THE INSTITUTE
frequently asked questions
Do you only cater to musicians and dancers or can people from other professions come?
At our center we have specialized in injuries resulting from repetitive activity that the performing arts involve. This has led us to acquire knowledge, accumulate experience and develop a series of tools that can be applied to all those activities and professions that involve a repetitive workload, in sustained and unergonomic postures.
I am an artist but my injury is not due to my activity. Can you help me?
If the injury interferes with artistic activity, whatever its cause, it can be treated at our center. In the healing process of any injury, it is important to keep in mind the requirements of the patient's activity. Treatment must be adjusted to the demands of their activity. For example, a small deviation in a broken finger is not a problem for most people but can be a disaster for a violinist. A bruised lip wound only has aesthetic implications in most patients but can lead to an inability to play a wind instrument if it is not resolved taking into account the demands that this entails. A poorly healed injury to the cartilage of the ankle can generate occasional slight discomfort but, if it is a dancer, the problem can cause significant limitations. At the Institute we are aware that some treatments and results, although they may be valid for most patients, may be unacceptable for the demands of an artist.
I'm an amateur; can you serve me as well or do you only work for professional artists?
The procedures and treatments we apply at the Institute are useful for any performing artist, regardless of their level of dedication or studies.
What procedure do I need to follow to be treated at your center?
First of all, it is necessary to establish a diagnosis as accurately as possible, trying to find out what the main causes of the problem may be. This requires that a medical visit be arranged. During this visit, the patient will be examined, the appropriate tests will be carried out and how the activities are carried out and the postural, technical or tensional factors that contribute to them will be analysed. With this information, a therapeutic strategy will be established which, if it includes work with our physiotherapists, will be planned once the medical visit has been completed.
If I have already been seen by a doctor at another center and I have a diagnosis, can I come for physiotherapy? If I already have a diagnosis, do I need to be seen by your doctors?
The treatments we apply are based not only on an accurate diagnosis, but also on the determination of the possible causes that have generated it and on the planning of the best therapeutic strategies to follow in each case. To confirm the diagnosis and carry out these tasks, based on our experience in the ailments of performing artists, it is absolutely essential to make a medical visit to the Institute before starting a treatment.
If I have a medical visit at the Institute, do I necessarily have to do physiotherapy with you? Can I have the treatment at another center, closer to my home?
The philosophy of our center is to offer complete care. But this does not mean that our patients have to use all the services that we can offer them. It is completely understandable that some only want us to help them diagnose their problem. For others, due to distance or various problems, it is not possible for them to have treatment at the Institute. In any case, we can guide and help all of them so that they can follow it, in the best possible conditions, elsewhere. In addition to the indications that are already given directly during the medical visit, a medical and physiotherapy report can be provided with information that allows us to guide other professionals who have to treat the patient. Controls can be established at our center, whether medical or physiotherapy, in order to evaluate the patient's evolution and the effectiveness of the treatment that is being applied in another center and thus adjust or change it, if necessary.
Do you have any offices in other cities where we can visit or treat you?
Currently we only have the equipment and infrastructure located in Terrassa.
I want a second opinion. Can you help me?
There is no problem in contributing our experience with patients who have already been treated in other centers. We can enrich the work that other professionals have done based on our vision as specialists in the care of performing artists.
Who is the doctor who will be treating me? What is their specialty?
As a first step, all patients are treated by Dr. Jaume Rosset i Llobet. He is a specialist in orthopedic surgery and traumatology and sports medicine. He has been working with performing artists since 1991. If he considers it necessary, the case will be consulted with another person on the team or with a consultant.
Can I have a diagnosis on the first day and know if I can be cured?
Most problems can be diagnosed and we can know their prognosis on the same day of the visit. If the knowledge, tools or procedures available at the Institute do not allow us to reach this in this first meeting, the strategy to follow will be outlined in order to reach it as soon as possible.
Is there a specialist in hand problems at the center?
Given that a high proportion of the problems we treat at the Institute affect the arm and hand, all our professionals have experience in ailments affecting this area. Furthermore, for cases where it is considered necessary, our team includes a doctor who specializes in hand surgery.
I would be interested in coming and doing prevention, I don't have any specific problem. Is this possible?
In addition to caring for artists who already suffer injuries, at the Institute we also work to try to prevent them from appearing and improve artistic performance. The work techniques we use and our experience allow us to detect aspects that can be improved, both from a physical point of view (posture, muscle balance, coordination, strength, endurance, agility, breathing...) and cognitive (tension, stage fright, blockages...). We can also help future artists choose, based on their physical characteristics, which artistic discipline will best suit them.
Do you have a very long waiting list?
The waiting time varies greatly. As for medical visits, the most common is that one can be arranged in less than two weeks. For physiotherapy sessions, we try to ensure that the wait is never longer than a week. To start treatment for dystonia, due to its specific requirements, the waiting time can be several months. We are working to shorten it.
I would like to consult a doctor by phone; is this possible?
While medical visits are being carried out, we try to minimize interruptions. For this reason, except in cases of emergency, the doctor cannot answer calls. The fastest and most convenient way to make these consultations is through the Institute's email (
In what cases can a visit be made by videoconference?
Although videoconferencing does not completely replace in-person visits to our center, it does facilitate contact between our professionals and artists with ailments. It allows us to give a second opinion to patients who have already been diagnosed by other professionals, provide guidance on how to proceed in the event of an injury that has not yet been treated by other professionals (tests to order, specialists to visit, existing possibilities, risks of each of them, etc.) and monitor the progress and modify the therapy in musicians who are following a treatment indicated by a professional at our center.
What treatments are used at the center?
