Abstract
Introduction: At a professional level, pianists have a high prevalence of playing-related musculoskeletal disorders. This exploratory crossover study was carried out to assess and compare quantitatively [using high density surface electromyography (HDsEMG)], and qualitatively (using musculoskeletal questionnaires) the activity of the lumbar erector spinae muscles (ESM) and the comfort/discomfort in 16 pianists sitting on a standard piano stool (SS) and on an alternative chair (A-chair) with lumbar support and a trunk-thigh angle between 105° and 135°.Materials and Methods: The subjects played for 55 min and HDsEMG was recorded for 20 s every 5 min. For the quantitative assessment of the muscle activity, the spatial mean of the root mean square (RMSROA) and the centroid of the region of activity (ROA) of the ESM were compared between the two chairs. For the qualitative assessment, musculoskeletal questionnaire-based scales were used: General Comfort Rating (GCR); Helander and Zhang’s comfort (HZc) and discomfort (HZd); and Body Part Discomfort (BPD).Results: When using the A-chair, 14 out of 16 pianists (87.5%) showed a significantly lower RMSROA on the left and right side (p < 0.05). The mixed effects model revealed that both chairs (F = 28.21, p < 0.001) and sides (F = 204.01, p < 0.001) contributed to the mean RMSROA variation by subject (Z = 2.64, p = 0.004). GCR comfort indicated that participants found the A-Chair to be “quite comfortable,” and the SS to be “uncomfortable.” GCR discomfort indicated that the SS caused more numbness than the A-Chair (p = 0.05) and indicated the A-Chair to cause more feeling of cramps (p = 0.034). No difference was found on HZc (p = 0.091) or HZd (p = 0.31) between chairs. Female participants (n = 9) reported greater comfort when using the A-Chair than the SS (F = 7.09, p = 0.01) with respect to males. No differences between chairs were indicated by the BPD assessment.Conclusion: It is concluded that using a chair with lumbar support, such as the A-chair, will provide greater comfort, less exertion of the ESM and less discomfort than the standard piano stool.
Highlights
At a professional level, pianists have a high prevalence of playing-related musculoskeletal disorders
The research question addressed in this work aims at assessing changes of surface electromyography (sEMG) RMS values and of subjective perception of comfort and discomfort induced by using the alternative chair (A-Chair) compared to using the standard piano stool (SS) in 16 subjects
Our exploratory work using a high density surface electromyography (HDsEMG) suggests that the use of a chair with lumbar support (A-Chair) ensuring a trunk-thigh angle of 115◦ ± 10◦ significantly reduces the RMSROA of sEMG detected over the erector spinae muscles (ESM), in performing pianists, by (35.47 ± 21.46) % on the right side and (29.69 ± 23.01) % on the left side (Wilcoxon signed-rank test with post hoc Dunn’s p < 0.01)
Summary
Pianists have a high prevalence of playing-related musculoskeletal disorders. Pianists are a small professional category with a high prevalence of playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMD; Zaza, 1998; Ciurana Moñino et al, 2017). They are subjected to daily intensive use of their upper extremities whilst engaging the muscles of trunk and back, including the erector spinae muscles (ESM). This engagement makes pianists vulnerable at developing PRMD and associated symptoms such as pain and numbness (Kok et al, 2013), which negatively impact their performance (Chan et al, 2014). Musicians deal with PRMD by adapting to their everyday pain and discomfort, as they consider it not to be strong enough to affect their current abilities to play (Zaza, 1998)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
