Stress, inflammation and blood flow

Stress, inflammation and blood flow during repetitive arm work with a focus on gender, age and work-related pain

A number of studies have shown an association between stress, repetitive work and the occurrence of work-related pain in the shoulder, i.e. trapezius muscle. Noradrenalin (NO) is a substance that is commonly detected in blood during a stressful encounter. It is our interest to to detect local muscle stress and therefore we intend to determine the amount of noradrenalin in the muscle. An additional question is what effect intramuscular noradrenalin has on circulation.

This project employs an experimental design involving implanting a little probe (microdialysis) in the trapezius muscle and repetitive arm work that simulates real working environment is performed. The probe is used to sample noradrenalin levels and the work is done with and without stress implemented for comparison. Simultaneously, oxygenation and muscle activity are monitored. Since earlier has shown that women (especially older working women) are at greater risk to obtain work related disorders our study populations consist of young and old males and females and both healthy subjects and those with muscle pain.

We hope this study will better our understanding of the occurrence and maintenance of the mechanism of work-related muscle pain.

A peek into the lab (link to pictures)