Predicting Upper Limb Discomfort for Plastic Surgeons: combining anthropometric models with Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA)

Plastic surgeons report neck, shoulder and back pain as a consequence of wearing loupes during operations. The aim of this research is to discover the inter-relation between factors which can lead to upper-limb discomfort,... [ view full abstract ]

Plastic surgeons report neck, shoulder and back pain as a consequence of wearing loupes during operations. The aim of this research is to discover the inter-relation between factors which can lead to upper-limb discomfort, such viewing angle, stature of the surgeon, or the height at which the operation is performed. Ten postures are simulated using digital human models. We then apply multi-objective optimization to characterize the posture of the surgeon in relation to musculoskeletal risk (defined using RULA). We demonstrate that it is possible to predict RULA scores for the range of postures and propose that this approach could be used to quantify risk assessment, particularly in the selection and fitting of loupes and in the specification of working height for plastic surgeons. It is demonstrated how adjusting the operating height could decrease the flexion angle of neck and hence reduce musculoskeletal risk.