Abstract
Prolonged exposure to seated whole-body vibration (WBV) is considered a risk factor for neck pain (NP) and low back pain (LBP) in aircrew. Decreased trunk proprioception following WBV exposure has been previously reported. Proprioceptive feedback from the mechanoreceptors of the neck and trunk regions plays an important role in maintaining proper postural stability; therefore, it was hypothesized that WBV exposure would negatively affect both cervical/trunk proprioception and postural stability, potentially exposing aircrew to a greater risk of NP/LBP. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of WBV on cervical and trunk proprioception and postural stability.
Highlights
Prolonged exposure to seated whole-body vibration (WBV) is considered a risk factor for neck pain (NP) and low back pain (LBP) in aircrew
No significant changes were observed in cervical spine joint position sense (JPS), trunk JPS/threshold to detect passive motion (TTDPM), or static/dynamic postural stability variables
The current study evaluated the effects of WBV on cervical/ trunk proprioception and static/dynamic postural stability
Summary
Prolonged exposure to seated whole-body vibration (WBV) is considered a risk factor for neck pain (NP) and low back pain (LBP) in aircrew. Proprioceptive feedback from the mechanoreceptors of the neck and trunk regions plays an important role in maintaining proper postural stability; it was hypothesized that WBV exposure would negatively affect both cervical/trunk proprioception and postural stability, potentially exposing aircrew to a greater risk of NP/LBP. Age and total flight-hours have been reported as contributing factors for NP/LBP, in part due to prolonged exposure to mechanical whole body vibration (WBV) and poor sitting posture in a confined cockpit [3,4]. It is hypothesized that at the body’s resonance, vibration transmission and amplitude magnifies throughout the spine, potentially causing premature muscular fatigue and compromised neuromuscular control [5,6]. For the same reasons (seated WBV exposure), other occupations such as large farm-machine operators and professional drivers are known to have NP and LBP issues [9,10]
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