Journal Article

Effect on forearm muscle activity of manipulative assistive devices’ use in activities of daily living

Vergara, Margarita, Jarque-Bou, Néstor J., Agost, Maria-Jesus, Roda-Sales, Alba, Sancho-Bru, Joaquín L.

2025

Overview

Assistive devices play a crucial role in helping individuals with impaired function to conduct activities of daily living. The application of surface electromyography technique to study forearm muscle activity in the use of assistive devices would complement kinematic studies to optimize design features of assistive devices for manipulation. This study investigates the effect of various assistive devices on forearm muscle activity of healthy people while performing activities of daily living, measured using surface electromyography technique. Primary clinical, descriptive cross-sectional study. Fourteen pairs of equivalent activities of daily living tasks, performed with and without assistive devices in 22 participants, were compared. The surface electromyography data from the MOVMUS-UJI Dataset were used. For each pair of equivalent tasks and each spot (forearm area), related-samples Wilcoxon tests were applied in p50 and p95 surface electromyography values of muscle activity. The results revealed significant differences in forearm muscle activity, primarily due to changes in grasp type or hand-object position. Some devices led to decreased muscle activity (up to 64.2%), while others resulted in increased muscle activity (up to 95.6%) depending on the task and device characteristics. The analysis of the surface electromyography recording values is useful for deciding whether an assistive device helps to reduce the effort required while performing an activities of daily living and for designing new assistive devices with features that favor the most appropriate grip type or orientation. The findings highlight the importance of personalized design for assistive devices to optimize functionality and to reduce muscular effort. Therefore, the results are beneficial for therapists prescribing assistive devices, as they assist in evaluating the specific effects on muscle activity in individual patients. This study contributes to enhance the understanding of the ergonomic implications of assistive device use for supporting individuals with impaired function in activities of daily living. •Assistive devices alter grasp and/or mechanical advantage affecting muscle activity.•Surface electromyography shows assistive device benefits for muscle activity.•Assistive device use causes reductions up to 64.2% and increases of up to 95.6%.•The results may help therapists in personalizing and prescribing assistive devices.•Assistive devices reduce demand on some muscles but may increase on others.

• Publisher: Elsevier Inc
• Subject: Activities of daily living / Assistive device / Design features / Forearm muscle activity / Surface electromyography