Net Torques Vary Across MCP Joints During a Text Typing Task

Details

• Personal Author:
  Asundi K ; Dennerlein J
• Description:
  The most consistent finding among epidemiologic studies evaluating computer use and musculoskeletal outcomes is the association between hours keying and hand/arm health outcomes. While peak forces applied to the keyboard are low (approx. 3 N), keying is a highly repetitive activity where a proficient typist may strike the keys over 20,000 times per hour. Previous studies have measured keyboard reaction forces during typing and dynamic joint loads during single finger tapping, however, no study to our knowledge, has characterized loads of the fingers and upper extremity joints during multi-finger typing. Quantifying finger and upper extremity joint dynamics during typing will help inform the design of keyswitches and keyboards aimed at reducing the biomechanical loads associated with computer use. In this preliminary study, we assessed individual keystrike forces and the net external torques across the first 4 metacarpal-phalangeal (MCP) joints during a continuous multi-finger typing task. We also evaluated how key-strikes from each digit affect joint torques at the wrist. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Biomechanical Phenomena Computers Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Biomechanics Computer Equipment Keyboards MSD Muscle Function Musculoskeletal Disorders Task Performance Upper Extremities
• Publisher:
  American Society of Biomechanics
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20060539
• Citation:
  Proceedings of the 34th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Biomechanics, August 18-21, 2010, Providence, Rhode Island. Newark, DE: The American Society of Biomechanics, 2010 Aug; :216
• Email:
  kasundi@hsph.harvard.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2010
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services ; Wholesale and Retail Trade
• Performing Organization:
  Harvard University School of Public Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20070301
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of the 34th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Biomechanics, August 18-21, 2010, Providence, Rhode Island
• End Date:
  20120331
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3411a24811815f12c3ec0420124b0bfe4a79811721d2c1f571b2a239aa48b51e0a93725c990eda74c4a18607372931402d916a98acc0b17fec4cdbe6be2b62c9
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/224407/cdc_224407_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 26.68 KB ]