Pianists practise a sedentary profession. In other sedentary occupations (e.g. office workers) lower back pain is most frequently observed. So far, there has been no research on the prevalence of lower back pain in pianists in Slovenia. Our survey included 111 Slovenian high school piano students, academy piano students and professional pianists. We found out that 64% of pianists have suffered from lower back pain in the past, with the highest incidence among those who work as accompanists at artistic high schools or at the Academy of music of University Ljubljana. 90 % of the pianists surveyed believe that regular exercise can help prevent lower back pain. However, of those who know at least one exercise (to strengthen the core stabilisers, stretch the back muscles or correct sitting posture), only less than a quarter actually practise regularly. 57% of respondents have had their posture corrected by at least one of their teachers during lessons; yet more than a third of those who work as piano teachers do not feel competent to correct their students’ posture. 92% of respondents feel that the importance of good posture when playing the piano is not sufficiently emphasised in Slovenia.
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