Detection of Forearm Muscle Fatigue During Piano Playing Using Surface Electromyography (sEMG) Analysis

Musculoskeletal injuries of the forearm, wrist, and hand are a significant problem for pianists. Approximately 60% of piano players experience playing-related injuries at some point in their careers; yet, the cause of injury is not well understood. Muscle fatigue may be a contributing factor. The focus of this work was to determine if muscle fatigue is detectable in the forearm muscles used for piano playing, if there is a difference in the development of muscle fatigue between pianists and non-pianists, and if there is an effect on how a pianist plays when their muscles are fatigued. A piano exercise and fatiguing exercise protocol were established and 11 pianists and 6 non-pianists were tested. Results confirmed that muscle fatigue is detectable in the forearm muscles used for piano playing and that there are differences in the development of muscle fatigue between pianists and non-pianists.