【Title】Prolonged and Repetitive Spine Flexion: Measuring and Modeling the Consequences of Occupational Exposures

【Presenter】Prof. Maury Nussbaum

【Host】 Dr. Liang Ma

【Date】 June 15, 2016, 10:00-11:30 (Wednesday)

【Venue】Room North 412, Shunde Building

【Language】English

【Abstract】Low back pain (LBP) remains a prevalent, costly, and often debilitating musculoskeletal concern. In the occupational environment, LBP accounts for 1/5 of all workplace injuries and is a major sources of healthcare expenditures. Among diverse LBP risk factors that have been identified is spine flexion, whether for prolonged periods or repetitively. In this seminar, an initial hypothesis will be proposed, regarding the role of trunk “ neuromuscular behaviors ” in the development of LBP. Subsequently, some results from two lines of recent research will be summarized. First, a series of studies that investigated the influence several types of exposure to spine flexion on these neuromuscular behaviors. Second, studies that assessed the effects of prolonged sitting. Of particular emphasis during this talk will be some new experimental, computational, and modeling methods that have been developed and evaluated. It will be concluded that these approaches may help understand, at the tissue level, potential causes of LBP, and they may also help in crafting future interventions.

【Bio】Prof. Dr. Maury Nussbaum is H.G. Prillaman Professor and Assistant Department Head in the department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. His research interests include Human Factors Engineering and Ergonomics, mainly in - Occupational Ergonomics & Injury Prevention, - Basic & Applied Biomechanics, - Measuring and Modeling Balance & Postural Control, - Work Physiology & Muscle Fatigue, - Ambulatory Ergonomics Exposure Assessment, - Consumer Product Design & Evaluation, - Individual Differences in Work Capacity & Injury Risks, - Slip, Trip & Fall Prevention, and - Ergonomic Design & Evaluation Guidelines. Details on Prof. Nussbaum can be found with this link:https://www.ise.vt.edu/People/Faculty/Bios/Nussbaum_bio.html.

【Note】Supported by the Tsinghua Global Scholars Fellowship Program.

All interested are welcome!