Muscle Fatigue in Nurses
(2019-2020)
Nurses have one of the highest lower back injury rates among all professions in the United States. Not only do these lower back injuries end many careers, but they also cost the healthcare industry exorbitant amounts of money.
Based on our research, the main reason behind the unproportional rate of back injury is due to muscle fatigue. Nurses have to repeatedly lift with their lower back in awkward positions. The repetitive motions fatigue the lower back and increase the chance of serious injury. Currently, there is considerable room for improvement with regards to identrying when nurses are the most susceptible to injury. We are currently using EMG and various signal processing techniques to quantify different levels of muscle fatigue. More specifically, we are using a wavelet transform to calculate the instantaneous frequency of the EMG signal. As a muscle becomes more and more fatigued, the EMG frequency spectral distribution shifts; the motor unit firing rate decreases. Ultimately, we hope to give nurses the ability to constantly measure the status of their lower back while alerting them when their muscle fatigue is at a dangerous level. Additionally, by being able to quantify muscle fatigue over time, it will give us the ability to test the effectiveness of therapeutic solutions that aim to prevent or reverse muscle fatigue.
Based on our research, the main reason behind the unproportional rate of back injury is due to muscle fatigue. Nurses have to repeatedly lift with their lower back in awkward positions. The repetitive motions fatigue the lower back and increase the chance of serious injury. Currently, there is considerable room for improvement with regards to identrying when nurses are the most susceptible to injury. We are currently using EMG and various signal processing techniques to quantify different levels of muscle fatigue. More specifically, we are using a wavelet transform to calculate the instantaneous frequency of the EMG signal. As a muscle becomes more and more fatigued, the EMG frequency spectral distribution shifts; the motor unit firing rate decreases. Ultimately, we hope to give nurses the ability to constantly measure the status of their lower back while alerting them when their muscle fatigue is at a dangerous level. Additionally, by being able to quantify muscle fatigue over time, it will give us the ability to test the effectiveness of therapeutic solutions that aim to prevent or reverse muscle fatigue.
Team Member Bios:
Jake is a senior biomedical engineering major with an emphasis in electrical engineering, and plans on getting his masters in electrical engineering after graduation. He wants to work in the med-tech industry in research and development, and intends to be more entrepreneurial after gaining some industry experience.
Kaelyn is a senior studying biomedical engineering with a molecular cellular emphasis. On campus, she is involved in ASBME and ADPi, and in her free time she likes to practice yoga. In the future she would like to pursue a master’s in industrial systems engineering or engineering management and eventually have a career in the pharmaceutical industry.
Tristan has a passion for working with cardiac-related biomedical devices which stems from both his congenital heart condition, as well as his work as a camp counselor for Camp Del Corazon, a fived day, non-profit summer camp that caters to children with congenital heart disease. With his motivation and passion behind his work, he hopes to make a large impact in the biomedical device industry.
Molly is a senior studying biomedical engineering with a mechanical engineering emphasis. On campus, she is involved in peaks and professors and club swimming, and in her free time she likes to go hiking. In the future she would like to pursue a career in med-tech, and this upcoming summer she has an internship with Edwards Lifesciences.
Arjun is a junior majoring in biomedical engineering. In addition to his involvement with Team 2 and as MEDesign Clinical Chair, he is also the Treasurer for the Associated Students of Biomedical Engineering (ASBME), a volunteer with the Violence Intervention Program, and a research assistant in the Zavaleta Laboratory. He ultimately hopes to become a physician, using his engineering and design background to further aid patient outcomes. In his free time, Arjun enjoys reading, writing, and playing guitar.
Kaelyn is a senior studying biomedical engineering with a molecular cellular emphasis. On campus, she is involved in ASBME and ADPi, and in her free time she likes to practice yoga. In the future she would like to pursue a master’s in industrial systems engineering or engineering management and eventually have a career in the pharmaceutical industry.
Tristan has a passion for working with cardiac-related biomedical devices which stems from both his congenital heart condition, as well as his work as a camp counselor for Camp Del Corazon, a fived day, non-profit summer camp that caters to children with congenital heart disease. With his motivation and passion behind his work, he hopes to make a large impact in the biomedical device industry.
Molly is a senior studying biomedical engineering with a mechanical engineering emphasis. On campus, she is involved in peaks and professors and club swimming, and in her free time she likes to go hiking. In the future she would like to pursue a career in med-tech, and this upcoming summer she has an internship with Edwards Lifesciences.
Arjun is a junior majoring in biomedical engineering. In addition to his involvement with Team 2 and as MEDesign Clinical Chair, he is also the Treasurer for the Associated Students of Biomedical Engineering (ASBME), a volunteer with the Violence Intervention Program, and a research assistant in the Zavaleta Laboratory. He ultimately hopes to become a physician, using his engineering and design background to further aid patient outcomes. In his free time, Arjun enjoys reading, writing, and playing guitar.