We understand that the process of solving the problem presented by the patient requires their active participation. Thus, based on the diagnosis and identification of the possible causes, a work protocol is established. This may include medical treatments (such as the administration of drugs in very small doses through mesotherapy or ozone infiltrations), physiotherapy treatment (manual techniques and electrotherapy), physical reconditioning (improvement of physical qualities such as strength, endurance, elasticity, balance, proprioception, etc.), posture work, work on the tension used when doing activities or psychological and cognitive work. The patient must participate both in the application of these treatments and procedures and in the evaluation of the strategy to be followed. Depending on the results seen by the therapeutic team (doctor, therapist and patient), one or other treatments will be applied until the symptoms and the causes that cause them are resolved.
What should I bring to the medical visit?
To make the diagnostic process more efficient, it will be good to have all the information the patient has that is related to the ailment (x-rays, MRIs, medical reports, tests, electromyograms, etc.). In the case of musicians, it is also advisable to bring their own musical instrument. In the case of dance, it will be useful to have the footwear they usually use.
I find it difficult to bring my musical instrument. Do you have any at the center?
Although we always prefer that the musician bring their own instrument, for cases in which this is complex or impossible, we have several instruments at the center that can be used by the patient during the medical visit (piano, double bass, cello, violin, harp, guitar, electric guitar, trombone, congas and drums).
Can medical visits be in the morning or afternoon?
In order to facilitate, as much as possible, the coordination of the patient's schedule with ours, we have both morning and afternoon visiting days.
What are the physiotherapy hours?
Physiotherapy sessions can be scheduled both in the mornings and in the afternoons.
Are you open on weekends?
The center is closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
Is this a completely private center or is there another way to access the center?
The Institute does not have any agreements with independent insurance companies or with Social Security. This means that the patient must cover the costs of visits and treatments carried out at the center.
What different forms of payment does the center accept?
You can pay in cash or by credit card at the end of each medical visit or physiotherapy session.
I am from a private mutual insurance company; can you help me?
We do not have an agreement with any private mutual insurance company. Some mutual insurance companies cover part or all of the expenses generated by the insured's medical care. In these cases, the patient, once treated at our center and paid for the services received, will have to manage the reimbursement from their mutual insurance company.
Can I get social security to cover my expenses at the center?
We are not aware that it is possible for Social Security to refer patients to our center. However, we do know that in exceptional cases, by presenting reports and invoices for the services received and justifying that the procedures applied could not be covered by Social Security, some patients have obtained a partial reimbursement of this expense.
Can you give me an estimate of how much the treatment will cost?
Once the medical visit has been carried out and the diagnosis has been established, we can plan the type of treatment to follow. This allows us to define the frequency of sessions and their cost.
What does the price of the medical visit include?
The aim of the medical visit is to try to reach a diagnosis, identify the causes that may have contributed to the appearance of the problem and, based on this, propose a treatment. The visit includes a series of questions about the artist's medical and professional history, their symptoms and the factors that may have been related to them. It also includes a physical examination and analysis of the practice of the professional activity (playing, dancing, etc.). In cases where it is necessary, we also have high-resolution ultrasound (which allows us to visualize the state of the tendons, muscles, ligaments, joints, etc.) as well as specific tests to study the vibration of the lip and the strength and resistance of the muscles of the face using the labial stroboscope or the strain gauge system. These tests are very useful for detecting injuries (such as rupture, elongation or overload of facial muscles), planning treatments and monitoring the degree of recovery of wind musicians, as well as all those people who, like actors, use the muscles of the face intensively and precisely. The price of the first visit includes all these procedures.
Is it easily accessible by public transport?
There are two lines that go from Barcelona to Terrassa: RENFE and Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat. There is a RENFE station (Terrassa-Est) that leaves less than 15 minutes walk. If you want to arrive by Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat, you have to go to Terrassa-Nord where there is an interchange with RENFE that will take you to Terrassa-Est station. You can also do this journey by bus (line 1, get off at the Montserrat stop).
Is it easy to park your car in the area?
You can often find parking right in front of the center. If not, there is an esplanade of free parking very close by (accessed via the roundabout at Pontevedra and Salamanca streets).
Is there any book you can recommend to me?
From our foundation we have published various materials (see the dissemination section), both brochures and posters as well as books. This material can provide you with information and knowledge on preventive aspects, exercises, performance improvement, body functioning during instrumental practice...
Can I talk to a patient who has had the same problem as me?
Quando un artista subisce un infortunio o soffre di una patologia correlata alla sua attività, spesso si sente solo, senza sostegno o incompreso. Parlare con un collega che ha vissuto o sta vivendo una situazione simile può essere molto utile. Infatti, uno degli aspetti che solitamente i pazienti apprezzano positivamente quando si rivolgono al nostro centro per sottoporsi a un trattamento è il fatto di trovare colleghi in situazioni simili alle loro con cui poter scambiare opinioni ed esperienze. Sebbene non siano del tutto esclusi altri modi di contattare i pazienti (e-mail, telefono, ecc.), è necessario comprendere che la riservatezza implica che non possiamo fornire informazioni su nessuno dei nostri pazienti. Occasionalmente alcuni pazienti autorizzano espressamente il trasferimento di questi dati e noi possiamo fornirli al paziente interessato.
I am a teacher at a school and I find the information I can learn from you very interesting. Do you hold workshops, classes or other activities on these topics?
One of the functions of our Science and Art Foundation is to train teachers, students, artists, health professionals, etc. on these topics. For this reason, we carry out everything from workshops and talks to complete courses that cover postural issues, performance improvement, psycho-physical aspects, artists' illnesses, breathing, stress control, etc.
I'm from far away and I'm thinking of staying in Terrassa for a few days to follow the treatment you've suggested. Is there any accommodation you can recommend?
We have a list of hotels, guesthouses and rooms that patients themselves have recommended to us. If you request it, we will send it to you.
