Biomechanical Assessment of Alternative Hand Trucks for Transporting Heavy Loads Up and Down Stairs

Hand trucks are frequently used in delivery and moving occupations to move a variety of materials including appliances and beverages. Frequently these transport tasks involve ascending or descending stairs. This research assessed the efficacy of three commercially available alternative hand truck designs that could be used to deliver appliances. Nine experienced participants moved a 52.3 kg washing machine up and down a flight of stairs using a conventional two-wheeled hand truck, a multi-wheeled hand truck, and a two-speed powered hand truck. Electromyographic (EMG) data showed reduced right erector spinae, bilateral trapezius, and bilateral biceps 90th and 50th percentile normalized responses while ascending and descending the stairs when using the powered hand truck. The multi-wheel hand truck did not reduce EMG levels relative to the conventional hand truck. Participants, however, did express a potential concern regarding the ascent time with powered hand truck at the slower speed.