The effect of aging on muscle activation and postural control pattern for young and older computer users
Abstract
A lot of older adults try to learn to use computers and might use different ways to perform a computer task compared to younger people. Fifteen healthy young and 15 healthy older adults participated in this study and all performed a series of mouse tasks. A three dimensional motion capture system and electromyographic analysis were used to obtain kinematic and kinetic data during performing the computer tasks. Three-way analysis of variance with repeated measures on task and time factors was used to analyze all dependent measurements. Older adults had higher RMS of forearm muscles compared to the young adults. The RMS of the finger extensor was highest when performing a dragging task. Compared with young adults, the older adults had greater cranial-cervical angle and neck flexion, but smaller head flexion, shoulder angle, elbow angle and ulnar deviation. Consequently, the older adults might have a greater risk of developing musculoskeletal disorder.
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Increasing FHP in adults with neck pain but no difference in adolescents may be due to adults assuming a more flexed posture than young people when performing the same tasks.
“The findings of the current study suggest that increasing FHP in adults with neck pain but no difference in adolescents may be due to adults who presume more flexed posture than young when performing the same tasks [45].”
From The Relationship Between Forward Head Posture and Neck Pain: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2019) · cites this paper as [45]
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- Authors
- Hsiao, L.-P., & Cho, C.-Y.
- Affiliations
- National Cheng Kung University (TW)
- Corresponding author
- Cho, Chiung-Yu
- Venue
- Applied Ergonomics
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2012-09
- Volume
- 43
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 926-932
- ISSN
- 0003-6870 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2080107489
- Cited by
- 23
- References
- 39
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 4 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 0.23
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Applied Ergonomics (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Ergonomics and Musculoskeletal Disorders
- Social Sciences › Demography › Technology Use by Older Adults
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Muscle activation and electromyography studies
- Keywords
- aging, older adults, computer use, muscle activation, postural control, forearm muscles, finger extensors, neck flexion, musculoskeletal disorders, kinematics, electromyography
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Aged, Aging, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Muscle Contraction, Posture, User-Computer Interface, Muscle, Skeletal, Young Adult
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