Evaluating Muscle Activation and Joint Angle Correlation During Stooping Tasks on Sloped Surfaces

10 pages•Published: July 23, 2025

Sujan Acharya, Sabrin Raj Gautam, Abhinaya Narapusetty, Rujan Kayastha and Krishna Kisi

Abstract

Roofers are more susceptible to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) because they often adopt awkward postures. The purpose of this study is to assess how muscle activation patterns and knee joint angles relate to stooping on a 30-degree slope. Stooping posture was selected for this study as it is one of the most performed postures in sloped surface. The researchers collected kinematic and surface electromyography (sEMG) data of six healthy participants using Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and sEMG sensors. Significant relationships between knee flexion angles and biceps femoris muscle activation was identified using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Additionally, a combined examination of the rectus and biceps femoris also revealed statistical significance with the knee flexion angles. The results show that higher muscular activation of biceps femoris is correlated with increased knee flexion, suggesting a larger muscle load and possible risk of WMSDs. The study provides insights for developing ergonomic interventions, such as exoskeletons, to reduce muscle strain during stooping tasks on inclined surfaces. Additionally, this research can work as a model to check the correlation between muscle activation and joint angles for other construction traits.

Keyphrases: joint angles, muscle activation, musculoskeletal disorders, roofing, stooping

In: Wesley Collins, Anthony J. Perrenoud and John Posillico (editors). Proceedings of Associated Schools of Construction 61st Annual International Conference, vol 6, pages 766-775.

Links:	https://easychair.org/publications/paper/WTQ5
	https://doi.org/10.29007/z1b6

BibTeX entry

@inproceedings{ASC2025:Evaluating_Muscle_Activation_Joint,
  author    = {Sujan Acharya and Sabrin Raj Gautam and Abhinaya Narapusetty and Rujan Kayastha and Krishna Kisi},
  title     = {Evaluating Muscle Activation and Joint Angle Correlation During Stooping Tasks on Sloped Surfaces},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of Associated Schools of Construction 61st Annual International Conference},
  editor    = {Wesley Collins and Anthony J. Perrenoud and John Posillico},
  series    = {EPiC Series in Built Environment},
  volume    = {6},
  publisher = {EasyChair},
  bibsource = {EasyChair, https://easychair.org},
  issn      = {2632-881X},
  url       = {/publications/paper/WTQ5},
  doi       = {10.29007/z1b6},
  pages     = {766-775},
  year      = {2025}}

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