MANUAL-LIFTING
ERGONOMICS
MUSCULOSKELETAL-SYSTEM

SELF-SELECTED MANUAL LIFTING TECHNIQUE: FUNCTIONAL CONSEQUENCES OF THE INTERJOINT COORDINATION

The effect of load mass on the coordination of the knee, hip, and lumbar vertebral joints of subjects using a self selected technique to lift loads from floor height was presented. Twenty female and 19 male subjects each performed 100 lifts of loads ranging from 2.5 to 10.5 kilograms (kg). Although only hip and lumbar vertebral joint changes were significant, increasing load mass also slightly increased the flexion of the knee at the start of extension. Increasing loads affected interjoint coordination by increasing the deviation from perfectly in phase coordination on pairs of joints. During bending to pick up a load, knee extension led hip extension, which led lumbar vertebral joint extension. The hamstring muscles lengthened during bending and shortened during lifting, with shortening delayed as loads increased.

Human Factors, 37(2):395-411, 1995. (55 references)

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