ArticleJournal of occupational health2024
Effect of an upper body exoskeleton for surgeons on postoperative neck, back, and shoulder complaints.
Article in Journal of occupational health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Physical demands of hernia repair segments and the effect of exoskeleton support.Surgical endoscopy · 2026Article
- Ergonomic impact of a passive upper-limb exoskeleton on surgeon workload during laparoscopic tasks: a crossover experimental study.Surgical endoscopy · 2026Article
- Surgeon posture evaluation during simulated laparoscopic and robotic-assisted cholecystectomy.International journal of computer assisted radiology and surgery · 2026Article
- Evaluation of the Ergonomics of Surgical Instruments Across Surgical Specialties: Responses From 459 Surgeons.Surgical innovation · 2026Article
- Feasibility Study for Wearable Sensor-Based Vibrotactile Feedback for Posture and Muscle Activation in a Relevant Dentistry Setting.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Efficacy of Ergonomic Interventions on Work-Related Musculoskeletal Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Characterization of biomechanical risk factors during endoscopic submucosal dissection: Ergonomic pilot study.Endoscopy international open · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesSurgeons are exposed to high levels of physical stress while working in the operating room. In industry, so-called exoskeletons are used to support the back and shoulder area. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and effects of an upper body exoskeleton on postoperative physical complaints of surgeons.
methodsSurgeons from a university hospital in the fields of orthopedics, trauma, and visceral surgery performed 2 operations of the same type and planned length on 2 different days. The first operation was performed without an exoskeleton, the second with an exoskeleton. The participants completed questionnaires on shoulder pain (Shoulder Pain and Disability Index [SPADI]), neck pain (Visual Analogue Scale [VAS] and Neck Disability Index [NDI]), and back pain (VAS and Oswestry Disability Index [ODI]) before and after the procedure.
resultsA total of 25 participants were included and performed 50 surgeries with a mean surgery duration of 144 minutes without and 138 minutes with the exoskeleton. Without the exoskeleton, the activity of the operation resulted in a significant increase of the VAS neck by 1.0 point (SD 1.2; P < .001), NDI by 4.8 (SD 8.6; P = .010), VAS back by 0.7 (SD 1.0; P = .002), and ODI by 2.7 (SD 4.1; P = .003). With the exoskeleton the participants reported significantly fewer complaints after the surgery (VAS neck: P = .001; NDI: P = .003; VAS back: P = .036; ODI: P = .036; SPADI: P = .016).
conclusionAn upper body exoskeleton can significantly reduce the discomfort in the neck, shoulder, and back caused to surgeons by surgery.
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