The University Hospital

Dr. Tessy Luger (PhD, the Netherlands)

Dr. Tessy Luger (PhD, the Netherlands)

Head of the Work Physiology Laboratory

Research Unit "Work-related Exposures - Work Design"

Contact

Phone number: +49 7071 29-84364

E-mail address: tessy.luger@med.uni-tuebingen.de

Clinic / Institute / Center

  • Work design through load change
  • Physiology of work-related musculoskeletal disorders.
  • Evaluation of exoskeletons
  • Occupational physiology methods

  • PhD in Human Movement Sciences (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands)

    Course "Medical Didactic Qualification I", September 2018 - March 2019, Tübingen (certificate retrieved March 6, 2019). Cochrane Workshop "Systematic Review", March 2017, Freiburg.

  • As laboratory manager of the occupational physiology laboratory in the research unit "Work-related stresses - work design", I was/am involved in the following research projects:
    - 2023-2025 LINOS Preliminary study on the role of chronic local inflammation in persistent work-related complaints in the arm-hand region during severe occupational stress.
    - 2023-2024 BIMIS A controlled intervention study to investigate the feasibility of a work break intervention in minimally invasive surgery. A feasibility protocol (project number with the ethics committee 766/2020BO2).
    - 2019-2020 Systematic review and meta-analysis "The influence of using exoskeletons during occupational tasks on acute physical stress and strain compared to no exoskeleton".
    - 2018-2022 Work breaks during minimally invasive surgery. Target-group specific development of work breaks schedules (project number at the Ethics Committee 618/2018BO2).
    - 2018-2020 ADVANCE Occupational physiological-biomechanical analysis of a passive exoskeleton to support occupational lifting and bending (project number with the Ethics Committee 617/2018BO2).
    - 2017-2019 Cochrane Protocol & Review "Work-break schedules for preventingmusculoskeletal symptoms and disorders in healthy workers"
    - 2017-2018 Chairless Chair Exoskeleton. Work-physiological-biomechanical analysis of the lower extremities (Project number with the Ethics Committee 184/2017BO2).
    - 2012-2013 Normalization of surface electromyography data in occupational science studies (project number with the Ethics Committee 260/2012BO2).
  • Reviewer for the following peer-reviewed international journals:
    - "Applied Ergonomics"
    - "IISE Transactions on Occupational Ergonomics and Human Factors"
    - "Human Factors"
    - "Ergonomics"
    - "BMC Musculoskeletal Health"
  • April 2023 - now
    Head of the work physiology laboratory of the Research Unit Work-related exposures & Work design (Institute of Occupational and Social Medicine and Health Services Research, University and University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany)
  • January 2017 - March 2023
    Postdoctoral Researcher at the Research Unit Work-related exposures & Work design (Institute of Occupational and Social Medicine and Health Services Research, University and University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany)
  • October 2015 - January 2016
    PhD Exchange Student (Erasmus+ 3rd cycle: Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden)
  • November 2013 - now
    Editor for the Dutch Journal of Human Factors [Tijdschrift voor Human Factors].
  • June 2012 - December 2016
    PhD Human Movement Sciences (Department of Human Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands)
  • September 2009 - July 2011
    Master Student in Human Movement Sciences (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands)
  • January 2009 - March 2009
    Bachelor Exchange Student (Erasmus+ 1st cycle: University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland)
  • September 2006 - August 2009
    Bachelor Student in Health Sciences (Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands)
  • 1st prize for ASU Best Paper Award 2021 (link to publication: https://www.asu-arbeitsmedizin.com/wissenschaft/einfluss-eines-passiven-exoskeletts-zur-rueckenunter-stuetzung-auf-die-subjektive)
  • 3rd prize for oral presentation at the 22nd Young Scientists Symposium of the Forum of Occupational Physiology (FAP) in November 2019 in Tübingen.
  • Junior application (# 2480-1-0) in the UKT's fortüne program (personal grant for a research project on work breaks among gynecologists).
  • Scholarship (# 91704771) in the DAAD Congress Travel Program (travel grant to attend the International Ergonomics Association conference in Italy in August 2018, provided by the German Academic Exchange Service).
  • Erasmus+ Mobility Grant, Third Cycle (Doctorate: this grant provided the possibility to perform part of the PhD program in Gävle, Sweden).
  • Erasmus+ Mobility Grant, First Cycle (Bachelor: this grant provided the possibility to perform part of the Bachelor program in Jyväskylä, Finland).
  • Bär M, Luger T, Seibt R, Gabriel J, Rieger MA, Steinhilber B. Effects of a passive back-support exoskeleton on knee joint loading during simulated static sorting and dynamic lifting tasks. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19169965
  • Rimmele P, Steinhilber B, Rieger MA, Luger T (2022). Motor variability during a repetitive lifting task is influenced by wearing a passive back-support exoskeleton. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jelekin.2022.102739
  • Bär M, Luger T, Seibt R, Rieger MA, Steinhilber B (2022). Using a passive back exoskeleton during a simulated sorting task: Influence on muscle activity, posture, and heart rate. Human Factors. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00187208211073192
  • Steinhilber B, Seibt R, Rieger MA, Luger T (2021). Postural control when using an industrial lower limb exoskeleton: Impact of reaching for a working tool and external perturbation. Human Factors. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0018720820957466
