No Differences Between Instrument-Independent Manual Dexterity and Finger Dexterity of Musicians and Nonmusicians.

OBJECTIVE: Dexterity is one of the abilities required for different types of work and is divided into manual and finger dexterity. The aim of this study was to examine whether there was a difference in manual and finger dexterity between musicians and nonmusicians, and between musicians divided by instrument groups and nonmusicians. METHODS: The study included 128 participants (96 musicians, 32 nonmusicians). Musicians were divided into three groups as wind, string, and keyboard instrument players. The Minnesota Manual Dexterity Test (MMDT) for manual dexterity and Purdue Pegboard Test (PPT) for finger dexterity were used. Independent samples t-test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for MMDT, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for PPT between musicians and nonmusicians. The Kruskal-Wallis H test and one-way ANOVA were used for comparisons of the MMDT and PPT between nonmusicians and musicians divided by instrument groups. RESULTS: There were no differences between musicians and nonmusicians in terms of MMDT and PPT (p>0.05). When musicians were divided by instrument groups, there was a statistically significant difference in only the left-hand subtest of PPT (p=0.038). In pairwise comparisons, significant differences were found between wind and string instrument players (p=0.036), keyboard and string players (p=0.012), and nonmusicians and string players (p=0.015). Wind and keyboard players and nonmusicians were more successful than string players in terms of left-hand finger dexterity. CONCLUSION: Future studies can be designed that investigate the effects of bilateral asymmetrical-symmetrical training on finger dexterity of the left hand and evaluate the performances of musicians in areas other than music.

Musculoskeletal problems, attitudes and behaviors related to physical activity, and social media addiction in musicians during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal problems are common in musicians. Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) has brought with it lockdowns and quarantine periods, and as a result, caused physical and psychological problems. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate musculoskeletal problems, attitudes and behaviors related to physical activity, and social media addiction in musicians during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 137 musicians (string, keyboard, wind, percussion instrument players, and vocalists) online. Musculoskeletal problems with Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ), attitudes and behaviors related to physical activity with Cognitive Behavioral Physical Activity Questionnaire (CBPAQ), social media addiction with Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) were evaluated. RESULTS: In CMDQ, it was found that upper back, lower back, and neck problems were more common in all musicians. There were no differences between instrument groups in terms of CBPAQ sub-dimensions, total CBPAQ, and total BSMAS (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Considering the dramatic effects of COVID-19, it may be important not to ignore musicians' musculoskeletal problems. It is recommended to design future studies investigating the effects of social media platforms on physical activity awareness by turning the opportunities of COVID-19 into advantages for challenges in musicians.