Effects of break scheduling strategies on subjective and objective measures of neck and shoulder muscle fatigue in asymptomatic adults performing a standing task requiring static neck flexion

Sustained non-neutral postures of the head/neck are related to transient neck discomfort and longer-term disorders of the neck. Periodic breaks can help but the ideal length and frequency of breaks are yet to be determined. The current study aimed to quantify the effects of three work-rest strategie...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied ergonomics 2021-04, Vol.92, p.103311-103311, Article 103311
Main Authors: Sarker, Pramiti, Norasi, Hamid, Koenig, Jordyn, Hallbeck, M. Susan, Mirka, Gary
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cervical spine
Electromyography
Musculoskeletal disorder
Neck pain
Work-rest cycle
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Summary:Sustained non-neutral postures of the head/neck are related to transient neck discomfort and longer-term disorders of the neck. Periodic breaks can help but the ideal length and frequency of breaks are yet to be determined. The current study aimed to quantify the effects of three work-rest strategies on fatigue development. Participants maintained a 45-degree neck flexion posture for a total of 60 min and were provided 3 min of rest distributed in different ways throughout the experiment [LONG (one, 3-min break), MEDIUM (two, 1.5-min breaks), or SHORT (five, 36-s breaks)]. Surface electromyography data were collected from the bilateral neck extensors and trapezius. Subjective discomfort/fatigue ratings were also gathered. Results of the analysis of the EMG data revealed that the SHORT condition did not show increased EMG activity, while LONG [21%] and MEDIUM [10%] did (p 
ISSN:0003-6870
1872-9126
DOI:10.1016/j.apergo.2020.103311