Risk Factors
Introduction
The risk factors of musicians' focal dystonia are multi-factorial and usually involve both physical symptoms, psychological triggers, and psycho-social problems. Many musicians are unaware of their own risk factors, and the first time that they become aware of dystonia is when they experience the tell-tail muscle spasms or contractions that may cause a finger to curl into the palm or the embouchure to tremor or pull to one side.
In truth, there are several signs and symptoms that may be present before this stage, and although there is no way of knowing at the present time who will go on to develop physical symptoms, it is important to be aware of all the risk factors, and what can be done to lower them.
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In this section, you can find a list of physical, psychological, and psycho-social risk factors, associated with musicians' focal dystonia, followed by an explanation of a heuristic model of risk factors and a representation of how the condition develops over time.
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