• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• 제36권1호
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• pp.58-67
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• 2011

A high prevalence of protected horiculture farmer's work-related musculo-skeletal disorders (MSDs) have been reported in precedent studies. One of the tasks required ergonomic intervention to reduce the musculo-skeletal risks is the task of harvesting. The purpose of this study is to evaluate quantitatively the spinal load of worker harvesting with squatting posture to predict and prevent musculo-skeletal risks. Spinal load in Squatting posture with asymmetric trunk motion were analyzed. Before evaluating spinal load on harvesting worker by bio-mechanical approach, it is needed to validate human model. In this study, ADAMS LifeMOD human model shows satisfactory results, comparing with already validated model's results or measured results. While worker reached arms (20%, 40%, 70% arm reach) with various asymmetric trunk motion (0, 45, 90 degree), their spinal loads (extension, twisting and lateral bending moment) were evaluated. In case of extensor moment at lumbo-sacral joint, the more the arm reach got increased, the moment increased. however, in case of twisting moment and lateral bending moment, the more both arm reach and asymmetric trunk motion got increased, the moment increased significantly. The findings of this study suggest that it need to be determine the spinal load, especially twisting, lateral bending moment in evaluating musculo-skeletal workload in squatting posture.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.216-222
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• 2012

Purpose: Weight-bearing exercise is a type of physical exercise that is widely performed for rehabilitation after acquiring nervous-system diseases or sports-related injuries. It is one of the most commonly prescribed rehabilitation programs for strengthing of the lower extremities. Weight-bearing exercise is important for the conduct of such activity of daily living (ADLs) as walking, and up and down the stairs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the muscle activities during one-leg standing and one-leg squatting, the two most representative weight-bearing exercises. Methods: A total of 43 elderly (60~70 years old) males who could perform weight-bearing exercises were included in the study. During the one-leg standing and one-leg squatting, the electromyographic (EMG) signals were quantified as maximum voluntary isometric contraction (%MVIC) using surface EMG, and then the muscle activities of the lower extremities during the two exercises were compared. For statistical analysis, an independent sample t-test and one-way ANOVA were performed. Results: The results of the study are as follows: (1) in the one-leg standing, the activity of the gluteus medius was the greatest among the vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, bicep femoris, (2) in the one-leg squatting, the activity of the vastus medialis was the greatest; and (3) the activity was greater in the one-leg squatting than in the single-leg standing exercise. Conclusion: The one-leg standing and squatting exercises are suitable for strengthening the muscles for the prevention of and recovery from lower-extremity injury, and for functional ADL in elderly people. In addition, dynamic exercise was shown to be more effective than static exercise for strengthening the muscles.

• 로봇학회논문지
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.86-91
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• 2018

This paper presents about design efforts of a human-sized quadruped robot leg for high energy efficiency, and verifications. One of the representative index of the energy efficiency is the Cost of Transport (COT), but increased in the energy or work done is not calculated in COT. In this reason, the input to the output energy efficiency should be also considered as a very important term. By designing the robot with customized motor housing, small rotational inertia, and low gear ratio to reduce friction, high energy efficiency was achieved. Squatting motion of one leg was performed and simulation results were compared to the experimental results for validation. The developed 50 kg robot can lift the weight up to 200 kg, and during squatting, it showed high energy efficiency. The robot showed 71% input to output energy efficiency in positive work. Peak current during squatting only appears to be 0.3 A.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.134-142
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• 2012

