Wrist Positioning and Muscle Activities in the Wrist Extensor and Flexor During Piano Playing

ObjectiveMusicians tend to suffer from playing-related musculoskeletal problems over the forearm muscles. Lateral epicondylitis of the elbow is the most common disease of pianists. The purpose of this study was to measure by electromyography (EMG) the wrist extensor and flexor to clarify the burden of forearm muscles during piano playing with various wrist positions.MethodsFourteen female piano students and 14 novice females participated in this study. Surface EMG was conducted during piano playing in nine conditions that combined three wrist positions with three degrees of loudness.ResultsThe muscle activities increased with the increase of loudness in both groups. Muscle activities for both the wrist extensor and flexor were the smallest in the neutral wrist position. There were no differences of the muscle activities between the piano-student and the control groups.ConclusionThe neutral position of the wrist should be recommended for reduction of playing-related musculoskeletal burden during piano playing.