Trunk muscle co-activation and activity in one- and two-person lifting

Chini, Giorgia; Varrecchia, Tiwana; Tatarelli, Antonella; Silvetti, Alessio; Fiori, Lorenzo; Draicchio, Francesco; Ranavolo, Alberto

doi:10.1016/j.ergon.2022.103297

Cited by 7 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…In this work, the experimental approach mentioned in ref. [6] and briefly summarized below was used.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To prevent work-related musculoskeletal diseases, it is crucial to adopt effective ergonomic interventions designed on an accurate and precise estimate of the biomechanical risk level also by using approaches based on wearable sensor networks and specific algorithms and indexes [5]. These approaches allow us to estimate the risk levels during the execution, among the other manual material handling activities, of lifting tasks performed in the team by more than one person or performed with the aid of exoskeletons and collaborative robots [5][6][7][8][9]. The latter would not be assessable with methods listed within the international ergonomic standards [10][11][12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since during lifting heavy loads, the spine is the most affected body district, the scientific literature shows that the mainly used indexes are based on the trunk behavior in terms of kinematics [13][14][15][16], forces at the L5/S1 level [17][18][19] and surface electromyography [6,[20][21][22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, it can be counterproductive, as it generates additional compression and shear forces on the joint, that may lead to injury [19,22,[35][36][37]. Lifting has been demonstrated to enhance the co-activation of the trunk muscles, causing moments that do not add to the required net trunk moment [6,22,31].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We proposed a novel approach to studying time-varying multi-muscle co-activation function (TMCf ), which is a good indicator of the CNS's overall strategy for modulating the muscle co-activation during locomotion [43] and lifting [6,22]. This approach gives an alternative viewpoint on the spatiotemporal motor control of the trunk and/or lower limbs, highlighting how trunk and/or lower limb muscles are concurrently co-activated to increase whole-limb stiffness, regardless of single-joint antagonist muscles or modular activation of a group of muscles [47].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lower Limb Muscle Co-Activation Maps in Single and Team Lifting at Different Risk Levels

Chini,

Varrecchia,

Serrao

et al. 2024

Applied Sciences

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The central nervous system uses muscle co-activation for body coordination, effector movement control, and joint stabilization. However, co-activation increases compression and shear stresses on the joints. Lifting activity is one of the leading causes of work-related musculoskeletal problems worldwide, and it has been shown that when the risk level rises, lifting enhances trunk muscle co-activation at the L5/S1 level. This study aims to investigate the co-activation of lower limb muscles during liftings at various risk levels and lifting types (one-person and vs. two-person team lifting), to understand how the central nervous system governs lower limb rigidity during these tasks. The surface electromyographic signal of thirteen healthy volunteers (seven males and six females, age range: 29–48 years) was obtained over the trunk and right lower limb muscles while lifting in the sagittal plane. Then co-activation was computed according to different approaches: global, full leg, flexor, extensor, and rostro-caudal. The statistical analysis revealed a significant increase in the risk level and a decrease in the two-person on the mean and/or maximum of the co-activation in almost all the approaches. Overall, our findings imply that the central nervous system streamlines the motor regulation of lifting by increasing or reducing whole-limb rigidity within a distinct global, extensor, and rostro-caudal co-activation scheme, depending on the risk level/lifting type.

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“…In this work, the experimental approach mentioned in ref. [6] and briefly summarized below was used.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Lower Limb Muscle Co-Activation Maps in Single and Team Lifting at Different Risk Levels

Chini,

Varrecchia,

Serrao

et al. 2024

Applied Sciences

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Passive shoulder occupational exoskeleton reduces shoulder muscle coactivation in repetitive arm movements

Grazi,

Trigili,

Fiore

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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Humans naturally employ muscle coactivation to facilitate a broad range of movements, enhancing joint stability and movement accuracy. However, excessive muscle coactivation can become unfavorable or even detrimental. This phenomenon is often observed in industrial workers who endure repetitive or prolonged joint stress, particularly in areas such as the shoulders. Prolonged stress can result in soft tissue damage and the onset of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). In recent years, there have been efforts to mitigate the emergence of work-related MSDs among industrial workers through the implementation of upper-limb occupational exoskeletons (OEs). While previous research has demonstrated their effectiveness in reducing shoulder muscle activation, particularly in static and overhead work activities, there has been a lack of studies examining the impact of upper-limb OEs on muscle coactivation during repetitive arm movements. To bridge this gap in knowledge, our study systematically assesses the influence of a passive exoskeleton’s anti-gravitational support on shoulder muscle coactivation during repetitive arm movements. Results show that peak and mean coactivation levels linearly decrease with the increase of the amount of anti-gravitational support provided by the upper-limb OE, reaching approximately 51% and 54%, respectively. Conversely, the percentage of the movement cycle corresponding to the coactivation peak appears unaffected by the level of assistance. This study marks the first instance in which a passive upper-limb OE has been shown to reduce shoulder muscle coactivations, potentially paving the way for a novel methodology in their evaluation.

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The assistance of BAZAR robot promotes improved upper limb motor coordination in workers performing an actual use-case manual material handling

et al. 2023

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This study aims at evaluating upper limb muscle coordination and activation in workers performing an actual use-case manual material handling (MMH). The study relies on the comparison of the workers' muscular activity while they perform the task, with and without the help of a dual-arm cobot (BAZAR). Eleven participants performed the task and the flexors and extensors muscles of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and trunk joints were recorded using bipolar electromyography. The results showed a reduction in both upper limb and trunk muscle co-activation and activation when the specific MMH was performed with BAZAR. Therefore, Human-robot collaboration technologies, which share the workspace with workers, offload workers from external loads and improve the task execution efficiency and quality. Furthermore, they also allow a better coordination and reduce the worker's physical effort while s/he physically interacts with the robot, and positively affect his/her physiological motor strategy.

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Trunk muscle co-activation and activity in one- and two-person lifting

Cited by 7 publications

References 65 publications

Lower Limb Muscle Co-Activation Maps in Single and Team Lifting at Different Risk Levels

Lower Limb Muscle Co-Activation Maps in Single and Team Lifting at Different Risk Levels

Passive shoulder occupational exoskeleton reduces shoulder muscle coactivation in repetitive arm movements

The assistance of BAZAR robot promotes improved upper limb motor coordination in workers performing an actual use-case manual material handling

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