Isodynamic evaluation of trunk muscles and low-back pain among workers in a steel factory

A cross-sectional study was conducted to explore the relationship between dynamic parameters of trunk muscle strength and the occurrence of low-back pain (LBP). Isodynamic strength measurements were performed among 31 male maintenance workers with spells of low-back pain in the past 12 months and 28 maintenance workers without a history of low-back pain. In general, workers with low-back pain showed a lower trunk muscle performance than the workers without low-back pain. Only the measures of torque during lateral movement differed significantly between both groups. Regression analysis revealed the importance of the nature of low-back pain for trunk muscle strength. Most parameters of trunk muscle strength were significantly decreased among workers with chronic low-back pain of a rather severe nature, showing reductions from 18% to 50%. None of the work-related risk factors for low-back pain contributed significantly to the prediction of trunk strength measures. The study suggests that isodynamic evaluation of trunk muscle strength may assist in determining objective measures for the severity of low-back pain rather than in evaluating a subject's capability of successfully coping with a specific work load.     

The effect of sustained spinal load on intra-abdominal pressure and EMG characteristics of trunk muscles

Fourteen young male students (mean age 21 years, mean weight 69-4 kg, and mean height 175-4 cm) and 12 young female students (mean age 22-2 years, mean weight 60-6 kg, and mean height 169-3 cm) held 9-07 kg and 6-8 kg, respectively, at their three-quarters horizontal reach distance in upright and stooping postures for a period of 5 min. During these periods the external torque on the lumbosacral disc, intra-abdominal pressure, and electromyographic signals from erectores spinae at T₁₂ and L₃ levels, latissimus dorsi and external obliques were recorded at 1 kHz for 2-1 s every 15 s for a period of 5 min. The EMGs were processed in magnitude and time domains to determine muscle fatigue. Through the data obtained it was seen that the intra-abdominal pressure did not follow or reflect either the spinal load or the muscle activity. Based on the arguments presented, it was concluded that the intra-abdominal pressure does not appear to have a role of relieving the spine of some of its load. Instead, it is suggested that it is a dependent variable manifesting itself when mechanisms for spinal stability are evoked to overcome large voluntary and inertial loads.     

Effects of two types of chairs on stature change and comfort for individuals with healthy and herniated discs

The objective of this study was to determine if stature change and perceived comfort are significantly different for individuals with either healthy or herniated discs when seated in a conventional chair or a sit-stand chair. Sixteen subjects were studied (5 young/healthy, 6 old/healthy, 5 old/herniated). Subjects performed a search task on a computer screen during two 2 h sessions for two consecutive days, with a different chair each day. Changes in stature were measured with a stadio-meter. General comfort and body parts discomfort rating scales were administered every 30min. The main findings were: (1) for all subjects, the sit-stand chair produces less height loss than the conventional chair; and (2) for both chairs, subjects with herniated discs lost more height than subjects with healthy discs. A positive correlation was observed for height loss and age with the sit-stand chair. Subjects with herniated discs felt relatively more uncomfortable in the conventional chair and more comfortable in the sit-stand chair compared to subjects with healthy discs. Both old healthy and young healthy subjects felt more comfortable in the conventional chair in comparison to the sit-stand chair. But, old healthy subjects had a relatively greater perception of comfort in the conventional chair compared with the younger subjects.     

