Six music chairs are used for this study. All chairs differ essentially in design and ergonomics, as well as in form and material of their seating surfaces. The following seating concepts ought to be compared: The video rasterstereography is a non-touch and radiation-free method, which is able to measure the upper body statics of musicians in a three-dimensional way and chart it in scaled scores. Using this method, the evaluation of a musicians’ body posture can be evaluated with regard to economic aspects, depending on the kind of chair and its surface. Even most subtle differences in statics can be measured in this way [ 39].

Fit to play: posture and seating position analysis with

The analysis of video recordings is a two-dimensional method. A three-dimensional posture analysis of musicians, which would include the differential analysis of all spinal sections as well as the shoulder and pelvis region, has not been published yet. However, the video raster stereography, which we present in the course of this manuscript, would allow a three-dimensional kind of analysis. Steinmetz A, Scheffer I, Esmer E, Delank KS, Peroz I. Frequency, severity and predictors of playing-related musculoskeletal pain in professional orchestral musicians in Germany. Clin Rheumatol. 2015;34:965–73. The manufacturer recommends attaching the markers at certain osseous fix points (e.g. cervical vertebral body 7). Due to restriction of the surface measurement in the context of these specifications, the upper part of the cervical spine is left out. It would indeed be reasonable for our purpose, to include the upper part of the cervical spine in the measurements as the upper spine shows to be particularly affected amongst the musicians in our study group. Unfortunately, such a measuring system is not yet available. You can practice using any chair you can find around the house. And, if you feel you can use it for several hours without feeling tired, it might work fine for your purposes.Soziales BfAu: Verordnung zur arbeitsmediinischen Vorsorge (ArbMedVV). In Book Verordnung zur arbeitsmediinischen Vorsorge (ArbMedVV) (Editor ed. Guptill C, Golem MB. Case study: musicians’ playing-related injuries. Work (Reading, Mass). 2008;30:307–10. But these musculoskeletal problems do not just concern professional musicians who have been exposed to years of unergonomic and stressful working conditions. Even in young string players at conservatories, questionnaires already revealed musculoskeletal problems and the necessity to medical treatment [ 18– 22]. Furthermore, no evident difference between the prevalence rate of musculoskeletal complaints of music academy students and professional orchestral musicians there has been found [ 7]. Thus, proper body posture and playing-related movements as well as strength exercises and prophylaxis is essential and should be part of any musicians education right from the beginning. The Wenger music posture chairs are designed to encourage correct posture and maintain comfort throughout long performances and rehearsals. This is supported by a medical white paper. Kok LM, Huisstede BM, Voorn VM, Schoones JW, Nelissen RG. The occurrence of musculoskeletal complaints among professional musicians: a systematic review. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2016;89:373–96.

chairs 2023: Are you sitting comfortably Best studio chairs 2023: Are you sitting comfortably

Another issue is the difficulty to identify the osseous fixed points in seriously overweight musicians [ 41]. Although it has been demonstrated that Body-Mass-Index does not influence the reproducibility of measurements [ 42, 43], the method appears not to work as reliably and reproducibly, when the test persons are severely obese. Hypothesis 1: Faults in posture in the region of the spine, shoulder and pelvis are detectable upon comparison of the seating position with and without the instrument. Musicians suffer from trauma lesions, such as fractures, herniated discs or torn ligaments, undergoing surgery within the last six months, taking analgesics or muscle relaxant medication or suffering from genetic muscular or neurological diseases, are excluded from this study. All participants provide written permission to participate in this study. The study is approved by the ethics committee of the Medical Faculty of the Goethe-University (Nr. 14/16). Recruitment Weight is an important consideration here, because the more sturdy and comfortable the chair, the less portable it tends to be. You’ll end up needing to make sacrifices somewhere. Durability Ergonomic movements and postures are a necessary condition for continuous instrumental performance. Economic in our context means, that the musician applies a minimum of physical effort to sustain body posture and movements [ 9].BiAS 10.03” (Epsilon-Verlag, Darmstadt, Germany), a biometric-statistical software, is used for statistical evaluation. First, normality assumptions are tested by the Kolmogoroff–Smirnoff–Lilliefors-Test. It's easy to slouch in a standard chair which forces the body down, lowering the rib cage and constricting the diaphragm. Furthermore, unintentional movements of the test persons constitute a weakness of the method and a source of error. However, average fluctuations of measurement accuracy are indicated at <1 mm by the manufacturer. Three measurements per musician are performed hence, to refine measurements and reduce statistical error. Repeated measurements achieve reproducibility at about 0,5 mm in this way. If you can’t at least sit on it for a few hours without feeling discomfort, then it might not be the right chair for you.