Development and Investigation of a Wearable Aid for a Load Carriage Task.
Anterior load carriage tasks are common and can lead to musculoskeletal disorders such as lower back pain. The objectives of this study were to develop a wearable carriage aid and examine its effectiveness on physical demands while considering the potential moderating influence of the carried load. The study consisted of two within-subject factors: device and load. For the former, two levels were tested: with and without the device worn. For the latter, two loads were examined: 15 and 30% of each individual's body mass. Sixteen participants walked on a treadmill for five minutes at a constant speed for each condition. Physical demands were quantified using objective (EMG-based) and subjective (discomfort) measures. Wearing the device reduced static and median anterior deltoid, trapezius, and biceps brachii muscle activations. Increasing the carried load increased most physical demand measures. Two significant Device×Load interactions were observed; for the anterior deltoid and trapezius median activation measures, the influence of increasing load was lower when the device was worn. While slightly increasing perceived discomfort in the lower back, wearing the device reduced shoulder, neck, and hand/wrist discomfort. While the study demonstrated a potential for the device, future work is required under more realistic and diverse testing conditions.
['Alabdulkarim|Saad A|SA|', 'Farhan|Abdulsalam M|AM|', 'Ramadan|Mohamed Z|MZ|']
D000328:Adult D004576:Electromyography D005080:Exercise Test D006801:Humans D017116:Low Back Pain D008297:Male D012782:Shoulder D016138:Walking D000076251:Wearable Electronic Devices D016474:Weight-Bearing
wearable aid anterior load carriage assistive device interventions