| Abstrakt: |
The prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders is one of the main goals in ergonomics. Among others, surface electromyography (sEMG) is an important tool for the evaluation of risks related to work activity. Three main issues have been approached in ergonomics via sEMG: 1) the analysis of muscle activation, 2) the analysis of exerted forces and torques, and 3) the analysis of muscle fatigue. Many studies have been carried out in static conditions. In ergonomics, however, it is more relevant to study muscle activity and fatigue during real tasks that are, in general, dynamic. From isometric to dynamic contractions, the complexity of the interpretation of sEMG signals increases considerably. Changes in sEMG signals are related to the continuous modifications in force output, muscle fiber length, and relative position of surface electrodes and sources. To increase the reliability of the information extracted from sEMG, multichannel detection systems have been applied, showing the possibility of overcoming some limits of the standard technique. Some illustrative laboratory and field studies are reported in this work to illustrate the potentialities and the open problems in the use of multichannel sEMG in ergonomics. Case 1 is a laboratory study investigating the myoelectric manifestations of fatigue in the biceps brachii (BB) during dynamic elbow flexion/extension. Case 2 is a laboratory study investigating the myoelectric manifestations of fatigue during a repetitive lifting task. Case 3 is a field study, carried out in an automotive plant, investigating muscle activation during the welding of a car door. Many factors play a leading role in the correct interpretation of information provided by sEMG. Even though multichannel sEMG provides information able to improve the estimation of force and/or fatigue during working tasks, many problems related to the signal acquisition and interpretation are still open. Further improvements are necessary to develop multichannel sEMG into an effective tool supporting other methodologies for the evaluation of work-related risks. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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