A researcher from the University of Saskatchewan (USask) is looking for Saskatchewan farmers with sore shoulders to participate in a study about how producers move.
“The initial focus is looking at the postural exposures (movement requirements) farmers experience at work,” Dr. Angelica Lang, an associate professor at the Canadian Centre for Rural and Agricultural Health at the USask’s College of Medicine, told Farms.com.
Producers who volunteer will receive a visit from members of Dr. Lang’s team to their home farm for about an hour.
Volunteers will wear sensors on their shoulders and other parts of their bodies and perform typical daily tasks like lifting seed bags, shoveling, or throwing hay bales.
The sensors measure the orientation, or angle, of the specific body part, Lang said.
Previous research indicated working at arm elevations of 90 degrees or more for more than 10 per cent of a work shift can double the risk of developing a shoulder injury.