Occupational biomechanics with applications to pregnancy

我的研究的长期目标是促进对预防肌肉骨骼疾病和腰痛由于职业任务的知识。我特别感兴趣的一个方面是身体变化，如怀孕或年龄，如何影响人们的工作方式。例如，怀孕后期的女性，其躯干质量中心已大幅向前移动，如何提升并确保身体平衡和躯干稳定性，同时控制脊柱上的负荷？考虑平衡对于年龄较大的工人以及在提升/处理不可预测的负载（如儿童）时也很重要。拟议的研究计划包括开发工具，以评估躯干稳定性和全身平衡及其在提升中的作用，并将这些工具和方法应用于三种情况。我们将评估由于怀孕和年龄的变化对躯干稳定性和身体平衡的影响，并研究工人科普怀孕和年龄相关变化的提升策略。我们还将确定人们用来科普不可预测的负荷（如儿童）的策略。以前的研究表明，福尔斯在怀孕后期和老年人中很常见。背痛影响大约两个孕妇中的一个，在日托工作者中也很普遍。建议的研究计划的结果将构成一个知识基础，为这三类工人的安全升降的建议。使用最先进的运动捕捉和运动分析研究设施，我们将确定躯干稳定性和身体平衡，脊柱负荷和躯干肌肉活动在起重/处理任务的措施。这些措施将用于比较1）孕妇和非孕妇以及2）年轻和老年工人的提升策略。它们还将用于比较身体平衡，脊柱稳定性和脊柱负荷，在提升或处理可预测的负荷，如箱子，和不可预测的负荷模拟一个活跃的孩子。关于怀孕的研究结果将对加拿大医生、雇主和孕妇提供工作便利方面的建议有所帮助。据我们所知，从来没有人研究过抱孩子的技术。魁北克（加拿大社会服务委员会）和安大略（OHCOW）都承认需要改善日托安全。拟议的研究和相关的实地研究的结果将转化为改善日托安全的建议，并将是有用的日托工作者，他们的雇主和父母。同样，关于年龄影响的工作具有创新性和重要性，因为在评估老年工人的具体风险方面所做的工作很少，而老年工人在劳动力中所占的比例越来越大。该研究计划将有助于职业生物力学的四名硕士和四名博士生的研究培训。

The long term objectives of my research are to contribute to knowledge towards the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders and low back pain due to occupational tasks. One aspect of special interest to me is how physical changes such as those due to pregnancy or age affect the way people work. For example, how do women in late pregnancy, whose trunk centre of mass has substantially moved anteriorly, lift and ensure body balance and trunk stability while also controlling the loads on their spine? Consideration of balance is also important for older workers and when lifting/handling loads that are not predictable such as children. The proposed research program consists in developing tools to evaluate trunk stability and whole body balance and their role in lifting and to apply these tools and methods to three situations. We will evaluate the effects of the changes due to pregnancy and age on trunk stability and body balance, and study the lifting strategies used by workers to cope with pregnancy and age related changes. We will also identify strategies used by people to cope with non-predictable loads such as children. Previous research showed that falls are frequent in late pregnancy and with older people. Back pain affects about one out of two pregnant women and is also quite prevalent in daycare workers. The results of the proposed research program will constitute a knowledge basis for recommendations on safe lifting for these three categories of workers. Using state of the art research facilities in Motion Capture and Motion Analysis, we will determine measures of trunk stability and body balance, spinal loads and trunk muscle activity during lifting/handling tasks. These measures will be used to compare lifting strategies of 1) pregnant and non-pregnant women and 2) young and older workers. They will also be used to compare body balance, spinal stability and spinal loads during the lifting or handling of predictable loads, such as boxes, and unpredictable loads simulating an active child. The results of the research on pregnancy will be useful to Canadian physicians who make recommendations for work accommodations for pregnant women, to employers and to pregnant women. To our knowledge, techniques for lifting and carrying children have never been studied. The need to improve safety in daycares has been acknowledged both in Quebec (CSST) and Ontario (OHCOW). The results of the proposed research and the associated field research will be translated into recommendations for improving safety in daycares, and will be useful for daycare workers, their employers, and parents. Similarly, the work on the effect of age is innovative and important as little work has been done to evaluate the specific risks for older workers, an increasing part of the workforce. This research program will contribute to the research training of four Master’s and four PhD students in Occupational Biomechanics.