| Abstract [eng] |
Sedentary Workers spending increasing amounts of time in environments that not only limit physical activity but also require prolonged sitting, at work, at home, and in our cars and communities. Worksites, schools, homes, and public spaces have been (and continue to be) reengineered in ways that minimize human movement and muscular activity. These changes have a dual effect on human behaviour: people move less and sit more. According to EU-OSHA (2019), Musculoskeletal Disorders constitute the most important concern for 60% of workers with a work-related health problem, with 43% including upper limbs and/or shoulders. Therefore, in this research an upper body monitoring system was developed by exploring the influence of sedentary postures on the upper body muscle activity, joint reaction forces and mechanical properties of the muscles. The findings are useful for development of devices, which help in reducing musculoskeletal disorders and increasing productivity. The system developed can be implemented in a workplace to track the postural changes and alert the user when in abnormal posture. It is evident from the findings that the effect on various muscles and joints during the forward head, rounded shoulder, and hunched shoulder postures was higher when compared to the normal posture. The gradual increase in physical activity during these postures could affect the stability of the joints and cause muscle pain. This work expands our understanding of various sedentary postures and their effects on upper body elements. Furthermore, these insights will contribute to future research on postural management and monitoring during sedentary work. |
