Electrophysiological assessment of piano players' back extensor muscles on a regular piano bench and chair with back rest.
Kavan Honarmand, Rafael Minaskanian, Seyed Ebrahim Maboudi and 1 others
PMID 29410569WHAT IT FOUND
In 10 healthy professional pianists, an adjusted chair with back rest lowered back extensor muscle activity and discomfort during five hours of piano playing compared with a regular piano bench.
Key findings
01Back extensor electrical activity increased less when participants played piano on a chair with back rest and adjusted seat height, seat size, back rest position and back rest spring force than on a regular piano bench: mean changes were 3.02 µV with the chair and 6.31 µV on the bench, and the paper reported the chair changes were 52.14% smaller.
02Median frequency changes were smaller with the same chair with back rest and adjusted seat height, seat size, back rest position and back rest spring force: mean changes were -2.225 Hz with the chair and -11.41 Hz on the bench, and the paper reported the chair changes were 82.03% smaller.
03Isometric back extension time increased in all participants in the same chair session, with mean index 69.9 (SD 5.49) and a reported 61.48% increase.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The sample was only 10 healthy professional piano players, so it cannot show effects in patients with back pain, shoulder pain, or diagnosed musculoskeletal disorders. The outcomes were muscle activity, median frequency, isometric back extension time, and self-reported discomfort, not long-term musculoskeletal disorder rates or functional playing outcomes. The study compared two sessions one week apart, not months of practice, so it does not show whether the chair prevents fatigue or disorders over time. The chair condition combined several adjustments, so the study cannot show that the back rest alone produced the change. Discomfort was measured with a Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire and normalized scores, which may be less familiar to clinicians than raw scores. One participant reported a higher discomfort score in the chair session, and the paper states discomfort perception is individual.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the back rest alone caused the effect. The chair also had adjustable seat height, seat size, back rest position and back rest spring force, and the study did not separate these components. Do not read the muscle activity and discomfort findings as proof that the chair prevents musculoskeletal disorders in pianists. The study measured 10 healthy piano players, not patients with pain or long-term disorder outcomes.