Use of an Intraoperative Head, Neck, and Back Support Exoskeleton on Surgeons' Pain and Posture

To evaluate the effectiveness of an intraoperative exoskeleton that supports surgeons' heads, necks, and backs to reduce neck discomfort.

Surgeons are at a considerable risk of developing neck pain and related injuries. Passive exoskeletons are a potential intervention to support surgeons' body parts and alleviate strain and discomfort.

The NekSpine (a passive neck exoskeleton) was trialed on 12 surgeons (7 males and 5 females) across 6 specialties. Each surgeon performed 4 surgical procedures, 2 with the NekSpine (exoskeleton) and 2 without (baseline). Exoskeleton and baseline surgeries were paired primarily by surgical procedure and secondarily by duration. Surgeons completed surveys that included the NASA-TLX and usability questions before and after surgical procedures to evaluate body part discomfort, overall fatigue, workload, and potential disruptions to the surgical workflow. Surgeons also wore inertial measurement units to objectively record their upper arms, neck, and torso postures.

Use of the exoskeleton yielded significant decreases in discomfort in the neck, left shoulder, right shoulder, and left arm. Reductions in percent surgical duration in risk 4 (extreme risk postures) coupled with increases spent in risk 2 (moderate risk postures) for the neck and torso were noted. Surgeons reported overall favorable usability results with the exoskeleton not interfering with the surgical workflow, and most stated that they would use the exoskeleton again.

The NekSpine is a promising intervention to alleviate surgeons' neck discomfort and improve their neck and torso postures.