A comparison of instrumentation methods to estimate thoracolumbar motion in field-based occupational studies

Details

• Personal Author:
  Chen H ; Fethke NB ; Gerr F ; Schall MC Jr.
• Description:
  The performance of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) system for directly measuring thoracolumbar trunk motion was compared to that of the Lumbar Motion Monitor (LMM). Thirty-six male participants completed a simulated material handling task with both systems deployed simultaneously. Estimates of thoracolumbar trunk motion obtained with the IMU system were processed using five common methods for estimating trunk motion characteristics. Results of measurements obtained from IMUs secured to the sternum and pelvis had smaller root-mean-square differences and mean bias estimates in comparison to results obtained with the LMM than results of measurements obtained solely from a sternum mounted IMU. Fusion of IMU accelerometer measurements with IMU gyroscope and/or magnetometer measurements was observed to increase comparability to the LMM. Results suggest investigators should consider computing thoracolumbar trunk motion as a function of estimates from multiple IMUs using fusion algorithms rather than using a single accelerometer secured to the sternum in field-based studies. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Biomechanical Phenomena Ergonomics Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Nervous System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Analytical Instruments Author Keywords: Musculoskeletal Disorders Biomechanics Body Mechanics Inertial Measurement Manual Handling Manual Materials Handling Motion Studies Musculoskeletal System Disorders Physiological Measurements Spinal Cord

  More +
• ISSN:
  0003-6870
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant ; Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Iowa ; OSHA Region 7
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  224-231
• Volume:
  48
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20046879
• Citation:
  Appl Ergon 2015 May; 48:224-231
• Contact Point Address:
  Mark C. Schall Jr., University of Iowa, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, 3131 Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
• Email:
  mark-schall@uiowa.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Iowa
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Applied Ergonomics
• End Date:
  20290630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:191636d84aacf6360e41ae5a4d7ff4a19fc8699744a39ca20aa252fcd1817b56a886df3e817cc050198cad07bd60026c5b089a12a5951e0b7882b583fa081f7b
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/202157/cdc_202157_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 468.66 KB ]