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The Effect of Key Anthropometric and Biomechanics Variables Affecting the Lower Back Forces of Healthcare Workers

Wearable devices are becoming ubiquitous and can be used to better estimate postures and movements to reduce the risk of injuries. Thirty-three participants were recruited in this study to perform two daily repetitive patient transfer tasks while the full body movements were acquired using a set of...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Ji, Xiaoxu, Littman, Alexa, Hettiarachchige, Ranuki Onara, Piovesan, Davide
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9864406/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36679454
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s23020658
Descripción
Sumario:Wearable devices are becoming ubiquitous and can be used to better estimate postures and movements to reduce the risk of injuries. Thirty-three participants were recruited in this study to perform two daily repetitive patient transfer tasks while the full body movements were acquired using a set of magneto-inertial wearable devices. The use of wearable devices allowed for the estimation of the forces provoked on the lower back during the entire task performance. In postures where the forces exceeded the warning threshold found in the literature, healthcare workers were considered to have a greater risk of injury. Additionally, the maximum force exerted by each hand to avoid injury to the spinal column was also estimated. Knowing the key anthropometric variables associated with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) will enable engineers and researchers to design better assistive devices and injury prevention programs in diverse workplaces.