Applications of shoulder biomechanics to workplaces

The shoulder at work

Ergonomics and the design and adaptation of work has been a focus of DIESEL since its inception. As both skilled and unskilled occupations pervade the industrialized world, most people experience many different occupational environments throughout their working years.

side by side photos of laboratory research set up with chair and driving screen and the digital human model of a vehicle driver.

Police cruiser laboratory evaluation and design

The shoulder in particular is sensitive to multiple aspects of workspace designs. Although occupational shoulder pathologies are common, many ambiguities exist regarding the proactive and reactive mitigation of overexertion in this vulnerable body region.

This research area provides a primary testing ground for many fundamental shoulder function theories and hypotheses, ensuring that it is relevant and impactful in today’s world.

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Completed and ongoing research

Current trainees in DIESEL are focusing their research efforts on a variety of topics. These include:

digital human model sitting on stool and reaching; surrounded by an imagined reach envelope that is colour coded by difficulty to reach
  • analysis of an upper body exoskeleton in manufacturing settings
  • using smartwatch technology to identify postures
  • ladder handling in industry

Completed research in this area includes:

  • *La Delfa N.J., *Kunesegaram A., Whittaker R.L., and Dickerson C.R., 2021, Determining best practices for manual pill crushing through evaluation of upper extremity muscle exposures, Applied Ergonomics, 103275.
  • *Pinto B.L., and Dickerson C.R., 2020, Vertical and horizontal barbell kinematics indicate differences in mechanical advantage between using an arched or flat back posture in the barbell bench press exercise, International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, in press as of December 3, 2020.
  • *Whittaker R.L., *La Delfa N.J., and Dickerson C.R., 2019, Algorithmically detectable directional changes in upper extremity motion indicate substantial myoelectric shoulder muscle fatigue during a repetitive manual task, Ergonomics, 62(3):431-43.
  • *Borgs S.P., *La Delfa N.J., and Dickerson C.R., 2019, An evaluation of off-axis manual forces and upper extremity joint moments during unilateral pushing and pulling exertions, Ergonomics, 62(1):52-64.
  • *Ma Y.K., *Nadon A.L., *McDonald A.C., and Dickerson C.R., 2020, Assessing potential trade-offs between the low back and shoulders: influence of lift training intervention on joint demands, International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics (JOSE), in press as of February 19, 2020.
  • Dickerson C.R., *McDonald A.C., and Chopp-Hurley J.N., 2019, Between two rocks and in a hard place: reflecting on the biomechanical basis of shoulder occupational musculoskeletal disorders, Human Factors, in press as of November 3, 2019. abstract

Visit our publications page for a complete list of published peer-reviewed articles.