Occupational biomechanics with applications to pregnancy

职业生物力学在妊娠中的应用

• 批准号: RGPIN-2014-05103
• 负责人: Dumas, Genevieve
• 金额: $ 1.75万
• 依托单位: Queen's University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2017-01-01 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=638486
• 关键词: Occupational; biomechanics; applications; pregnancy

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.

我研究的长期目标是为预防职业任务引起的肌肉骨骼疾病和腰痛做出贡献。我特别感兴趣的一个方面是身体变化（例如怀孕或年龄引起的变化）如何影响人们的工作方式。例如，孕晚期躯干质心大幅前移的女性如何抬起身体，保证身体平衡和躯干稳定性，同时控制脊柱负荷？对于老年工人以及提升/搬运不可预测的负载（例如儿童）时，考虑平衡也很重要。拟议的研究计划包括开发工具来评估躯干稳定性和全身平衡及其在举重中的作用，并将这些工具和方法应用于三种情况。我们将评估怀孕和年龄变化对躯干稳定性和身体平衡的影响，并研究工人应对怀孕和年龄相关变化所采用的举重策略。我们还将确定人们用来应对不可预测负载（例如儿童）的策略。先前的研究表明，跌倒在怀孕后期和老年人中很常见。背痛影响大约二分之一的孕妇，并且在日托工作者中也很普遍。拟议研究计划的结果将为这三类工人的安全提升建议奠定知识基础。利用最先进的运动捕捉和运动分析研究设施，我们将确定在举起/搬运任务期间躯干稳定性和身体平衡、脊柱负荷和躯干肌肉活动的测量结果。这些措施将用于比较 1) 孕妇和非孕妇以及 2) 年轻工人和老年工人的举重策略。它们还将用于比较在举起或处理可预测负载（例如箱子）和模拟活跃儿童的不可预测负载期间的身体平衡、脊柱稳定性和脊柱负载。关于怀孕的研究结果将对加拿大医生有用，他们可以为孕妇、雇主和孕妇提供工作安排建议。据我们所知，从未研究过举起和携带儿童的技术。魁北克省 (CSST) 和安大略省 (OHCOW) 都认识到需要提高日托中心的安全性。拟议研究和相关实地研究的结果将转化为改善日托安全的建议，并将对日托工作者、其雇主和家长有用。同样，关于年龄影响的工作是创新且重要的，因为很少有工作来评估老年工人的具体风险，而老年工人在劳动力中的比例越来越大。该研究计划将有助于四名硕士生和四名博士生在职业生物力学方面的研究培训。