Thermographic assessment of the thenar thumb muscles during pipetting
by Nirathi Keerthi Govindu; Kari L. Babski-Reeves
International Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics (IJHFE), Vol. 1, No. 3, 2012

Abstract: Hand disorders as a result of pipetting are common because of its nature (repetitive, precise, controlled movements, sustained forces, etc.). Techniques to quantify risk factor exposures are needed to understand pathophysiological mechanisms associated with musculoskeletal disorders. Therefore, an exploratory study was conducted to assess the value of thermography as a potential assessment tool during pipetting. Temperatures of the skin surface over the thenar thumb muscles were collected from 12 participants (six males and six females) while using high or low volume pipettes to transfer viscous or non-viscous solutions between tubes. Subjective ratings of discomfort were also collected. Rate of change in thermal readings and perceived discomfort over time was observed, and a moderate correlation (r = 0.47) between these variables was found. Gender was found to significantly affect the thermal readings. These results suggest that thermography may be potentially used to further understand pathophysiological mechanisms for upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders.

Online publication date: Sat, 16-Aug-2014

The full text of this article is only available to individual subscribers or to users at subscribing institutions.

 
Existing subscribers:
Go to Inderscience Online Journals to access the Full Text of this article.

Pay per view:
If you are not a subscriber and you just want to read the full contents of this article, buy online access here.

Complimentary Subscribers, Editors or Members of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics (IJHFE):
Login with your Inderscience username and password:

Username:        Password:          Forgotten your password?

Want to subscribe?
A subscription gives you complete access to all articles in the current issue, as well as to all articles in the previous three years (where applicable). See our Orders page to subscribe.

If you still need assistance, please email subs@inderscience.com