In terms of training and preparation, it’s not hard to find parallels between professional athletes and professional musicians.

Add one more: Both often play through pain.

“I think just in general, musicians are underserved in terms of treatment,” said Chris Guempel, a physical therapist with Encore Physical Therapy in Corvallis.

Guempel, who has a music background and a degree in musical performance, knows about the physical stresses musicians — professionals and amateurs alike — can put on their bodies. He and his partner, Frank Hann, a doctor of physical therapy, often work with musicians as part of their clientele.

In fact, Hann said, research suggests that musicians suffer more injuries than do high school athletes. And the National Athletic Trainers Association reported in 2005 that 76 percent of musicians have experienced a significant injury which requires time away from playing.

The type of injury suffered, of course, depends on what kind of instrument the musician plays; even vocalists sometimes can suffer injuries, Hann said.

Violinists, for example, can suffer neck pain because of the position in which they hold their instruments. Trombonists, because of the back-and-forth sliding motion of the valve, can suffer injuries to their upper extremities.

Some of the recommendations Guempel and Hann make to musicians are fairly simple: Guempel said a cellist might find relief by adjusting the length of the end pin at the bottom of the instrument. Saxophonists sometimes can ease the pain by just using a neck strap.

Other injuries, however, require more serious work, the men said.

So they’ll often start treatment by asking patients to play their instruments: They’re not looking to offer criticism, but instead are looking for physical positions and practices that could lead to injury. They’ll ask a lot of questions, which might even include details such as which composers lately have been featured in the musician’s repertoire.

On the professional level, Guempel pointed to yet another parallel between athletes and musicians: Especially these days, both are likely to play through pain, fearful that an injury might cost them a job in an uncertain economy. It’s a bad idea, Guempel said, both for athletes and musicians: It’s not good to ignore the body’s warning signs, and pain is one of those.

Warned Hann: “All tissues have their own levels of failure.”