Effects of restrictive clothing on lumbar range of motion and trunk muscle activity in young adult worker manual material handling (original) (raw)
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International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 2017
The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a back belt on vertical load transfer in terms of carrying using a single dominant hand, lumbopelvic muscle strength, and perceived difficulty in performing an active straight lower limb raise (ASLR) test among adults with non-specific low back pain (NSLBP). A total of 20 adults with NSLBP and 20 matched individuals without low back pain (LBP) participated in this study. Vertical load transfer was measured via a Matscan pressure assessment system for both standing and walking scenarios while carrying incremental loads. Lumbopelvic muscle strength during prone hip extension (PHE) test was assessed using a handheld dynamometer. Perceived difficulty in performing the ASLR test was measured with a 6-point Likert scale. A three-way ANOVA was conducted to examine the effects of vertical load transfer. Lumbopelvic muscle strength and perceived difficulty were analyzed using a two-way ANOVA. The results demonstrated an increase in vertical load transfer, increased lumbopelvic muscle strength, and decreased perceived difficulty in performing ASLR test with use of a back belt. The findings suggest that the use of a back belt in adults with NSLBP may improve vertical load transfer during load-carrying tasks, maximize lumbopelvic muscle strength, and decrease perceived difficulty in performing a task. This is relevant to industry, as use of a back belt is an option for industrial workers with NSLBP during manual load carrying to optimize vertical load transfer and personal comfort.
Journal of the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka, 2021
Introduction: Clinical evidence suggests that hamstring tightness influences lumbar pelvic rhythm and shortened hamstring increase the risk of injury to the spine. Objectives: To determine the association of hamstring tightness with pelvic tilt in standing position, trunk, and lumbar range of motion during forward bending among sewing machine operators Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 169 sewing machine operators aged 18-55 years using passive knee extension test, tri-goniometric method, finger to floor test and modified Schober test to measure hamstring tightness, pelvic tilt, trunk flexion and lumbar flexion, respectively. Results: A weak negative correlation between hamstring tightness and lumbar range of motion during forward bending (r=-0.28; p=0.001). A significant association between trunk flexion and hamstring tightness (r=0.47; p=0.001). Conclusions & Recommendations: Hamstring tightness affects the lumbar and trunk range of motion during forward bending.
Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology, 2003
The sit-and-reach (S&R) test is often included in standard fitness tests (e.g., Canadian Physical Activity, Fitness and Lifestyle Appraisal [CPAFLA]), justified on the assumption that it is an indicator of low back health. Two issues were examined here: Is low back flexibility linked to having a history of low back disorders? And is the S&R test an indicator of low back flexibility? The relationship between S&R test scores, lumbar range of motion, and having a history of low back discomfort was examined in 72 asymptomatic (at test time) industrial workers (70 M, 2 F; mean age 35 ys; height 1.79 m; mass 84.7 kg). The S&R test, among many collected, was performed according to the CPAFLA guidelines. History of low back discomfort (LBD) was categorized based on whether or not time was lost from work. The S&R test was unable to distinguish between those with a history of LBD and those without. Specific lumbar sagittal range of motion could make this distinction. A moderate correlation (r...
Sagittal trunk movements during load carrying activities: a pilot study
International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 2003
The objective of this study was to describe trunk movements in sedentary subjects, and in workers with and without musculoskeletal symptoms, when carrying loads in simulated tasks. The 38 subjects who participated in this study were divided into 4 groups, consisting of 9 male students, 10 female students, 10 female symptomatic industrial workers and 9 asymptomatic industrial workers. The trunk movements of all subjects were recorded by a biaxial back electrogoniometer when carrying loads between surfaces of different heights. An analysis of variance for repeated measures were performed, which was followed by the Duncan post hoc test for comparison of anthropometrical data between subjects, amplitude of movement, and time spent in each movement per group and per experimental condition. The height of the surfaces to which the loads were carried to or from, significantly influenced the trunk positions during handling (po0:01), as if subjects were anticipating the target position whilst handling. Also, more time was spent in flexion (po0:01) than in extension. These aspects increase the risks of possible injury in such activities.
