Abstract
Spinal exoskeletons have been suggested as an approach for the prevention and rehabilitation of occupational low back pain (LBP). While the state-of-the-art exoskeletons were shown to substantially unload the back, user acceptance is still limited. Perceived discomfort and restriction of freedom of movement are commonly reported. In this pilot study, we explored the differences in subjective responses and user impressions to using passive spinal exoskeleton during a set of simple lifting tasks between LBP patients (n = 12) and asymptomatic individuals (n = 10). Visual analog scales (0–10) were used for all assessments. Overall, the results showed mostly similar responses or slightly more positive responses to the exoskeleton from LBP patients. Most notably, the LBP patients reported a statistically significant (p = 0.048) higher willingness to use the device daily (5.36 ± 4.05) compared to the control group (2.00 ± 1.85) and also gave the device a higher overall grade (6.58 ± 1.98 vs. 4.30 ± 2.26; p = 0.021). This study has demonstrated that individuals with current LBP responded more favorably to the use of the spinal exoskeleton for simple lifting tasks. This implies that current exoskeletons could be appropriate for LBP rehabilitation, but not preventions, as pain-free individuals are less willing to use such devices. Future studies should explore whether different exoskeleton designs could be more appropriate for people with no LBP issues.
Highlights
Low back pain (LBP) remains a major worldwide issue [1]
* higher scores favor the exoskeleton for Q6 and Q7; LBP: low back pain. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the differences between LBP patients and asymptomatic controls regarding subjective responses and user impressions related to the brief use of a passive spinal exoskeleton
Our results suggest that LBP patients respond more favorably to the use of this exoskeleton during simple lifting tasks
Summary
Spinal exoskeletons emerged as a possible approach to the prevention and rehabilitation of LBP in occupational environments that involve heavy-load handling and sustained static postures [2,3,4,5]. The basic mechanism by which exoskeletons are purported to help is by their provision of external torque, thereby reducing the required force exerted by the muscles and reducing the load on the spine and other joints [2,3]. Most experiments conducted with such devices show significant benefits, such as reduced spinal compression forces and muscle activity during lifting or static bending tasks [6,7,8], as well as reduced metabolic costs of lifting [9,10]. Before workers can benefit from the exoskeletons, they must accept using them
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