Using musculo-postural biofeedback in virtual reality for pain management in musicians

Project Information

TONE

Grant agreement ID: 101028715

DOI

10.3030/101028715

Project closed

EC signature date 8 April 2021

Start date 1 June 2021

End date 31 May 2023

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 157 941,12

EU contribution

€ 157 941,12

Coordinated by

CYENS CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
Cyprus

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - TONE (Using musculo-postural biofeedback in virtual reality for pain management in musicians)

Reporting period: 2021-06-01 to 2023-05-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

What is the problem/issue being addressed?
Occupational musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) are common in professions with repetitive motor activities and abnormal postures, causing non-specific pain symptoms. Playing a musical instrument is a profession with a high prevalence of musculoskeletal pain (Playing Related Musculoskeletal Disorder - PRMD), affecting 93% of professional musicians and 68% of amateurs. Musicians with PRMD often exhibit dysfunctions in their postural stabilization system, muscular over-activities, and body-side muscular asymmetries, contributing to pain manifestation. Project TONE is aiming to develop and empirically investigate an innovative tool aimed at assisting musicians in developing preventive and pain-management strategies against musculoskeletal pain specific to instrument playing.

Why is it important for society?
The anticipated outcome of Project TONE is to yield novel research findings, advancing our understanding of the mechanisms underlying pain manifestation in work-related musculoskeletal disorders and the efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions. Given the substantial economic burden of WRMSDs costing €476 billion annually, accounting for 3.3% of the European Union's Gross Domestic Product, the imperative to develop and validate effective intervention strategies becomes increasingly significant. Thus, Project TONE represents a valuable contribution to this scientific endeavor, aiming to enhance the knowledge base and address the challenges posed by musculoskeletal pain in musicians and related professions.

What are the overall objectives?
Overall objectives of the project are the development of a tool will consisting of a virtual mirror biofeedback system, capable of providing real-time displays of musculopostural parameters on a virtual character, replicating the movements of musicians during their instrument performances. Additionally, immediate corrective feedback will be delivered in response to the detection of abnormal musculo-postural activities. To complement this system, a Virtual Reality (VR) game will be designed to assess whether attentional distraction during instrument playing can serve as an effective intervention against pain in affected musicians.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The project yielded highly encouraging results, with approximately 90% of the milestones successfully achieved. Notably, our tools/results, namely the “Virtual Reality Mirror Biofeedback system” (VRMB) and the Pain Distractor App (Air-Tone), garnered significant attention from both the Fellow and CYENS in terms of commercialization. The outcomes of the initial experimental procedure, which reinforced the reliability of the VRBM, further contributed to this interest. A considerable amount of effort was devoted to the commercialization of the VRBM as a versatile tool with the potential to make valuable contributions to the prevention, diagnosis, and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal conditions in diverse populations, extending its applicability beyond musicians. These efforts exceeded initial expectations and surpassed the boundaries of the project's predefined deliverables, resulting in noteworthy accomplishments. Among them was the successful establishment of a team led by the Fellow, coupled with the recognition and selection of the project by both the Cyprus Seeds (a technological innovation accelerator) and the EGG accelerator in Greece, leading to the formation of a start-up company.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Through the TONE project, we have successfully developed and established innovative tools that integrate electrophysiology, motion analysis, and extended reality technologies. The incorporation of these cutting-edge technologies in the healthcare sector presents significant advancements in rehabilitation options for individuals affected by various musculoskeletal disorders. These tools have the potential to play a crucial role in the prevention, diagnosis, and rehabilitation of task-specific movement disorders across diverse occupational settings.

Our ongoing efforts are directed towards the full commercialization of these tools, with the ultimate objective of generating a direct and positive social impact, benefiting society as a whole. We are committed to furthering the implementation and dissemination of our technologies to address the pressing healthcare needs of individuals and improve their overall well-being.

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