Evaluation of Trunk Assistance Exoskeleton

TOPMED

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Exoskeleton Device

Treatments: Device: No trunk assistance; Device: Laevo Flex exoskeleton; Device: Adjustment and practice session; Device: Uplift Lite exoskeleton; Device: Biolift exoskeleton

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07084974

502_IRSST_Exo

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this interventional study is to evaluate the effect of three different designs of trunk assistance exoskeletons on cumulative lumbar load, trunk extensors' muscular fatigue and comfort in healthy volunteers. The main questions it aims to answer is: will exoskeletons reduce muscle fatigue and cumulative lumbar load. Participants will :

• get each exoskeletons adjusted and then practice the lifting task and measurement sequence in a first session
• perform a lifting task for 4 blocks of 20 minutes on different sessions for each exoskeleton, another session is performed without assistance.

Enrollment: 20 estimated patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Being able to communicate in french

Exclusion criteria

• Back pain in the last year
• Back pain for more than a week in the years prior
• Musculoskeletal injury in the last year
• Trunk musculoskeletal system surgery in the last year
• Scoliosis diagnostic
• Systemic illness, degenerative disease or syndrome related to the trunk musculoskeletal or nervous system
• Body mass index over 35 kg/m^2
• History of neurological damage
• Any contraindication to the practice of physical activity
• Incapacity to perform the lifting task at the specified rythm
• Medication with a negative impact on balance

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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20 participants in 1 patient group

Repeated measures intervention group

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will perform 5 different intervention sessions: An adjustment and practice session which is always performed first, then participants will performed 4 lifting tasks sessions in randomized order: * No trunk assistance session * Uplift Lite exoskeleton session * Biolift exoskeleton session * Laevo Flex exoskeleton session During each lifting task session, participants will perform 3 blocks of 20 minutes of the lifting task. The lifting task is a box transfer tasks from the ground to a table adjusted at hip height. The task rythm is 7 cycles per minute. The box weight is equivalent to 10% of their maximal lifting strength. The handles of the box are positioned at 28 cm above the bottom of the box. Total session duration is about 3 hours for all sessions. Participants will have between 4 and 14 days of rest in between each sessions.

Treatment:

Device: Biolift exoskeleton

Device: Uplift Lite exoskeleton

Device: Adjustment and practice session

Device: Laevo Flex exoskeleton

Device: No trunk assistance