This study placed specific emphasis on the motor-skills and practice strategies employed by piano players when practising and performing in relation to playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs). The survey questionnaire-instrument was designed by the researcher to investigate the prevalence of PRMDs among both professional and non-professional piano players. Five hundred and five respondents completed the self-administered survey questionnaire. Out of the total 505 participants, 42% of the players reported PRMDs. The professional players (72%) reported a significantly higher incidence (p < 0.05) of PRMDs in comparison with the non-professional group. The professional players with piano as their major instrument, using predominantly neutral wrist posture (i.e., open-kinetic chain playing technique), reported a significantly higher incidence of PRMDs. Although the present study showed a greater number of years of playing was associated with greater risk of PRMDs, the result also showed that the years of playing had no significant effect on the incidence of PRMDs (p > .05) when it was analyzed with the practice hours within seven days. Moreover, analyzing the practice hours over seven days with the piano major/non-major instrument, the various grade levels and PRMDs; the results showed that the practice hours had no significant effect on the groups with and without PRMDs (p > .05). Although women reported a significantly higher percentage of PRMDs (p < 0.05) than men, there was no significant association between the groups with and without PRMDs when analyzing practice hours over seven days by grade levels and gender. The PRMDs seem to arise when overuse is compounded by misuse and/or adverse playing conditions. The best and safest practice would be to minimize consumption of musculoskeletal force production and combine this with effective practice-breaks between sessions to achieve the optimum goal of daily practice. Keywords: hand injury, PRMDs, wrist pain, hand-span size, playing-technique, and piano player.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/185878 |
| Date | January 2008 |
| Creators | Allsop, Li Li |
| Publisher | University of Western Australia. School of Human Movement and Exercise Science |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Copyright Li Li Allsop, http://www.itpo.uwa.edu.au/UWA-Computer-And-Software-Use-Regulations.html |
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