Article

While a number of studies have tested the therapeutic effectiveness
of playing musical instruments, such as the electronic keyboard using Musical
Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), it is still unclear whether outcomes of
electronic keyboard playing are related to hand function tests. The
purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between MIDI-keyboard
playing and hand function tests, including grip strength, Box and Block test
(BBT), and Jensen-Taylor Hand Function Test (JTHF). METHODS: A total of 66 stroke
patients were recruited from medical centers and were classified into acute (n =
21), subacute (n = 28), and chronic (n = 17) recovery stages. The participants'
mean age was 60.5 years. The MIDI-keyboard playing protocol based on sequential
key pressing was implemented. All hand function tests were performed by certified
occupational therapists. RESULTS: MIDI scores from participants at all three
recovery stages were significantly correlated with BBT and grip strength.
Overall, MIDI-keyboard playing scores demonstrated moderate to high correlations
with hand function tests except for participants at the chronic stage and the
JTHF, which showed no correlation. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that
MIDI-keyboard playing has great potential as an assessment tool of hand function,
especially hand dexterity in acute and subacute stroke patients. Further studies
are needed to refine the specific keyboard playing tasks that increase
responsiveness to traditional hand function tests.

Langue : ANGLAIS