Mechanical Predictors of Discomfort during Load Carriage

Patrick D Wettenschwiler, Silvio Lorenzetti, Rolf Stämpfli, René M Rossi, Stephen J Ferguson and Simon Annaheim

PLOS ONE, 2015, vol. 10, issue 11, 1-14

Abstract: Discomfort during load carriage is a major issue for activities using backpacks (e.g. infantry maneuvers, children carrying school supplies, or outdoor sports). It is currently unclear which mechanical parameters are responsible for subjectively perceived discomfort. The aim of this study was to identify objectively measured mechanical predictors of discomfort during load carriage. We compared twelve different configurations of a typical load carriage system, a commercially available backpack with a hip belt. The pressure distribution under the hip belt and the shoulder strap, as well as the tensile force in the strap and the relative motion of the backpack were measured. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to investigate possible predictors of discomfort. The results demonstrate that static peak pressure, or alternatively, static strap force is a significant (p

Date: 2015
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0142004

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142004

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