1. Impact of a Neck Strap Intervention on Perceived Effort, Thumb Force, and Muscle Activity of Clarinetists
- Author
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Courtney Smyth and Gary A. Mirka
- Subjects
musculoskeletal diseases ,Right shoulder ,Shoulder ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Shoulders ,Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena ,Right wrist ,Thumb ,Physical medicine and rehabilitation ,History and Philosophy of Science ,Intervention (counseling) ,Humans ,Medicine ,Muscle activity ,Muscle, Skeletal ,Constant force ,Electromyography ,business.industry ,General Medicine ,Biomechanical Phenomena ,body regions ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Right thumb ,business ,Neck - Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Clarinetists often report discomfort of the right wrist and thumb and note that it is likely the result of the constant force applied to the area from the instrument’s weight and the musician’s technique. One preventative measure to reduce this discomfort is the use of a neck strap. The objective of the current study was to document the biomechanical impacts of this intervention. METHODS: Eight experienced clarinetists played a series of three etude pieces while playing both with and without a neck strap. For each condition, the force between the right thumb and clarinet was measured, electromyographic (EMG) data were collected from seven muscle groups, and subjective assessment of perceived effort was obtained. RESULTS: The results showed that when the neck strap was used, there was a significant decrease in the average force between the thumb and clarinet (p
- Published
- 2021