Effects of chronic low back pain,age and gender on vertical spinal creep

This study investigated the effect of chronic low back pain, age, gender, and time of measurement on the magnitude of vertical spinal creep (VSC) and its recovery. A mixed design, involving three independent variables (chronic low back pain, age, and gender) and one repeated variable (time), was used. One hundred and six subjects of both genders, with and without chronic low back pain, aged between 20 and 60 years, participated in the study. The measurement of VSC and its recovery was performed using a seated stadiometer that allowed continuous measurement of VSC without changing the subject's posture over 25 min. Unloaded VSC was measured during the initial 5 min, followed by 10 min with an additional load of 15% of the subject's body weight and then for a further 10 min after the removal of the load. Subjects were grouped into one of eight categories according to the presence of chronic low back pain, age (20–39 years or 40–60 years) and gender. Repeated measures analysis of variance was computed. A significant increase in VSC with time of measurement was observed (p<0.001). No significant main effects for chronic low back pain, age, or gender were found at any time during the 25-min VSC testing protocol. Significant interactions were found between age and gender during the loaded (p = 0.02) and unloaded (p = 0.02) phases. A significant interaction was found between chronic low back pain and gender at the end of the unloaded phase (p = 0.04). These findings suggest a combined influence of chronic low back pain, age, and gender on VSC and its recovery and that the dominance of each variable changed with the time of the measurement. Thus, subjects who differ in the presence of chronic low back pain, age, and gender should not be combined for statistical analysis of VSC and its recovery.     

Shoulder muscular activity in individuals with low back pain and spinal cord injury during seated manual load transfer tasks*

This study aimed to compare the activity of four shoulder muscles in individuals with low back pain (LBP), spinal cord injuries (SCI) and a control group, during one-handed load transfer trials. Nine individuals with minimum one-year of LBP, eleven with thoracic/lumbar SCI and nine healthy controls participated in this study. The activations of anterior deltoid, upper trapezius, infraspinatus and pectoralis major were recorded by surface EMG during one-handed transferring of a cylinder from a home shelve to six spatially distributed target shelves. The integrated EMG values were compared using repeated measure ANOVA. Both LBPs and SCIs had higher anterior deltoid activation and LBPs required more upper trapezius activation than controls (p < 0.05). The spatial position of the targets also significantly influenced demands for these two muscles. The anterior deltoid and upper trapezius in LBP and SCI individuals are under higher demand during occupational load transfer tasks.

Practitioner Summary: This study aimed to compare the activation of four shoulder muscles in individuals with low back pain, spinal cord injuries and healthy condition. EMG analysis showed that the injured groups required more upper trapezius and anterior deltoid activation during load transfer tasks, which may predispose them to muscle overexertion.     

Three-dimensional spinal motion and risk of low back injury during sheep shearing

Sheep shearers are known to work in sustained flexed postures and have a high prevalence of low back pain (LBP). As sustained posture and spinal movement asymmetry under substantial loads are known risk factors for back injury our aim was to describe the 3D spinal movement of shearers while working. We hypothesised that thoraco-lumbar and lumbo-sacral movement would be tri-axial, asymmetric, and task specific. Sufficient retro-reflective markers were placed on the trunk of 12 shearers to define thoraco-lumbar and lumbo-sacral 3D motion during three tasks. Thoraco-lumbar movement consistently involved flexion, left lateral flexion, and right rotation. Lumbo-sacral movement consistently involved right lateral flexion in flexion with minimal rotation. Shearers therefore work in sustained spinal flexion where concurrent, asymmetric spinal movements into both lateral flexion and rotation occur. These asymmetric movements combined with repetitive loading may be risk factors leading to the high incidence of LBP in this occupational group.     

The influence of external load configuration on trunk biomechanics and spinal loading during sudden loading

Abstract

Sudden loading is a major risk factor for work-related lower back injuries among occupations involving manual material handling (MMH). The current study explored the effects of external weight configuration on trunk biomechanics and trunk rotational stiffness in the sagittal plane during sudden loading. Fifteen asymptomatic volunteers experienced sudden loadings using the same magnitude of weight (9?kg) with two different configurations (medially- or laterally-distributed) at three levels of height (low, middle and high). Results of this study showed that the medially distributed weight resulted in a significantly higher peak L5/S1 joint compression force (2861 N vs. 2694 N) and trunk rotational stiffness (2413?Nm/rad vs. 1785?Nm/rad) compared to the laterally distributed weight. It was concluded that when experiencing sudden loading, a more laterally distributed weight could increase the load’s resistance to physical perturbations and alleviate spinal loading during sudden loading events.

