Lower Back Injury Prevention and Sensitization of Hip Hinge with Neutral Spine Using Wearable Sensors during Lifting Exercises.

Urbano Lugrís,Javier Cuadrado,Florian Michaud,Manuel Pérez Soto

doi:10.3390/s21165487

Abstract

The popularization and industrialization of fitness over the past decade, with the rise of big box gyms and group classes, has reduced the quality of the basic formation and assessment of practitioners, which has increased the risk of injury. For most lifting exercises, a universal recommendation is maintaining a neutral spine position. Otherwise, there is a risk of muscle injury or, even worse, of a herniated disc. Maintaining the spine in a neutral position during lifting exercises is difficult, as it requires good core stability, a good hip hinge and, above all, observation of the posture in order to keep it correct. For this reason, in this work the authors propose the prevention of lumbar injuries with two inertial measurement units. The relative rotation between two sensors was measured for 39 voluntary subjects during the performance of two lifting exercises: the American kettlebell swing and the deadlift. The accuracy of the measurements was evaluated, especially in the presence of metals and for fast movements, by comparing the obtained results with those from an optical motion capture system. Finally, in order to develop a tool for improving sport performance and preventing injury, the authors analyzed the recorded motions, seeking to identify the most relevant parameters for good and safe lifting execution.

Highlights

IntroductionThe popularization and industrialization of fitness over the past decade, with the rise of low-cost big box gyms and big group classes, has reduced the quality of the basic formation and assessment of practitioners, which has increased the risk of injury
IMU1 and IMU2 are the measurements from inertial sensor 1 and sensor 2 (T8), respectively, and OPT1 and OPT2 are the measurements from optical motion system and markers situated at L5 and T8, respectively
The relative angles in the sagittal plane between the two sensors obtained with both technologies (IMU and OPT) are represented in Figure for a subject doing it right and in Figure for a subject doing it poorly

Summary

Introduction

The popularization and industrialization of fitness over the past decade, with the rise of low-cost big box gyms and big group classes, has reduced the quality of the basic formation and assessment of practitioners, which has increased the risk of injury. A universal recommendation is maintaining a neutral spine position [2]. Maintaining the spine in a neutral position during lifting exercises is difficult, as it requires good core stability, a good hip hinge with lumbopelvic dissociation and, above all, observation of the posture in order to keep it correct. Most sport centers are equipped with mirrors, some exercises do not allow the practitioner to keep his head up, as this can produce neck pain and, anyway, as in the case of posture assessment by a monitor, both are subjective

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Discussion

Conclusion