Power spectrum of acceleration and angular velocity signals as indicators of muscle fatigue during upper limb low-load repetitive tasks

Auteurs

Béatrice Moyen-Sylvestre, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Université de Montréal, Montreal, H3T 1J4, QC, Canada
Étienne Goubault, School of Kinesiology and Physical Activity Science, Université de Montréal, Montreal, H3T 1J4, QC, Canada
Mickaël Begon, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Université de Montréal, Montreal, H3T 1J4, QC, Canada, School of Kinesiology and Physical Activity Science, Université de Montréal, Montreal, H3T 1J4, QC, Canada, Centre de Recherche du CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, H3T 1C5, QC, Canada
Julie N. Côté, Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, McGill University, Montreal, H3A 0G4, QC, Canada
Jason Bouffard, Department of Kinesiology, Université Laval, Quebec, G1V 0A6, QC, Canada
Fabien Dal Maso, School of Kinesiology and Physical Activity Science, Université de Montréal, Montreal, H3T 1J4, QC, Canada, Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche sur le Cerveau et l’Apprentissage, Montreal, H7N 0A5, QC, Canada

Type de document

Études primaires

Année de publication

2022

Langue

Anglais

Titre de la revue

Sensors

Résumé

Muscle fatigue is a risk factor for developing musculoskeletal disorders during low-load repetitive tasks. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of muscle fatigue on power spectrum changes of upper limb and trunk acceleration and angular velocity during a repetitive pointing task (RPT) and a work task. Twenty-four participants equipped with 11 inertial measurement units, that include acceleration and gyroscope sensors, performed a tea bag filling work task before and immediately after a fatiguing RPT. During the RPT, the power spectrum of acceleration and angular velocity increased in the movement and in 6–12 Hz frequency bands for sensors positioned on the head, sternum, and pelvis. Alternatively, for the sensor positioned on the hand, the power spectrum of acceleration and angular velocity decreased in the movement frequency band. During the work task, following the performance of the fatiguing RPT, the power spectrum of acceleration and angular velocity increased in the movement frequency band for sensors positioned on the head, sternum, pelvis, and arm. Interestingly, for both the RPT and work task, Cohens’ d effect sizes were systematically larger for results extracted from angular velocity than acceleration. Although fatigue-related changes were task-specific between the RPT and the work task, fatigue systematically increased the power spectrum in the movement frequency band for the head, sternum, pelvis, which highlights the relevance of this indicator for assessing fatigue. Angular velocity may be more efficient to assess fatigue than acceleration. The use of low cost, wearable, and uncalibrated sensors, such as acceleration and gyroscope, in industrial settings is promising to assess muscle fatigue in workers assigned to upper limb repetitive tasks. © 2022 by the authors.

Mots-clés

Fatigue physique, Physical fatigue, Affection des membres supérieurs, Upper extremity disorder, Troubles musculosquelettiques, Musculoskeletal disease, Lésion attribuable au travail répétitif, Cumulative trauma disorder

Numéro de projet IRSST

2017-0016

Citation recommandée

Moyen-Sylvestre, B., Goubault, É., Begon, M., Côté, J. N., Bouffard, J. et Dal Maso, F. (2022).Power spectrum of acceleration and angular velocity signals as indicators of muscle fatigue during upper limb low-load repetitive tasks. Sensors, 22(20). https://doi.org/10.3390/s22208008