Evaluation of a biomechanical simulation model for sagittal plane lifting

Abstract

The kinetics and kinematics produced by a computerized dynamic biomechanical simulation model were examined and compared to those produced by actual human lifters. The purpose of the comparison was to demonstrate the accuracy of the simulation in predicting stresses imposed on the human body during the performance of a lifting task. The simulation model was shown to predict quite well under different task conditions (range of lift, weight of load, size of box, and gender of lifter.) Use of the simulation model is advocated for evaluations of lifting performed under a variety of conditions. Although highly correlated, the simulation tended to overestimate the kinetics and kinematics. The results provided in this study demonstrate that the simulation model can be an effective alternative for lifting task analyses. Through use of the simulation model, the tedious, time-consuming and costly data collection step required for lifting analyses can be eliminated so time and effort can be spent more productively on evaluation and design. Relevance to industry Manual material Handling, particularly lifting, is a major cause of work-related injury. Biomechanical evaluations are used to recognize dangerous work conditions and to implement safer lifting conditions. Although lifting is a dynamic activity and static evaluations underestimate stresses, static evaluations will continue to be used due to their simplicity until an efficient dynamic biomechanical method becomes available.