Are Back and Leg Muscle Strengths Determinants of Lifting Motion Strategy? A Preliminary Study on the Effect of Simulated Leg Muscle Weakness

Abstract

This paper describes the first of a series of studies aimed at elucidating whether back and leg muscle strengths are the intrinsic determinants of lifting motion strategy. The study involved an experiment in which six female subjects performed lifting tasks under three conditions: one unconstrained condition in which subjects used a self-selected lifting strategy and two simulated muscle weakness conditions in which they used a real-time EMG-based biofeedback technique to control their gastro***enemius or rectus femoris contraction level at 45% of the maximum. The lifting trials were measured and then kinematically modeled to derive index values that quantified the motion strategies. Results showed that both simulated muscle weakness conditions had a marked effect on the lifting strategy. While subjects preferred a strategy that predominantly or significantly relied on the legs under unconstrained condition, a general trend of alteration towards a back-lift strategy was observed when simulated leg muscle weakness was administered.