Perceived discomfort and electromyographic activity of the upper trapezius while working at a VDT station
Hermans, Veerle ; Spaepen, Arthur J.
International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics
1995
3
208-214
data processing ; electromyography ; ergonomic evaluation ; ergonomics ; fatigue ; muscle contractor activity ; musculoskeletal diseases ; office work ; subjective assessment ; visual display unit ; workbreaks ; workload assessment
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD)
English
Bibliogr.
Subjective muscular fatigue was evaluated for 10 female VDT workers over a working day; 5 workers had previous musculoskeletal problems in the shoulder-neck region, 5 had not. Electromyographic activity of the upper right and left trapezius was measured. The subjective scores for the shoulder were significantly higher for the group with complaints. The activity of the trapezius increased for both groups, with no significant differences between the groups. A reduction in load intensity by the introduction of frequent short breaks in continuous activity should be considered even for tasks with low static loads.
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