The effect of tele-postural awareness training on postural ergonomics, somatosensory functions, fatigue and performance anxiety in flute instrument playing students

Objective: This study aimed to examine the effects of an eight-week tele-postural awareness and pranayama-based breathing training program on postural ergonomics, somatosensory functions (cervical joint position sense), fatigue, and musical performance anxiety in flute-playing students. Methods: Thirty students from the Faculty of Fine Arts and Faculty of Education Department of Music, were randomly assigned to an exercise group (n = 15) and a control group (n = 15). The eight-week program was conducted in a tele-exercise format. Assessments included postural awareness, postural ergonomic risk (RULA), cervical joint position sense (horizontal/vertical/global error), deep cervical flexor endurance, fatigue (Modified Borg Scale), musical performance anxiety (K-MPAI), and postural awareness scales (PAÖ, PFÖ, F1–F4). Results: No significant differences were found between the groups in any variable before the intervention (p > 0.05). After eight weeks, the exercise group showed statistically significant reductions in fatigue level, musical performance anxiety, and cervical joint position sense error values (p < 0.05). When comparing pre-to-post changes between groups, the exercise group demonstrated significantly greater improvements across all these parameters than the control group (p < 0.05). Deep cervical flexor endurance significantly increased in the exercise group after the program (p = 0.0001), and the delta change scores also favored the exercise group (p = 0.0001). Significant improvements were observed in the exercise group for postural awareness scales (PAÖ, PFÖ) and all sub-dimensions (F1–F4) (p = 0.0001), while no significant changes were vi found in the control group. Regarding ergonomic risk, both RULA B and total RULA scores showed marked improvement in the exercise group (p ≤ 0.001), whereas no significant differences were detected in the control group between baseline and post-test measurements. Conclusion: An eight-week tele-postural awareness and pranayama-based breathing training program enhanced postural awareness, reduced ergonomic risk scores, improved cervical proprioception and muscle endurance, lowered fatigue levels, and significantly decreased musical performance anxiety in flute students. These findings indicate that tele-rehabilitation-based postural awareness programs are feasible and effective interventions for musician populations. Keywords: Tele-Postural Awareness, Flute Students, Posture Ergonomics, Somatosensory Function, Fatigue