ORCID Profile
0000-0002-4157-0953
Current Organisations
Sengkang General Hospital
,
Duke-NUS Medical School
Does something not look right? The information on this page has been harvested from data sources that may not be up to date. We continue to work with information providers to improve coverage and quality. To report an issue, use the Feedback Form.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 09-2016
DOI: 10.1177/1558944716660555IU
Abstract: Background: The homemakers are one of the largest referral populations for hand therapy in the Singapore General Hospital (SGH). In the category of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), the homemakers comprised the second largest population of referrals for hand therapy in SGH in year 2012. One of the main roles of a hand therapist is to educate these patients on the ergonomic practices to perform housework. However, the biomechanical risk related to housework has been minimally studied. It was postulated that the biomechanics involved in the performance of laundry drying in Singapore public housing using the pipe-socket system (PSS) could expose the homemakers to several upper limb MSD risk. Objective: The aim of this study is to identify the biomechanical strain involved in the 9 subtasks involved in drying of laundry among the female homemakers living in Singapore public housing using the PSS. The findings of the study could be used to formulate strategies that homemakers could use to minimize the risk of MSD occurrence and re-injury, while performing this task. Materials and Methods: Using snowball s ling approach, 5 female homemakers who were familiar with performing laundry drying using the PSS were recruited. The task of laundry drying with PSS was ided into 9 subtasks. The postures of the participants were analyzed from video-recorded data and scored (low, medium, or high risk), using the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) for each subtask. Results: This pilot study revealed very strong evidence ( P = .001) that the participants were exposed to medium musculoskeletal risk exposure (MRE) (REBA score: 4.3) when performing this laundry task. The subtasks “retrieving and returning the bamboo poles to the overhead racks” were ranked the highest in REBA score (medium risk level). The next highest in REBA score rating were subtasks “bringing the bamboo poles out with partially wet laundry” and “removing the dry laundry from the poles” (medium risk level). Extreme awkward postures to the shoulders and wrist, and repetitive thumb pinch and forearm rotation motions were consistently observed in the participants. The high REBA scores observed in this study could be due to 2 reasons: (1) the awkward postures adopted by the participants due to confined space and (2) the repetitive motions needed to complete the laundry-drying housework. Conclusion: This is the first biomechanical study related to a laundry task using the PSS in Singapore. This study has provided useful insights on the biomechanical factors that could affect the MRE of the homemakers. Based on the findings from this study, we suggested education for these patients should include the concept of convenient reach and Chaput’s principle of manual handling to reduce the biomechanical load in the task. To validate the effectiveness of the strategies suggested in this study, future research should focus on evaluating the effectiveness of the strategies to reduce MRE in laundry as suggested by the findings of the present study. Results from this pilot study estimated that a s le size of 10 participants would be required to detect the effect size with a power of 0.8 and at the .05 level of significance.
Publisher: CRC Press
Date: 07-2016
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-05-2018
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.APERGO.2021.103669
Abstract: To assess musculoskeletal risk factors (repetitions, posture, forces) of the upper limb during domestic floor mopping tasks. Two hundred women were surveyed to determine the most common mopping system, mopping patterns and type of flooring used in their homes. The biomechanical demands of the three most common mopping systems were then evaluated in the laboratory. Participants were also asked to rate their perceived levels of exertion and cleanliness of each mopping system. The use of wet wipes had the highest repetition count and exertion rates during mopping and scrubbing tasks. Higher peak scrubbing forces were noted for the plunge mop. All participants found the cotton fibre mop to be the cleanest. All 3 mops had medium postural risk. The advantages and disadvantages of each mopping system were outlined and may be used by occupational therapists when providing ergonomic advice to patients with upper limb musculoskeletal conditions.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 09-01-2013
Abstract: The optimal choice for intervention for recalcitrant lateral elbow tendinopathy remains unclear as various treatment modalities have documented comparable results in the literature. To explore the safety, tolerability, and early efficacy of a new minimally invasive mode of treatment that delivers focused, calibrated ultrasonic energy, effectively microresecting the pathological tendon and removing only pathological tissue. Case series Level of evidence, 4. Seven male and 13 female patients aged 33 to 65 years averaging 12.5 months (range, 4-48) of failed nonoperative therapy underwent the ultrasonic microresection procedure in an outpatient clinic setting. The procedure involved a sterile, ultrasound-guided percutaneous microresection with a proprietary device (TX1) performed through a stab incision under local anesthesia. The duration of the procedure and complications of the device or procedure were assessed. Outcome parameters included patient satisfaction visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) scores at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months and ultrasound assessment at 3 and 6 months. The median duration for the sterile confirmatory ultrasound examination (phase 1) was 88.5 seconds (range, 39-211 SD, ±47.6), the median duration of the procedure proper (phase 2) was 10.1 minutes (range, 4.1-19.4 SD, ±3.7), and the median energy time (duration the TX1 device was activated) was 32.5 seconds (range, 18-58 SD, ±11.0). No complications were encountered. A significant improvement in VAS score (from 5.5 to 3.3 P .001) occurred by 1 week, and significant improvements in both DASH-Compulsory (from 21.7 to 11.3 P = .001) and DASH-Work (from 25.0 to 6.3 P = .012) scores occurred by 1 month. The VAS scores further improved at 3, 6, and 12 months (from 2.0 to 1.0 to 0.50 P = .003 and .023). The DASH-Compulsory score improved significantly from 3 to 6 months (from 8.6 to 4.6 P = .003), and both the DASH-Compulsory and DASH-Work scores were sustained by 12 months. Sonographically reduced tendon thickness (19 patients), resolved or reduced hypervascularity (17 patients), and reduced hypoechoic area (18 patients) occurred by 6 months. Nineteen of the 20 patients (95%) expressed satisfaction with the procedure, with 9 patients being very satisfied with their overall experience at 6 months after the procedure, 10 patients somewhat satisfied, and 1 patient neutral. Ultrasonic microresection of diseased tissue with the TX1 device provides a focally directed, safe, specific, minimally invasive, and well-tolerated treatment for recalcitrant lateral elbow tendinopathy in an office-based or ambulatory surgical setting with good evidence of some level of efficacy in 19 of 20 patients (95%) that is sustained for at least 1 year.
No related grants have been discovered for Zixian Yang.