Purpose: This study examined the effect on postural control during the stimulation of haptic touch with fingertip on the stable surface at quiet standing posture, squat flexion stage, 60 degrees squat stage and squat extension stage. Methods: The postural sway was measured on the force platform, while 30 subjects were squatting, under three different haptic touch conditions (No Touch [NT], Light Touch [LT], Heavy Touch [HT]), above the touch pad in front of their body midline. Three different haptic touch conditions were divided into 1) NT condition; squatting as right index fingers held above the touch pad, 2) LT condition (<1N); squatting as the touch pad was in contact with right index fingers pulp with a pressure not exceeding 1N and 3) HT condition; squatting as subjects were allowed to use the touch pad for mechanical support by transmitting onto it with as much force, choosing with their index fingers. Results: There was significant decrease in LT, rather than that of NT (p<0.01), and in HT, rather than that of LT (p<0.01), as the results of the distance and velocity of center of pressure (COP) in mediolateral direction at quiet standing position. In anteroposterior direction, the distance and velocity of COP in LT and HT showed significant decrease, when compared to that of the data of NT (p<0.01). There was no significant difference between the 3 conditions (NT, LT, and HT), with respect to the distance and velocity of COP in mediolateral direction, during dynamic balance (squat flexion stage, squat extension stage) (p>0.05). In anteroposterior direction, the results of the distance and velocity of COP in HT showed significant decrease when compared to that of the data of NT (p<0.05). Conclusion: Light touch, during the task, decreased the postural sway at static balance. The results suggest that haptic touch should be applied, appropriately, because it varies the effects according to different conditions.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• 제31권2호
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• pp.76-81
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• 2019

Purpose: This study examined the effects of squatting with different foot positions on the muscle activation of the vastus medialis oblique (VMO) and vastus lateralis (VL) muscles in subjects with genu varum. Methods: Thirty four subjects participated in this study. Surface electromyography was used to measure the muscle activation of the VMO and VL muscles at the knee angles ($15^{\circ}$, $60^{\circ}$) at three foot positions (internal rotation, neutral position, external rotation) during squatting. Results: Muscle activation differences at different knee angles and foot positions differed significantly between the VMO and VL muscles in both the varus and normal groups. In addition, there was a significant difference according to the knee angles with the foot in external rotation in the VMO and VL ratio. In the varus group, however, the VMO and VL ratio were significantly different only with the feet in internal rotation. In the muscle activation changes of the knee angle differences in the foot position, there was no significant difference in the varus group, but both the VMO and VL muscles were significant different in the normal group. Conclusion: In both groups, regardless of the foot position, muscle activation of the VMO and VL muscles increased with increasing knee flexion angle. In the normal group, when squatting with the feet in external rotation, the VMO and VL muscles activations increased with increasing knee angle. In the varus group, however, the foot position did not affect the VMO or VL muscle activation. This study shows that subjects with genu varum and normal subjects have different VMO and VL muscle activation patterns during squat exercises.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• 제46권3호
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• pp.230-233
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• 2013

While a diaphragmatic rupture commonly results from trauma to the abdomen and chest, a spontaneous diaphragmatic rupture is very rare. A 68-year-old male presented with chest pain that had originated while doing farm work in a squatting position. Images revealed a 5 cm defect of the left diaphragmatic dome, and the entire stomach was displaced into the thorax. The diaphragmatic defect was round and half had a well-demarcated margin. The remaining fragile tissue was completely excised and was closed primarily. The patient was uneventfully discharged and resumed with a normal diet 10 days after the operation.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.130-142
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• 2017

Background: Osteoarthritis of the knee is considered to be related to knee straining activities at work. The objective of this review is to assess the exposure dose-response relation between kneeling or squatting, lifting, and climbing stairs at work, and knee osteoarthritis. Methods: We included cohort and case-control studies. For each study that reported enough data, we calculated the odds ratio (OR) per 5,000 hours of cumulative kneeling and per 100,000 kg of cumulative lifting. We pooled these incremental ORs in a random effects meta-analysis. Results: We included 15 studies (2 cohort and 13 case-control studies) of which nine assessed risks in more than two exposure categories. We considered all but one study at high risk of bias. The incremental OR per 5,000 hours of kneeling was 1.26 (95% confidence interval 1.17-1.35, 5 studies, moderate quality evidence) for a log-linear exposure dose-response model. For lifting, there was no exposure dose-response per 100,000 kg of lifetime lifting (OR 1.00, 95% confidence interval 1.00-1.01). For climbing, an exposure dose-response could not be calculated. Conclusion: There is moderate quality evidence that longer cumulative exposure to kneeling or squatting at work leads to a higher risk of osteoarthritis of the knee. For other exposure, there was no exposure dose-response or there were insufficient data to establish this. More reliable exposure measurements would increase the quality of the evidence.

