Exploration of Different Classes of Metrics to Characterize Motor Variability During Repetitive Symmetric and Asymmetric Lifting Tasks

Details

• Personal Author:
  Nussbaum MA ; Sedighi A
• Description:
  The substantial kinematic degrees-of-freedom available in human movement lead to inherent variations in a repetitive movement, or motor variability (MV). Growing evidence suggests that characterizing MV permits a better understanding of potential injury mechanisms. Several diverse methods, though, have been used to quantify MV, but limited evidence exists regarding the merits of these methods in the occupational context. In this work, we explored different classes of methods for characterizing MV during symmetric and asymmetric box lifting tasks. Kinematic MV of both the whole-body center-of-mass (COM) and the box were quantified, using metrics derived from a linear method (Standard Deviation), a non-linear method (Sample Entropy; an index of movement regularity), and a novel application of an equifinality method (Goal Equivalent Manifold; an index related to the set of effective motor solutions). Our results suggest that individuals manipulate regularity and the set of effective motor solutions to overcome unwanted motor noises related to the COM. These results, together with earlier evidence, imply that individuals may prioritize stability over variability with increasing task difficulty. Task performance also appeared to deteriorate with decreasing variability and regularity of the COM. We conclude that diverse metrics of MV may be complimentary to reveal differences in MV. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Injuries Lifting Manual Lifting Manual Materials Handling Motion Studies Musculoskeletal System Performance Capability Repetitive Work Task Performance
• ISSN:
  2045-2322
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  9
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20056436
• Citation:
  Sci Rep 2019 Jul; 9:9821
• Contact Point Address:
  Maury A. Nussbaum, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, Virginia Tech, 250 Durham Hall (0118), Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
• Email:
  nussbaum@vt.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Performing Organization:
  Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20010701
• Source Full Name:
  Scientific Reports
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:73163ed1b0782d834259225624b498fdc02ebb35ecc516d0fb4329fa8ed8b19a763e1837609fa32405b7ddc4d9d49c0106ee6ccd53939e51ed8d1b5f0b9fe248
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/214042/cdc_214042_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.33 MB ]