ArticleAnnals of surgery2026
Use of an Intraoperative Head, Neck, and Back Support Exoskeleton on Surgeons' Pain and Posture.
Article in Annals of surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Physical demands of hernia repair segments and the effect of exoskeleton support.Surgical endoscopy · 2026Article
- Prevalence of Work-Related Pain or Discomfort Among Urologists in the State of Florida: Results From the Florida Urologic Society Task Force on Ergonomic Challenges Experienced by Its Members.JMIR human factors · 2026Article
- Assessment of a Passive Exoskeleton for Neck and Lower Back Support: A Task Study on Muscle Activity and User Perceived Exertion.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Feasibility Study for Wearable Sensor-Based Vibrotactile Feedback for Posture and Muscle Activation in a Relevant Dentistry Setting.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of an intraoperative exoskeleton that supports surgeons' heads, necks, and backs to reduce neck discomfort.
backgroundSurgeons are at a considerable risk of developing neck pain and related injuries. Passive exoskeletons are a potential intervention to support surgeons' body parts and alleviate strain and discomfort.
methodsThe NekSpine (a passive neck exoskeleton) was trialed on 12 surgeons (7 males and 5 females) across 6 specialties. Each surgeon performed 4 surgical procedures, 2 with the NekSpine (exoskeleton) and 2 without (baseline). Exoskeleton and baseline surgeries were paired primarily by surgical procedure and secondarily by duration. Surgeons completed surveys that included the NASA-TLX and usability questions before and after surgical procedures to evaluate body part discomfort, overall fatigue, workload, and potential disruptions to the surgical workflow. Surgeons also wore inertial measurement units to objectively record their upper arms, neck, and torso postures.
resultsUse of the exoskeleton yielded significant decreases in discomfort in the neck, left shoulder, right shoulder, and left arm. Reductions in percent surgical duration in risk 4 (extreme risk postures) coupled with increases spent in risk 2 (moderate risk postures) for the neck and torso were noted. Surgeons reported overall favorable usability results with the exoskeleton not interfering with the surgical workflow, and most stated that they would use the exoskeleton again.
conclusionsThe NekSpine is a promising intervention to alleviate surgeons' neck discomfort and improve their neck and torso postures.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.