Physiotherapy for Musicians and Voice
« Musicality is born of technique, but also of corporateity. » — M.C. Mathieu
Expertise at the crossroads of care and artistic practice
My identity as a Physiotherapist is inseparable from my career as a musician. After studying the piano for several years, I turned to adulthood towards the violin by passion, practicing today the traditional Irish violin.
This double reading allows me not only to treat a symptom, but to decode the physical reality of your daily life: the cumulative fatigue after long hours of work, the stress and compensation induced by a difficult technical passage or the apprehension related to stage performance, for example. My role is to put my knowledge of sports medicine and physiotherapy of the arts at the service of your body, so that it becomes again an ally of your music, not an obstacle.
Biomechanical Neutrality: Release Body Resonance
In my practice, I do not seek to impose an "aesthetic" or rigid posture. My approach is based on the search for biomechanical neutrality The state where the body is most effective with the least effort possible.
Effort savings: The objective is to identify and remove parasitic muscle tensions, or compensations, to find the "minimal tonic" necessary for the game. Every unnecessary contraction is a brake on your velocity, your technique and can potentially trigger pain or injury afterwards.
Sound as a secondary benefit: That is a fundamental point. I do not intervene directly on your sound or your playing technique in an educational way, I am not a music teacher. However, a body freed from its tensions becomes a better body of resonance. When ground anchoring is solid and joints are available, vibration can spread and sound naturally increases in depth. If you notice this acoustic improvement, it is for me a clinical confirmation that your gesture and posture are optimized.
The Balance Sheet: A 360° Global Survey
A complaint that appears on the instrument is rarely isolated. My first role is to distinguish between instrumental practice or singing and what is part of your overall lifestyle or other daily activity.
Differential diagnosis: Together we explore your daily ergonomics (office work, telework), sleep cycle, hydration and stress management. This is an investigation to make sure that the instrument is involved. If the pain is not caused by the instrument, I treat it with the rigorous tools of classical sports medicine and generalist physiotherapy. If it is linked to the instrumental gesture, then we enter into a fine analysis of your posture in real play situation.
Phase A: Unleashing Structure (Without Instrument)
For long-term care, it is sometimes necessary to place the instrument in order to concentrate exclusively on human mechanics and repair the biological terrain.
- Manual therapy: Accurate palpatory approach to treat acute phases, reduce pain, release tissue restrictions and restore mobility.
- Physical Preparation & Strengthening: Finger precision and strength cannot be requested if the scapular belt or back is not firmly prepared and engaged. We are working on the strengthening of stabilizing muscles, the activation of fascia and postural muscle chains, to free dynamic muscles from postural work and leave them available for gesture.
Phase B: Integration and Transfer (With Instrument)
We reinstate the instrument to apply the new body gains directly in the final musical gesture.
Large instruments: For pianists, harpists, drummers or organists, I propose analyses based on your video/photo media, or I make on-site trips (with travel costs) to ensure an analysis in real-life conditions.
The "Stand-by" Therapeutic: My success is measured by your feedback and the disappearance of your complaint. As soon as you feel better and armed for practice, we go into the watch phase. You experiment with your instrument, knowing that I remain available as soon as you feel the need for one-off adjustments.
The Life Hygiene of the Musician Athlete
Performance can only flourish on a well-functioning body. This is why my management includes an educational dimension on the pillars of recovery and prevention: sleep management, hydration and nutrition. If necessary, I will direct you to a network of partner specialists (sports medicine, chiropractic, osteopathy or specialist doctor according to the conclusions of my assessment).
Care arrangements (Geneva & Petit-Lancy)
On medical prescription: Meetings reimbursed by basic insurance (LAMal) according to the agreed rate.
Prevention & Performance:
Initial balance sheet (1h): CHF 100 | Follow-up session: 80 CHF
Ready to optimize your practice?
