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Application of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in ergonomics and exercise
International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 40 (2010) 123–124
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ergon
Editorial
Application of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in ergonomics and exercise
This special issue reflects the importance of new applications for the use of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in occupational and sports medicine. This rapidly emerging area of research in ergonomics focuses on the supply and demand of oxygen to any tissue under investigation during evaluation of human performance in real time. Although a majority of NIRS applications are still in clinical and sports domains, this special issue covers the latest research in the area of ergonomics and exercise. The 17 papers in this issue cover both original as well as reviews of applications of NIRS in ergonomics and exercise from six countries. In the first paper, Maikala discusses the history of Beer’s Law within the realm of its application in the NIRS-related research and its particular relevance to investigations in evaluating human tissue metabolism. The next two papers describe the application of NIRS in the shoulder muscles. Jensen and co-workers examine tissue oxygenation and haemoglobin kinetics in the shoulder muscles during submaximal dynamic bilateral arm abductions. Harrison and associates describe the cyctochrome oxidase changes in the trapezius muscles of experienced military helicopter pilots flying a simulator with and without night vision goggles. Three papers examine NIRS applications on the forearm/hand. Lin and co-workers evaluate the effect of different work/rest ratios on oxygenation and blood volume in forearm flexor and extensor muscles during repetitive handheld power tool operations while standing. Crenshaw and associates demonstrate NIRS sensitivity in detecting muscle contractile properties, hemodynamics and oxygenation of the finger flexors during a computer-mouse point and click task. Gold and co-workers examine the correlation between skin temperature and NIRS-derived blood volume changes in the first dorsal interosseous muscle after a typing task in a seated posture. The paper by Callaghan and associates measures oxygenation in the back extensor muscles during sedentary tasks such as standing and sitting for a period of 1–2 h. Using concepts of psychophysics, Maikala and co-workers evaluate the 2-h cart pushing ability of manual materials handling workers on floors with high and low coefficient of friction, during which the gastrocnemius muscle oxygenation and blood volume responses are continuously examined. Ergonomic risk factors such as force of exertion, duration of work, repetition of work, and lack of recovery between work elements are still a major concern in the workplace for various occupational groups. To this effect, a brief review by Perrey and associates outlines the use of NIRS to understand better the injury mechanisms of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. In another review, Perrey and associates emphasize the importance of not only 0169-8141/$ – see front matter Ó 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.ergon.2009.12.003
evaluating central responses, such as whole-body oxygen uptake and pulmonary ventilation, but also relating these responses with peripheral responses obtained by NIRS in evaluating both physical and mental workload. Although many exercise-related NIRS investigations are still being published in various journals, we are pleased to highlight the work of three researchers from three different countries. Rasmussen and co-workers evaluate cerebral haemoglobin saturation in rowers during maximal rowing exercise in normoxia, hypoxia, and hyperoxia conditions. During cycling exercise, Bhambhani and co-workers compare the whole-body maximal oxygen uptake and localized skeletal muscle oxygenation during both incremental exercise until volitional exhaustion, and high intensity exercise of short duration to understand the relative contribution of the aerobic and anaerobic energy components. Karatzanos and associates examine the determination of the ventilatory threshold by comparing both the traditional approach of gas exchange and NIRS-derived oxygenation responses from gastrocnemius muscles during treadmill running. The application of NIRS in rehabilitation research is growing as well. Kravari and co-workers present the results of an intervention study that examined the muscle oxygenation responses of congestive heart failure patients during an exercise program consisting of cycling. Gerovasili and associates discuss the importance of evaluating microcirculation function in different patient populations using NIRS-derived oxygenation responses. The review paper by Kravari and co-workers presents insights gained by NIRS in monitoring tissue oxygenation in diseased populations such as patients with diabetes, liver cirrhosis, renal disorders, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and peripheral vascular disease. Finally, this special issue concludes with a commentary by an expert, Yagesh Bhambhani, who highlights the importance of evaluating NIRS-derived physiological responses from multiple tissue regions of interest (e.g. muscle, cerebral), in combination with other physiological measures, to understand comprehensively the physiological basis of human performance during work. Our hope is that this special issue communicates the unique perspective of potential applications of NIRS and broadens the audience’s knowledge of various health disciplines. We wish to thank the authors and their colleagues who contributed to this special issue, especially those who submitted their research on short notice, and the critical constructive comments and detailed reviews by many scientists, a true testament to the vibrancy and camaraderie of the NIRS research community. More importantly, we would like to acknowledge Amanda Rivard, Niall O’Brien, Debra Larnis, and Mary Jane Woiszwillo of the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety and Reshma Shetty for editing
124
Editorial / International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 40 (2010) 123–124
a majority of the manuscripts for this special issue. We are deeply grateful to Dr. Anand Gramopadhyay, the Editor-in-Chief of this journal for providing an opportunity to publish a special issue on NIRS. Many thanks are also extended to Linda Shapiro, the journal manager and Rebecca Wilson of Elsevier Publications for their continued efforts to keep the publication process moving along and continually reminding us of deadlines. Rammohan V. Maikala* Center for Physical Ergonomics, Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, 71 Frankland Road, Hopkinton, MA 01748, USA
* Corresponding author. Tel.: þ1 508 497 0285; fax: þ1 508 435 0482. E-mail address: [email protected] Alan R. Hargens University of California, San Diego, UCSD Medical Center, 350 Dickinson Street, Suite 121, Mail Code 8894, San Diego, CA 92103-8894, USA E-mail address: [email protected] Available online 21 January 2010
