Who Does MWNA Primarily Work With?

We work with Musicians suffering from dystonia, playing injury, or playing concerns.

See below for common symptoms:

Musicians with dystonia:

Players who have been diagnosed or suspect they have dystonia may exhibit some of the symptoms below.

Embouchure dystonia:

o   Facial Muscles

  •   Involuntary movements 
  •   Lip closure, tremor, or collapse
  • Irregularity or loss of sensation 
  •   Air leakage or blockage
  •   Weakness in tone production (dull sound)
  •   Hypo- or hyperactivity in movement

o   Tongue

  • Difficulty articulating
  • Involuntary movements
  • Pitch going sharp
  • Inaccurate perceptions 

o   Jaw

  • instability or closure
  • Involuntary movements
  • Tension

o   Neck & Throat

  • Torticollis: Involuntary spasms or movement of the neck muscles
  • Valsalva maneuver

 

SAMSUNG DVC PICTURES

Hand dystonia

  •  Involuntary movements 
  •  Pulling away from task
  • Fingers feeling stuck
  •  Loss of sensation
  • Hypo or hyperactivity in movement
  •  Inaccurate perceptions 

Musicians with an injury

Injuries including but not limited to

  • Overuse injury
  • Pain/discomfort
  • Numbness/tingling
  • Physical trauma
  • Bruising or discoloration
  • Micro neuroma or mouthpiece traumas

Musicians with playing concerns

Issues including but not limited to:

  • Hesitation in tone production
  • Instability 
  • Limitations in articulation/volume/range
  • Lack of tonal resonance
  • Lack of feeling of ease and/or efficiency