DYNAMIC COMPARISON OF THE 2-HAND STOOP AND ASSISTED ONE-HAND LIFT METHODS

Low-back pain arising from repetitive lifting of objects out of deep containers is a significant problem in many industries and results in a great deal of time lost from work. This study measured electromyographic (EMG) activity of the lumbar paraspinal cles, vertical acceleration of three different loads, and the reaction force of the supporting upper extremity to compare the assisted one-hand lift and the two-hand stoop lift techniques. The results of the study indicate thatmus the assisted one-hand lift requires significantly less EMG activity than the two-hand stoop method when lifting loads out of deep containers. The acceleration of the load was not significantly different for three different loads, but the force on the supporting upper extremity was significantly related to the weight of the load lifted. Results of this study seem to indicate that, under certain circumstances, the one-hand lift is a less stressful method of lifting than the two-hand stoop method. © 1990.