Practitioner summary: Increased trunk rotational stiffness and peak L5/S1 joint compression force were observed when undergoing a sudden load release of a medially distributed load compared to a laterally distributed load revealing a less stable hand load condition due to the reduced moment of inertia. The laterally distributed load could increase the load’s resistance to physical perturbations and mitigate spinal loading during sudden loading events.     

The effect of two kinds of T-shirts on physiological and psychological thermal responses during exercise and recovery

The aim of this study was to investigate the physiological and psychological responses during and after high-intensity exercise in a warm and humid environment in subjects wearing shirts of different fabrics. Eight healthy men exercised on two separate occasions, in random order, wearing two types of long-sleeve T-shirt: one made of polyester (PES) and the other of cotton fabric (CT). They performed three 20 min exercise bouts, with 5 min rest between each, and then rested in a chair for 60 min to recover. The ambient temperature was 25 °C and relative humidity was 60%. The exercise comprised of treadmill running at 8 km/h at 1° grade. Rectal temperature, skin temperatures at eight sites, heart rate, T-shirt mass and ratings of thermal, clothing wettedness, and shivering/sweating sensation were measured before the experiment, during the 5 min rest period after each exercise bout, and during recovery. Nude body mass was measured before the experiment and during recovery. The physiological stress index showed that the exercise produced a state of very high heat stress. Compared with exercise wearing the CT shirt, exercise wearing the PES fabric produced a greater sweating efficiency and less clothing regain (i.e., less sweat retention), but thermophysiological and subjective sensations during the intermittent high-intensity exercise were similar for both fabrics. However, skin temperature returned to the pre-exercise level faster, and the thermal and rating of shivering/sweating sensation were lower after exercise in the warm and humid environment in subjects wearing PES than when wearing the more traditional CT fabric.     

Verification of throwing operation by a manipulator with variable viscoelastic joints with straight-fiber-type artificial muscles and magnetorheological brakes

The performance of a robot can be enhanced by increasing its output. However, increasing the output of rigid actuators such as motors and hydraulic actuators will likely increase the weight of the robot. Conversely, organisms such as human beings achieve high output within a short time by accumulating and releasing the elastic energy stored in their muscles; thus, providing an instantaneous force. Moreover, the viscoelastic properties of muscle enable organisms to control their instantaneous force outputs and overall movements. Therefore, in this study, we developed a manipulator with two-degree-of-freedom (DOF) variable viscoelastic joints. The manipulator comprised straight-fiber-type artificial muscles and a magnetorheological (MR) brakes. The ability of a manipulator to generate controlled movement from an instantaneous force was tested in a throwing operation. This simple two-DOF variable viscoelastic manipulator with apparent viscosity control by the MR brakes achieved successful throwing motions. However, it was not possible to calculate the experimental parameters from the target operation in previous study. Therefore, we focused on particle swarm optimization (PSO) as a parameter search method. In this paper, we try to optimize parameters of the throwing movement by combining the spring model of a two-DOF variable viscoelastic manipulator with the PSO method.     

Design and feasibility study of an integrated pointing device apparatus for individuals with spinal cord injury

Despite the commercial availability of numerous computer-pointing devices, many severely disabled individuals still rely on customized equipment to operate computers. This study presents a novel Integrated Pointing Device Apparatus (IPDA) that integrates numerous commercial pointing devices. The novel IPDA, which complies with a standard USB 1.1 interface, is compatible with most tested computer-pointing devices and flexibly integrates commercial computer devices, tailoring them to suit individual needs. By using simple integrated circuit design and low-cost electronic components, this low-cost apparatus is easily maintained. The feasibility of the IPDA was evaluated by four subjects with high-level cervical (C4-5) spinal cord injury (SCI). Participants performed normal move-and-click and drag-and-drop tasks typically performed by computer pointing devices. Each participant not able to use a traditional computer mouse or trackball were able to operate a computer adequately with the IPDA and three including one operating a trackball with his chin, operated computers easily and smoothly. This feasibility study showed that the IPDA effectively integrates commercial pointing devices, thereby providing the possibility for some people with SCI to obtain computer operability. This study demonstrated the advantages of flexibility, low cost, and acceptable efficiency of the novel IPDA.     