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ergon
Editorial
Application of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in ergonomics and exercise
This special issue reflects the importance of new applications for the use of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in occupational and sports medicine. This rapidly emerging area of research in ergonomics focuses on the supply and demand of oxygen to any tissue under investigation during evaluation of human performance in real time. Although a majority of NIRS applications are still in clinical and sports domains, this special issue covers the latest research in the area of ergonomics and exercise. The 17 papers in this issue cover both original as well as reviews of applications of NIRS in ergonomics and exercise from six countries. In the first paper, Maikala discusses the history of Beer’s Law within the realm of its application in the NIRS-related research and its particular relevance to investigations in evaluating human tissue metabolism. The next two papers describe the application of NIRS in the shoulder muscles. Jensen and co-workers examine tissue oxygenation and haemoglobin kinetics in the shoulder muscles during submaximal dynamic bilateral arm abductions. Harrison and associates describe the cyctochrome oxidase changes in the trapezius muscles of experienced military helicopter pilots flying a simulator with and without night vision goggles. Three papers examine NIRS applications on the forearm/hand. Lin and co-workers evaluate the effect of different work/rest ratios on oxygenation and blood volume in forearm flexor and extensor muscles during repetitive handheld power tool operations while standing. Crenshaw and associates demonstrate NIRS sensitivity in detecting muscle contractile properties, hemodynamics and oxygenation of the finger flexors during a computer-mouse point and click task. Gold and co-workers examine the correlation between skin temperature and NIRS-derived blood volume changes in the first dorsal interosseous muscle after a typing task in a seated posture. The paper by Callaghan and associates measures oxygenation in the back extensor muscles during sedentary tasks such as standing and sitting for a period of 1–2 h. Using concepts of psychophysics, Maikala and co-workers evaluate the 2-h cart pushing ability of manual materials handling workers on floors with high and low coefficient of friction, during which the gastrocnemius muscle oxygenation and blood volume responses are continuously examined. Ergonomic risk factors such as force of exertion, duration of work, repetition of work, and lack of recovery between work elements are still a major concern in the workplace for various occupational groups. To this effect, a brief review by Perrey and associates outlines the use of NIRS to understand better the injury mechanisms of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. In another review, Perrey and associates emphasize the importance of not only 0169-8141/$ – see front matter Ó 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.ergon.2009.12.003
evaluating central responses, such as whole-body oxygen uptake and pulmonary ventilation, but also relating these responses with peripheral responses obtained by NIRS in evaluating both physical and mental workload. Although many exercise-related NIRS investigations are still being published in various journals, we are pleased to highlight the work of three researchers from three different countries. Rasmussen and co-workers evaluate cerebral haemoglobin saturation in rowers during maximal rowing exercise in normoxia, hypoxia, and hyperoxia conditions. During cycling exercise, Bhambhani and co-workers compare the whole-body maximal oxygen uptake and localized skeletal muscle oxygenation during both incremental exercise until volitional exhaustion, and high intensity exercise of short duration to understand the relative contribution of the aerobic and anaerobic energy components. Karatzanos and associates examine the determination of the ventilatory threshold by comparing both the traditional approach of gas exchange and NIRS-derived oxygenation responses from gastrocnemius muscles during treadmill running. The application of NIRS in rehabilitation research is growing as well. Kravari and co-workers present the results of an intervention study that examined the muscle oxygenation responses of congestive heart failure patients during an exercise program consisting of cycling. Gerovasili and associates discuss the importance of evaluating microcirculation function in different patient populations using NIRS-derived oxygenation responses. The review paper by Kravari and co-workers presents insights gained by NIRS in monitoring tissue oxygenation in diseased populations such as patients with diabetes, liver cirrhosis, renal disorders, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and peripheral vascular disease. Finally, this special issue concludes with a commentary by an expert, Yagesh Bhambhani, who highlights the importance of evaluating NIRS-derived physiological responses from multiple tissue regions of interest (e.g. muscle, cerebral), in combination with other physiological measures, to understand comprehensively the physiological basis of human performance during work. Our hope is that this special issue communicates the unique perspective of potential applications of NIRS and broadens the audience’s knowledge of various health disciplines. We wish to thank the authors and their colleagues who contributed to this special issue, especially those who submitted their research on short notice, and the critical constructive comments and detailed reviews by many scientists, a true testament to the vibrancy and camaraderie of the NIRS research community. More importantly, we would like to acknowledge Amanda Rivard, Niall O’Brien, Debra Larnis, and Mary Jane Woiszwillo of the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety and Reshma Shetty for editing
124
Editorial / International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 40 (2010) 123–124
a majority of the manuscripts for this special issue. We are deeply grateful to Dr. Anand Gramopadhyay, the Editor-in-Chief of this journal for providing an opportunity to publish a special issue on NIRS. Many thanks are also extended to Linda Shapiro, the journal manager and Rebecca Wilson of Elsevier Publications for their continued efforts to keep the publication process moving along and continually reminding us of deadlines. Rammohan V. Maikala* Center for Physical Ergonomics, Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, 71 Frankland Road, Hopkinton, MA 01748, USA
* Corresponding author. Tel.: þ1 508 497 0285; fax: þ1 508 435 0482. E-mail address: [email protected] Alan R. Hargens University of California, San Diego, UCSD Medical Center, 350 Dickinson Street, Suite 121, Mail Code 8894, San Diego, CA 92103-8894, USA E-mail address: [email protected] Available online 21 January 2010