Abstract:
Focal dystonia is a most debilitating movement disorder which has affected many great pianists-Gary Graffman, Leon Fleisher and even Schumann. An incoordination occurs between fingers, sometimes causing involuntary muscle contractions, which makes it impossible to play at concert level. It is thought that this incoordination is the result of a blurring in the cortex of the neural pathways which govern the independent movement of adjacent fingers. Full recovery is not common, and most sufferers are forced to give up their chosen career. Although some improvements have been reported with treatments such as injections of Botox, application of splints and limb immobilisation, this presentation shows that beneficial improvement can occur through modifying habitual movement patterns. The aim of this research was to ascertain whether by remodelling a pianist’s technique and modifying habitual movement patterns, new neural pathways can be activated, enabling pianists affected by focal dystonia to play again. Three pianists with focal dystonia participated in a retraining programme based on a biomechanically sound way of playing with minimal tension. One pianist, (a former prize winner at the Leeds, Van Cliburn and Tchaikovsky Competitions) had abandoned an international career after five years of being unable to play; and the others were graduate performance students. Sessions were videotaped to monitor progress and later assessed by a blinded listener to see whether the retraining had improved the dystonia. Results revealed a statistically significant improvement in all three pianist’s playing., confirming that focal dystonia is treatable and that substantial improvement can be achieved through specific retraining. The international soloist has since returned full time to the concert platform, and the Doctoral performance student is giving concerts again. This presentation demonstrates through detailed video clips the effects of this research, the methods used and how teachers can help students to avoid injury.