Journal of Ergonomics
Open Access
ISSN: 2165-7556
+44 1300 500008
ISSN: 2165-7556
+44 1300 500008
George Athanassiou
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics, Biomedical Engineering Laboratory,
Rion 26500
Greece
Research Article
Quantifying Muscle Fatigue of the Low Back during Repetitive Load Lifting Using Lyapunov Analysis
Author(s): Elias Spyropoulos, Anastasia Kyvelidou, Nikolas Stergiou and George AthanassiouElias Spyropoulos, Anastasia Kyvelidou, Nikolas Stergiou and George Athanassiou
Background: Occupational low back disorders are often associated with exposure to work-related physical risk factors such as muscle fatigue in the low back. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the possible relationship between the divergence of the kinematic trajectories of the low back system and the different stages of fatigue during the execution of a repetitive lifting task. Methods: The patterns of the low back system were recorded using markers on specific vertebras during the repetitive load lifting from the floor to a 0.75 m height table. The maximum Lyapunov exponent, λmax of the recorded patterns was calculated from the x and y coordinates of the lower back markers using the algorithm proposed by Wolf. Results: The results of the λmax values determined three .. View More»
DOI:
10.4172/2165-7556.1000180