7B.003 Reducing musculoskeletal injury risk using wearable and smartphone technology

Context Wearable and smartphone technology has become a core element in the injury prevention and rehabilitation process for professional athletes. This technology can also be used in the prevention of injury in the workplace, and the return to work process following injury. Process Wearable technology is used collect accurate and valid information which enables: The physical demands of the tasks to be measured and assessed The physical capacity of the individual to be measured and assessed The identification of injury risk when the demands of the task are greater than the capacity of the individual Analysis The the physical demands of individual work tasks and the capacity of workers to perform these tasks was quantified using a combination of linear and rotational acceleration variables to calculate load. Outcomes The data collected enabled: The creation of the benchmarks for the safest method of performing work tasks Assessment of workers performing these work tasks and comparison to the benchmark to identify injury risks for uninjured workers, and provide them with feedback to reduce their injury risks. Learning Outcomes Delegates who attend this session will receive: Background on the accuracy and validity of wearable technology for movement analysis in the workplace An overview of the data analysis and reporting process Various case studies involving the use of wearable technology to identify and reduce injury risk and guide the return to work process following injury