  • Steinhilber B, Luger T, Schwenkreis P, Middeldorf S, Bork H, Mann B, von Glinski A, Schildhauer TA, Weiler S, Schmauder M, Heinrich K, Winter G, Schnalke G, Frener P, Schick R, Wischniewski S, Jäger M (2021). The use of exoskeletons in the occupational context for primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of work-related musculoskeletal complaints. IISE Transactions on Occupational Ergonomics and Human Factors. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/24725838.2020.1844344
  • Bär M, Steinhilber B, Rieger MA, Luger T (2021). The influence of using exoskeletons during occupational tasks on acute physical stress and strain compared to no exoskeleton - A systematic reviewand meta-analysis. Applied Ergonomics, 94 (103385). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2021.103385
  • Luger T, Bär M, Seibt R, Rimmele P, Rieger MA, Steinhilber B (2021). A passive back exoskeleton supporting symmetric and asymmetric lifting instoop and squat posture reduces trunk and hip extensor muscle activity andadjusts body posture - A laboratory study. Applied Ergonomics, 97 (103530). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2021.103530
  • Luger T, Bär M, Seibt R, Rieger MA, Steinhilber B (2021). Using a back exoskeleton during industrial and functional tasks - Effects on muscle activity, posture, performance, usability, and wearer discomfort in a laboratory trial. Human Factors. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00187208211007267
  • Luger T, Rieger MA, Bonsch R, Krämer B, Seibt R, Steinhilber B (2020). Active and passive work breaks during simulated laparoscopy among laparoscopic surgeons: study protocol for a controlled, randomised cross-over laboratory trial. BMJ Open, 10:e038952. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-038952
  • Luger T, Seibt R, Rieger MA, Steinhilber B (2020). Sex differences in muscle activity and motor variability in response to a non-fatiguing repetitive screwing task. Biology of Sex Differences, Vol. 11, No. 6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13293-020-0282-2
  • Luger T, Maher C, Rieger MA, Steinhilber B (2019). Work-break schedules for preventing musculoskeletal symptoms and disorders in healthy workers. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 7, No. CD012886. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD012886.pub2
  • Luger T, Seibt R, Timothy J Cobb, Rieger MA, Steinhilber B (2019). Influence of a passive lower-limb exoskeleton during simulated industrial work tasks on physical load, upper body posture, postural control and discomfort. Applied Ergonomics, Vol. 80, pp. 152-160. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2019.05.018
  • Luger T, Seibt R, Rieger MA, Steinhilber B (2019). A passive lower-limb industrial exoskeleton. Tijdschrift voor Human Factors, Vol. 44, No. 1, pp. 16-19.
  • Luger T, Seibt R, Rieger MA, Steinhilber B (2019). The role of motor learning on measures of physical demands and motor variability during repetitive screwing. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol. 16, No. 7, pp. 1231. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16071231
  • Luger T, Cobb TJ, Seibt R, Rieger MA, Steinhilber B (2019). Subjective evaluation of a passive lower-limb industrial exoskeleton used during simulated assembly. IISE Transactions on Occupational Ergonomics and Human Factors; Vol. 7, No. 3-4, pp. 175-184. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/24725838.2018.1560376
  • Steinhilber B, Seibt R, Luger T (2018). Use of exoskeletons in occupational contexts - effect and side effect. Occupational medicine, social medicine, environmental medicine. Vol. 53, No. 10, pp. 662-664.
  • Luger T, Maher C, Rieger MA, Steinhilber B (2017). Work-break schedules for preventing musculoskeletal disorders in workers (Protocol). The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD012886
  • Luger T (2017). Changing variation by workstation design. ISE Magazine, Vol. 49, No. 8, pp. 53-54.
  • Luger T, Mathiassen SE, Bosch T, Hoozemans M, Douwes M, Veeger DJ, De Looze M (2017). Influence of posture variation on shoulder muscle activity, heart rate, and perceived exertion in a repetitive manual task. IISE Transactions on Occupational Ergonomics and Human Factors, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 47-64. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/24725838.2017.1303655
  • Luger T, Mathiassen SE, Srinivasan D, Bosch T (2017). Influence of Work Pace on Upper Extremity Kinematics and Muscle Activity in a Short-Cycle Repetitive Pick-and-Place Task. Annals of Work Exposures and Health, Vol. 61, No. 3, pp. 356-368. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/annweh/wxx001
  • Luger T (2016). Taakvariatie tijdens repeterend manueel werk. Tijdschrift voor Human Factors, Vol. 41, No. 3, pp. 46-49.
  • Luger T, Bosch T, Hoozemans MJM, Veeger HEJ, De Looze MP (2016). Is rotating between static and dynamic work beneficial for our fatigue state? Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, Vol. 28, pp. 104-113. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jelekin.2016.04.001
  • Luger T, Bosch T, Hoozemans M, De Looze M, Veeger D (2015). Task Variation during Repetitive Low-Intensity Work - Influence on Manifestation of Shoulder Muscle Fatigue, Perceived Discomfort and Upper-Body Postures. Ergonomics, Vol. 58, No. 11, pp. 1851-1867. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2015.1043356
  • Luger T, Bosch T, Veeger D, De Looze M (2014). The influence of task variation on manifestations of fatigue is ambiguous - a literature review. Ergonomics, Vol. 57, No. 2, pp. 162-174. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2014.885088
  • Van Dieën JH, Luger T, Van der Eb J (2012). Effects of fatigue on trunk stability in elite gymnasts. European Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol. 112, No. 4, pp. 1307-1313. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-011-2082-1
  • Publications