions. Washmuth, a specialist in orthopedic physical therapy, integrated the curriculum into his Spine course, giving students hands-on experience in assessing and addressing musicians' unique physical challenges.
"This has been an incredible journey with opportunities to present across multiple platforms and even receive an Outstanding Platform Award and Innovation Award at the ELC-APTA conference," Blake said.
This research originated from a faculty development grant that later received additional funding, allowing it to be presented at the Educational Leadership Conference for the American Physical Therapy Association in 2021. It was then presented at the International Conference on Performing Arts Medicine Association in 2022 and has now been published in the MTNA e-Journal, expanding its impact across multiple disciplines.
Through this interdisciplinary approach, students helped musicians and are now applying these principles to other professionals, including dancers, firefighters and workers facing ergonomic challenges.
"What the team created is the epitome of a successful collaboration and a learning activity grounded in the College of Health Sciences interprofessional education framework," Washmuth said.