• 대한인간공학회지
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• 제30권5호
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• pp.671-681
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• 2011

Objective: The purpose of this study is to compare the workload level at each lower limbs posture and suggest the ergonomic workstation guideline for working period by evaluating the imbalanced lower limbs postures from the physiological and psychophysical points of view. Background: Many workers like welders are working in various imbalanced lower limbs postures either due to the narrow working conditions or other environmental conditions. Method: Ten male subjects participated in this experiment. Subjects were asked to maintain 3 different lower limbs postures(standing, squatting and bending) with 3 different working conditions(balanced floor with no scaffold, imbalanced floor with 10cm height of scaffold, and imbalanced floor with 20cm height of scaffold). EMG data for the 4 muscle groups(Retus Femoris, Vastus Lateralis, Tibialis Anterior, Gastrocnemius) from each lower limbs posture were collected for 20 seconds every 2 minutes during the 8 minutes sustaining task. Subjects were also asked to report their discomfort ratings of body parts such as waist, upper legs, lower legs, and ankle. Results: The ANOVA results showed that the EMG root mean square(RMS) values and the discomfort ratings(CR-10 Rating Scale) were significantly affected by lower limbs postures and working time(p<0.05). The correlation was analyzed between the EMG data and the discomfort ratings. Also, prediction models for the discomfort rating for each posture were developed using physical condition, working time, and scaffold height. Conclusion: We strongly recommend that one should not work more than 6 minutes in a standing or squatting postures and should not work more than 4 minutes in a bending posture. Application: The results of this study could be used to design and assess working environments and methods. Furthermore, these results could be used to suggest ergonomic guidelines for the lower limbs postures such as squatting and bending in the working fields in order to prevent fatigue and pain in the lower limbs body.

• International journal of advanced smart convergence
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.76-83
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• 2023

Squatting of agricultural work can cause musculoskeletal disorders due to excessive pressure and rotational force on the knee joint In order to improve the assistive chair used in squatting agricultural work so that it can be used in a narrow groove, it is intended to improve the musculoskeletal harm of squatting work by attaching a spring on the assistive chair. Therefore, in the presenty study, 3D drawing was done using ProEngineer (3D), and a mock-up was produced and tested. Using pro-Engineer, it was judged that it was rare for plastic to be broken by a spring, so the analysis was conducted with a focus on springs. It was found that the structure that can absorb the shock according to the rigidity of the tape spring and balance the body is that the power to withstand the load of the weight is distributed as a whole when five springs are used. Electromyography was measured using ME600 (Mega Electronics, Finland) Measuring equipment attached to the waist, thighs, calves, and shins. EMG values were measured and compared with the prototype in two ways, when the worker did not wear the product and when he wore an existing product on the market. As a result of the experiment when using the prototype, the maximum EMG value for each part is considered to be helpful in preventing musculoskeletal diseases as the amount of muscle used is reduced in the waist, thighs, calves, and shins.

• 대한인간공학회지
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• 제30권4호
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• pp.473-480
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• 2011

Objective: This paper presents the results of a literature review undertaken to analyze the types and risk factors of unsafe posture in accordance with the crops and the working position and to introduce various ergonomic intervention approaches. Background: There is clear and consistent evidence that agricultural work has been rated as one of the dangerous occupations in the world. A considerable number of adverse health conditions, including musculoskeletal disorders(MSDs) are related to agricultural work. Method: An agricultural work requires squatting, kneeling, and bending(stooping) postures for significant periods of the work day which due to a wide variety of activities such as planting, cultivating and harvesting various agricultural products. Thus, each of these postures is analyzed in detail to recommend the improvement methods. Results: Various unsafe postures in agricultural works are revealed and analyzed. It is proven that ergonomics intervention has the potential benefits to reduce MSDs among agricultural workers. Two types of ergonomic intervention methods were discussed to improve unsafe working postures, engineering controls and administrative controls. Conclusion & Application: As a concluding remark, this article can be used as a reference manual for the agricultural workers and also used to raise the research community's awareness to the risk of unsafe working postures for workers in agriculture.