Hand-finger kinematics and sEMG-based muscular effort for ergonomic analysis of colonoscopy insertion: a preliminary study

Endoscopic procedures involve repetitive movements of the fingers, wrists, and upper limbs, contributing to a rising prevalence of musculoskeletal pain and injuries (MSPI), affecting up to 89% of surveyed endoscopists [1]. Although recent advances in robotic endoscopy have helped reduce certain musculoskeletal demands [2], [3], these efforts mainly address arm and shoulder loads while overlooking the fine motor requirements of individual digits and overall muscular effort in the forearms. Once injuries are acquired, they can impact the operator’s productivity and well-being, and potentially impact the patient. Consequently, investigating the effort required by endoscopists during colonoscopy is paramount to reduce MSPI. Surface electromyography (sEMG) has been widely used to assess muscle activity in minimally invasive surgeries [4], yet many studies do not capture digit-level joint motions or their correlation with respective muscle effort. To bridge this gap, we simultaneously recorded hand motion and muscular effort at different stages of colonoscope insertion. This paper contributes: a) A sensor-based ergonomic evaluation framework for digit-joint capture and sEMG recordings. b) Principal component analysis (PCA) to identify dominant digits and muscle activation, correlating their activity with colonoscope insertion stages.