Citation

Marras WS, Ferguson SA, Simon SR. Int. J. Ind. Ergonomics 1990; 6(3): 211-224.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1990, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Traditionally, human strength has been described in terms of the maximum force one could exert under isometric conditions. However, in the past decade ergonomists have attempted to find strength measures that better represent the dynamic aspects of occupational tasks. Recent efforts have focussed upon dynamic motor performance capabilities of the human body that go beyond the traditional measures of isometric strength. The objective of this study was to document the three dimensional dynamic motor performance capabilities of the normal human trunk as subjects flexed and extended their trunks as fast as they could under 'sagittaly symmetric and asymmetric "back lifting" conditions. The results indicated that the range of motion, trunk angular velocity and trunk angular acceleration decreased in the sagittal plane as the trunk became more asymmetric. Dynamic motor performance characteristics increased in the frontal and transverse planes as the trunk became more asymmetric, however, these differences were also dependent upon the device used to measure trunk motor performance.