An electromyographic study of two different types of ballpoint pens--investigation of a one hour writing operation

Recently there has been an increasing incidence of occupational cervicobrachial disorders (OCD) and writer's cramp in office workers using ballpoint pens in writing operations. For the sake of workers who use ballpoint pens, it is essential to prevent such health hazards. It has been observed that a strong gripping pressure on the ballpoint pen significantly contributes to the development of these conditions. The present authors have been developing a new ballpoint pen by altering the grip area in such a way as to reduce the gripping pressure, and thus prevent OCD. The purpose of this study is to compare our ballpoint pen (new pen) with a conventional ballpoint pen (conventional pen) for the load that they exert on the upper limb during one hour of continuous writing. Electromyograms (EMG) and upper limb pain scores are used as indicators. The conventional pen used was selected from commercially available ballpoint pens widely used in offices. The grip area is cylindrical with an 8.3 mm diameter. It is manufactured of hard plastic, which can make it feel rigid and slippery to the user. The new pen has a cylindrical grip area that flares out at the bottom, near the pen-tip, and has a diameter ranging from 11.9-13.6 mm. In addition, the grip is constructed of a 2 to 3 mm-thick silicon rubber sleeve that is softer and less slippery in comparison with the conventional pen. Twelve students (5 males and 7 females) without any preexisting cervicobrachial disorders were asked to transcribe an English text for one hour, alternately using the two kinds of pens. The EMG of the flexor pollicis brevis was measured and recorded every second, while subjective pain scores were recorded every five minutes for the thumb, forefinger, middle finger, thenar, forearm extensor (forearm) and shoulder. The EMG of the flexor pollicis brevis and the pain scores for the thumb, forefinger, middle finger, forearm and shoulder were significantly lower for the new pen than for the conventional pen. These results suggest that after an hour of continuous writing, the new pen reduces the muscle load on the upper limb, and therefore mitigates fatigue in this area.