Ergonomics, 2000
The evaluation of low-back disorder risk associated with materials handling tasks can be performed using a variety of assessment tools. Most of these tools vary greatly in their underlying logic, yet few have been assessed for their predictive ability. It is important to documenthow well an assessment tool realistically re¯ects the job's injury risk, since only valid and accurate tools can reliably determine whether a given ergonomic intervention will result in a future reduction in back injuries. The goal of this study was to evaluate how well a previously reported lowback disorder (LBD) risk assessment model ) could predict changes in LBD injury rates as the physical conditions to which employees are exposed were changed. Thirty-six repetitive materials handling jobs from 16 diVerent companies were included in this prospective cohort study. Of these 36 jobs, 32 underwent an ergonomic intervention during the observation period, and four jobs in which no intervention occurred served as a comparison group. The trunk motions and workplace features of 142 employees performing these jobs were observed both before and after workplace interventions were incorporated. In addition, the jobs' LBD rates were documentedfor these pre-and post-intervention periods. The results indicated that a statistically signi® cant correlation existed between changes in the jobs' estimated LBD risk values and changes in their actual low-back incidencerates over the observationperiod.Linear and Poissonregression models also were developed to predict a change in a job's incidence rate and the numberof LBD on a job respectively, as a functionof the job's risk change using this assessment model. Finally, this prospective study showed which ergonomic interventions consistently reduced the jobs' mean low-back incidence rates. These results support use of the LBD risk model to assess accurately a job's potential to lead to low-back injuries among its employees.
Fisioterapia e Pesquisa, 2020
Pelvic floor muscles act synergistically with the abdominal and lumbar muscles contributing to spine and pelvic control. These muscles are activated during activities that increase intra-abdominal pressure, such as manual material handling. The aim of our study was to assess the electrical activity of the lumbar, abdominal and pelvic floor muscles during manual material handling with different loads. This is a cross-sectional study with sixteen nulliparous continent women aged between 18 and 35 years. An electromyographic system was used to evaluate the activation of the multifidus, erector spinal (iliocostal) and abdominal rectus muscles bilaterally (Trigno Wireless®, DelSys®, Boston, USA) and another for the pelvic floor muscles (Thought Technology Ltd, Canadá). Electromyographic data were collected during manual handling of three loads: light (1.5 kg), medium (4.5 kg) and heavy (11.3 kg). Repeated measures ANOVA was applied to compare the activation among loads at a 5% level of s...
Ergonomic evaluation of work related musculoskeletal disorders among tailors
International journal of home science, 2016
Work related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) have been described as the most common cause of severe long term pain and physical hazards affecting people across the world. Tailors were performing various activities to create new pieces of clothing from patterns and designs or modify existing garments to fit to the customers. Due to nature of this profession tailors adopted awkward posture and repetitive motion, which cause musculoskeletal discomfort and occupational health hazards. Therefore the present study was conducted on 60 male respondents engaged with tailoring profession from Pantnagar (Uttarakhand, India). The musculoskeletal symptoms were assessed by using body map and standardized Nordic questionnaire. A precoded questionnaire was also developed to measure the exposure regarding the type of machine being operated, working hour, units produced per day, workspace and workplace storage. For the major activities it was found that the respondents reported pain 34% in neck in ...
Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 2021
Objective To investigate the effect of using a passive back-support exoskeleton (Laevo V2.56) on muscle activity, posture, heart rate, performance, usability, and wearer comfort during a course of three industrial tasks (COU; exoskeleton worn, turned-on), stair climbing test (SCT; exoskeleton worn, turned-off), timed-up-and-go test (TUG; exoskeleton worn, turned-off) compared to no exoskeleton. Background Back-support exoskeletons have the potential to reduce work-related physical demands. Methods Thirty-six men participated. Activity of erector spinae (ES), biceps femoris (BF), rectus abdominis (RA), vastus lateralis (VL), gastrocnemius medialis (GM), trapezius descendens (TD) was recorded by electromyography; posture by trunk, hip, knee flexion angles; heart rate by electrocardiography; performance by time-to-task accomplishment (s) and perceived task difficulty (100-mm visual analogue scale; VAS); usability by the System Usability Scale (SUS) and all items belonging to domains sk...
Flexion and Rotation of the Trunk and Lifting at Work Are Risk Factors for Low Back Pain
Spine, 2000
Study Design. A 3-year prospective cohort study among workers of 34 companies in the Netherlands. Objectives. To investigate the relation between flexion and rotation of the trunk and lifting at work and the occurrence of low back pain. Summary of Background Data. Previous studies on work-related physical risk factors for low back pain either lacked quantification of the physical load or did not take confounding by individual and psychosocial factors into account. Methods. The study population consisted of 861 workers with no low back pain at baseline and complete data on the occurrence of low back pain during the 3-year follow-up period. Physical load at work was assessed by means of analyses of video-recordings. Information on other risk factors and the occurrence of low back pain was obtained by means of self-administered questionnaires. Results. An increased risk of low back pain was observed for workers who worked with the trunk in a minimum of 60°of flexion for more than 5% of the working time (RR 1.5, 95% CI 1.0-2.1), for workers who worked with the trunk in a minimum of 30°of rotation for more than 10% of the working time (RR 1.3, 95% CI 0.9-1.9), and for workers who lifted a load of at least 25 kg more than 15 times per working day (RR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1-2.3). Conclusions. Flexion and rotation of the trunk and lifting at work are moderate risk factors for low back pain, especially at greater levels of exposure.