Focal dystonia of the hand, also known as ‘musician’s cramp’, has been the subject of almost a decade of study for pianist Rae de Lisle from the University of Auckland. The Senior Lecturer and Head of Piano at the School of Music undertook the research for a Doctor of Philosophy degree and has now developed a therapy that could help reverse the debilitating condition.

A neurological disease that causes involuntary muscle contractions, focal dystonia is estimated to affect one in a hundred professional musicians or approximately 10,000 performers worldwide.

The condition occurs when the brain sends incorrect information to the muscles and is thought to be due to a blurring of the areas in the brain responsible for individual finger movement. The disorder is believed to result from repetition of specific tasks and usually occurs in musicians of a high level, who have intensively practiced their instruments over a number of years.

Rae investigated whether it was possible to recover from focal dystonia through retraining at the instrument. The study, conducted with the guidance of renowned sports physician Dr Ben Speedy, clearly showed, with scientific method, that retraining a person’s neural pathways can improve the symptoms of the devastating condition in...