Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39811480›Full record

ArticleWearable technologies2024

Can back exosuits simultaneously increase lifting endurance and reduce musculoskeletal disorder risk?

K M Rodzak, P R Slaughter, D N Wolf, C C Ice, S J Fine, K E Zelik

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Wearable technologies, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

K M RodzakDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0009-4841-5612
P R SlaughterDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1854-1713
D N WolfDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
C C IceDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
S J FineDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
K E ZelikDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The objectives of this case series study were to test whether an elastic back exosuit could increase a wearer's endurance when lifting heavy objects and to assess whether lifting more cancels out the exosuit's risk reduction benefits. We found that 88% of participants increased their lifting repetitions while wearing an exosuit, with endurance increases ranging from 28 to 75%. We then used these empirical data with an ergonomic assessment model based on fatigue failure principles to estimate the effects on cumulative back damage (an indicator of low back disorder risk) when an exosuit is worn and more lifts are performed. Participants exhibited 27-93% lower cumulative back damage when wearing an exosuit. These results confirmed that wearing an exosuit increased participants' lifting capacity without canceling out injury risk reduction benefits. Back exosuits may make it possible to simultaneously boost productivity and reduce musculoskeletal disorder risks, which is relevant to workers in civilian and defense sectors.

Indexed as

exoskeletonsliftinglow back disordermilitaryperformance augmentation

Identifiers

PMID39811480
PMCPMC11729484

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.