Publications by authors named "Neal E Wiggermann"
Effect of Hand Grip and Center of Mass Location on Muscle Activity While Manipulating a Surgical Table Segment.
IISE Trans Occup Ergon Hum Factors
October 2024
Article Synopsis
- Hand grip placement relative to an object's center of mass significantly affects muscle activity in the trunk and arms.
- Aligning the grip with the center of mass minimizes muscle use, while the effort required for different grip styles varies based on specific muscles.
- Design features like handles play a crucial role in reducing physical strain, enhancing usability, and decreasing the risk of musculoskeletal injuries in manual handling tasks.
The kinetic demands of the spine can be assessed using a top-down (TD) or bottom-up (BU) approach, which start calculations from the either the hands or from the feet, respectively. Biomechanists have traditionally favored a BU approach, though existing modeling approaches encourage a TD approach. Regardless of the approach the demands should be similar, provided the external forces and linked segment parameters are equivalently measured and modeled.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Mobilizing hospital patients is associated with improved outcomes and shorter length of stay. Safe patient handling and mobility programs that include mechanical lift use facilitate mobilizing patients and reduce the likelihood of musculoskeletal disorders in staff. However, there is little information on the prevalence of lift use or why some patients are more likely to have a lift used than others.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To determine the effect of prolonged standing on touch sensitivity of the foot.
Design: An observational study with replications.
Setting: University laboratory.