title: Sensory motor retuning: a behavioral treatment for focal hand dystonia of pianists and guitarists.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the long-term effectiveness of sensory motor retuning (SMR), a new treatment for focal hand dystonia in musicians.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective case series with an (adventitious) comparison group with 3- to 25-month follow-up in piano and guitar and 0- to 4-month follow-up in flute and oboe players.
  
  
  METHODS
  General community in Germany.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eleven professional musicians.
  
  
  METHODS
  Immobilization by splints of 1 or more digits other than the focal dystonic finger. This finger carried out repetitive exercises in coordination with 1 or more of the other digits for 1(1/2) to 2(1/2) hours a day for 8 consecutive days under therapist supervision. The subjects then were instructed to continue practice for 1 hour daily for 1 year.
  
  
  METHODS
  Spectral analysis of the output of a dexterity-displacement device that continuously recorded digital displacement during finger movements and a dystonia evaluation scale on which patients rated how well they had just performed dystonic movement sequences and repertoire passages.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 3 wind players (adventitious placebo controls) did not improve substantially. However, each pianist and guitarist showed marked and significant improvement in spontaneous repertoire performance without the splint. The first subject is now 25 months posttreatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results suggest that SMR is of value for the treatment of focal hand dystonia in pianists and guitarists.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany. victor.candia@uni-konstanz.de
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Candia
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schäfer
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Taub
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rau
authors.forename: Eckart
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Altenmüller
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rockstroh
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Elbert
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004421:Dystonia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009146:Music; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D013165:Splints; D016896:Treatment Outcome