Modelling the impact of drought and heat stress on common bean with two different photosynthesis model approaches

Extreme temperature and drought stress are major environmental factors limiting agriculture worldwide. A comprehensive understanding of plant behavior under different environmental conditions can be gained through experiments and through the application of biophysical crop models. This study presents a field experiment conducted with bean exposed to heat and drought stress. Based on an experimental data collection a crop model was set up, calibrated and validated. Hereby, the two different photosynthesis model approaches already implemented in the model, a simple empirical (the Goudriaan and van Laar or GvL model) and a biochemical photosynthesis model approach (the Farquhar-Ball-Collatz or FBC model), were tested. Both photosynthesis model approaches performed adequately under no stress conditions. Under heat stress conditions, yield was underestimated by both models. However, the FBC model performed better than the simpler photosynthesis model approach of the GvL model. The FBC crop model was able to predict the soil water dynamics, the plant growth and the stomatal conductance.     

Computational comparison of two formulations for dynamic supply chain reconfiguration with capacity expansion and contraction

The strategic dynamic supply chain reconfiguration (DSCR) problem is to prescribe the location and capacity of each facility, select links used for transportation, and plan material flows through the supply chain, including production, inventory, backorder, and outsourcing levels. The objective is to minimize total cost. The network must be dynamically reconfigured (i.e., by opening facilities, expanding and/or contracting their capacities, and closing facilities) over time to accommodate changing trends in demand and/or costs. The problem involves a multi-period, multi-product, multi-echelon supply chain. Research objectives of this paper are a traditional formulation and a network-based model of the DSCR problem; tests to promote intuitive interpretation of our models; tests to identify computational characteristics of each model to determine if one offers superior solvability; and tests to identify sensitivity of run time relative to primary parameters.     

Design of non-linear steel frames for stress and displacement constraints with semi-rigid connections via genetic optimization

A genetic-algorithm-based optimum design method is presented for non-linear steel frames with semi-rigid connections and column bases. The design algorithm obtains the minimum total cost, which comprises total member plus connection costs, by selecting suitable sections from a standard set of steel sections such as American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) wide-flange (W) shapes. A genetic algorithm is employed as the optimization method, which utilizes reproduction, crossover and mutation operators. Displacement and stress constraints of AISC Allowable Stress Design (ASD) specification and size constraints for beams and columns are imposed on the frame. The algorithm requires a large number of non-linear analyses of frames. The analyses cover both the non-linear behavior of beam-to-column connection and P- effects of beam-column members. The Frye and Morris polynomial model is used for modeling semi-rigid connections. Two design examples with various types of connections are presented to demonstrate the application of the algorithm. The semi-rigid connection and column base modeling results in more economical solutions than rigid connection modeling, but increases the sway of frames.     

Low back injury risks during construction with prefabricated (panelised) walls: effects of task and design factors

New technology designed to increase productivity in residential construction may exacerbate the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among residential construction workers. Of interest here are panelised (prefabricated) wall systems (or panels) and facilitating an ongoing effort to provide proactive control of ergonomic exposures and risks among workers using panels. This study, which included 24 participants, estimated WMSD risks using five methods during common panel erection tasks and the influences of panel mass (sheathed vs. unsheathed) and size (wall length). WMSD risks were fairly high overall; e.g. 34% and 77% of trials exceeded the ‘action limits’ for spinal compressive and shear forces, respectively. Heavier (sheathed) panels significantly increased risks, although the magnitude of this effect differed with panel size and between tasks. Higher levels of risk were found in tasks originating from ground vs. knuckle height. Several practical recommendations based on the results are discussed.

Statement of Relevance:Panelised wall systems have the potential to increase productivity in residential construction, but may result in increased worker injury risks. Results from this study can be used to generate future panel design and construction processes that can proactively address WMSD risks.