Physical Therapy For Musicians In New York City

Occupational and physical therapists provide services that enhance and enable their clients to participate in meaningful activities by utilizing specific practice frameworks that guide their judgment in designing highly individualized intervention plans that deeply consider the interactions between patients, their needs, their environment, and the meaningful activities they engage in.

With the principles of our framework, OTs and PTs can focus on treating musicians to prevent repetitive stress, make suggestions for activity modifications, as well as how to use one’s joints more efficiently through good body mechanics. These self-management strategies can help guide the musician not only to play better but to increase their playing longevity.

Musicians should consider going to a therapist who treats musicians because of their understanding of how the whole body works. OTs and PTs can analyze the musician’s movement during playing to help solve the root of the problem. No two musicians who play the same instrument will be playing exactly the same way. OTs and PTs address patients as a whole and examine them in and outside of the theater environment to find the specific causes of their pain or limitations. OTs and PTs can then show specific stretches to help prevent tightness of muscles that are specific to a given instrument. They can also teach exercises to strengthen muscles that support the arm, and strengthening exercises to promote good sitting posture.

Various instrument families include:

Specific conditions that musicians can suffer from include:

When seeing an occupational or physical therapist, patients will be taught life-long strategies to help heal and improve their playing longevity.

These strategies include:

Warming up: This can include simple exercises such as arm circles, side bends, jumping jacks, and light jogging. This can help to bring blood flow to the body
Stretching targeted muscles that tighten from one’s playing position
Strengthening bigger muscle groups of the upper extremity to help support the whole arm and to prevent overuse of the smaller ones such as the wrist and digits
Strengthening the shoulder girdle can prevent tendonitis and help improve one’s posture
Playing technique: Reduce tension in areas of your body where you can avoid tight gripping of the instrument. Holding accessory pieces of instruments, such as the bow when playing the cello, with ease can help place less stress on the joints

Tuning your instrument: Instruments that are not working properly or to their optimal level will require extra unnecessary work that your body needs to produce causing more stress on the muscles and joints
Taking breaks every hour by walking around to help promote blood flow and prevent muscles from tightening up
Modifying how you perform other non-musical activities so that you can reserve your affected joint or muscle for performing
Education on improving body and joint control to promote isolated muscle contraction during rehabilitation. Musicians may accidentally co-contract or compensate by recruiting additional muscles that may contribute to their pain
Prevention: Through close observation during activities, we can determine if there are any movements that can cause both temporary and permanent damage to joints or muscles and can provide corrective measures accordingly.

“My experience with hand therapist Christine Rodriguez was spectacular! She was with me for the full 45-minute sessions each week and observed all Covid protocols. Her hands-on approach and customizing of the exercises to accommodate my return to my career as a professional musician, pain-free, was totally excellent. I owe her a huge debt of gratitude and would recommend her highly to anyone recovering from hand surgery!”

- Bill E.

“Not only did Christine’s treatment make it possible for me to resume a full schedule of piano practice (three hours daily), but my hands are free of tension and my playing has improved as well! The 2017 recital, featuring almost an hour and a half of classical music, was an enormous success, and it would absolutely not have been possible without Christine’s skilled and dedicated, patient work. I subsequently went on to perform two more recitals, in 2018 and 2019. In addition to her outstanding professional skills, she is an utter pleasure to work with as well! I would highly recommend her to anyone needing occupational therapy.”

- John C.

Isabelle Karman

MS, OTR/L

Isabelle Karman, MS, OTR/L is a New York State–licensed, board-certified Occupational Therapist specializing in upper extremity rehabilitation for both orthopedic and neurological conditions. A graduate of Ithaca College with a Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy (2023), Isabelle has experience in outpatient and inpatient therapy settings, working with both adult and pediatric patients to improve functional independence and quality of life.

Melissa Lam, PT, DPT, SFMA - Midtown East

Melissa Lam has been a key member of Cynergy’s leadership team for the past 10 years and has played a pivotal role in growing our marketing programs.

With a background in Classical Music Performance and Economics from Gettysburg College, she brings a unique perspective to her patient care, particularly for musicians, singers, and dancers. Her focus is on not only addressing the symptoms of an injury but also uncovering and treating its underlying causes to prevent future issues.

Melissa’s expertise in musculoskeletal rehabilitation is enhanced by her deep understanding of biomechanics and physical alignment. She designs treatment plans that view the body as a whole, helping her patients perform daily activities more efficiently and harmoniously.

Shereen Tan, PT, CHT - Chelsea

Shereen Tan’s expertise in hand and upper extremity rehabilitation has been integral to Cynergy’s growth, as she continues to deliver exceptional care in both post-surgical and conservative treatments.

Her commitment to continuous learning is reflected in her extensive training in orthotic fabrication with leading hand therapists from institutions like the Philadelphia Hand Center and Hospital for Special Surgery. She uses her expertise in custom orthoses to help her patients protect their injuries, alleviate pain, and progress toward their rehabilitation goals.

Throughout her career, Shereen has worked with a diverse range of patients, including athletes, performers, and active New Yorkers, with notable experience treating members of the SAG-AFTRA, NBA, and NHL.

She collaborates with top surgeons and hand specialists across New York, healing patients one hand at a time.

Christine Rodriguez MS, OTR/L, CHT, CLT - Upper Extremity

Christine Rodriguez’s journey with Cynergy began when she partnered with founder Cynthia Gormezano to establish Cynergy Upper Extremity, where she has played a pivotal role in expanding our focus on specialized upper extremity care.

Christine treats a wide range of orthopedic upper extremity diagnoses, including fractures, tendon injuries, arthritis, and neurological conditions. She holds a Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy from Stony Brook University and is a Certified Hand Therapist (CHT) and a Certified Lymphedema Therapist for the Upper Extremity (CLT-UE).

She is driven by her passion for music and the arts, as well as her fascination with the complexities of the upper extremity. She brings creativity and positive energy into every treatment session.

Outside of work, Christine enjoys traveling, visiting museums, and maintaining an active lifestyle. She consistently integrates these passions into her approach to wellness.

Monal Patel OTD, OTR/L, CHT - Upper Extremity

Monal Patel, OTD, OTR/L, CHT is an Occupational Therapist/Certified Hand Therapist with over six years of working experience. Monal’s experience includes training at prestigious institutes such as the Philadelphia Hand to Shoulder Center and Rothman Orthopaedics, where she

worked closely with expert therapists and world renowned hand surgeons. Her skills include orthosis fabrication, wound care, manual therapy and pre-operative, post-operative and conservative care of patients.

Prior to joining Cynergy Physical & Occupational Therapy in New York City, she resided in Philadelphia. Monal completed her graduate school education at Huntington University in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

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