MEASURING LUMBAR SAGITTAL POSTURE IN SEWAGE WORKERS USING AN ULTRASONIC DEVICE

Abstract

Because the degree and duration of lumbar flexion during sewage work have only been assessed on the basis of subjective reports, the purpose of this study was to investigate the usability of a measurement system for the non-invasive assessment of lumbar sagittal posture during sewage work using ultrasound. The validity of an ultrasonic measurement device was investigated in 16 healthy individuals by comparing the measurements obtained with the device with both Schober and electronic inclinometer measurements. To determine the intra-rater reliability of the ultrasonic device, short-term, medium-term, and long-term test-retest data were collected. Moreover, the percentage of the work time sewage workers spend in each of seven lumbar flexion categories within their individual lumbar flexion range of motion was assessed. Pearson's correlation coefficients of ≥ 0.88 indicate high validity between the methods. The intraclass correlation coefficients between tests and retests (≥ 0.88) demonstrate high reproducibility of the measurement procedures. Sewage workers spend about 25% of their work day in the most extreme of the seven lumbar posture categories. Also, testing did not interfere with the workers' normal work routine. The validity and reliability data as well as the trouble-free technical performance of the ultrasonic device support its usability for the continuous measurement of lumbar posture during sewage work.